The line will use 40% less energy and 33% less water per kg of final product, compared to the existing lines on the site.
“The new line will be technically more efficient and, therefore, the consumption of resources is lower in all processes related to the production,” a Nestlé spokesperson told BeverageDaily.com.
Production capacity at the factory will reach 30,000 tonnes a year by 2017. The additional volumes will be exported to other European countries.
The factory already processes around 80,000 tons of green coffee (coffee beans) annually, which Nestlé says is more than 1% of the overall world production of coffee.
Dolce Gusto and soluble coffee
The Girona site employs 700 people and is considered a ‘reference center’ for Nestlé’s production of soluble coffee worldwide.
The facility, which also produces Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules, had already received a €236m boost between 2007-2014. This modernized the Nescafé soluble coffee production line and constructed a production centre for the Dolce Gusto facility.
“The Girona Factory has the demonstrated expertise and know-how to become one of Nestlé’s most competitive soluble coffee factories in Europe,” the spokesperson continued.
“This is the reason why the group has decided to make this important [additional] investment in the Spanish factory.”