OYSTAR. The Process & Packaging Group

Premium Quality in a Capsule

The market for individual coffee portions is booming. According to a report by the German Coffee Association in April, the share of overall coffee consumption made up by individual portions has increased tenfold in the last five years. The increase in the number of single-person households and the consistently high demand for high-quality convenience products that can be enjoyed on the go are at the root of these figures. And for this reason, the German Coffee Association is anticipating further growth. For production, this means achieving reliable processes with high output rates.

In Orbe, Switzerland, the food company Nestlé produces individual portions of coffee tablets sealed with foil for its Nespresso system range aimed at business customers. The tablets, which are made of pressed, ground coffee, are inserted in their entirety – foil packaging included – into the espresso machine. The top of the capsule is perforated by a mechanism in the machine, which leaves a small number of wide openings. Pressurized, heated water flows through the tablet and emerges from the perforated underside of the capsule as fine espresso. These individual portions ensure that every cup of premium coffee offers the signature Nespresso flavor and eliminate potential quality fluctuations in portion size and freshness.

The range includes seven different coffee aromas called "Grand Crus", a name that serves to underscore the quality of the premium brand. To achieve this level of premium quality, production processes must be fine-tuned to work seamlessly together. The packaging process, with high output rates, occupies a crucial role here. Nestlé uses OYSTAR Hassia form-filling and sealing equipment for this purpose.

OYSTAR Hassia is a leading provider of form-filling and sealing equipment to the dairy and food industries. The equipment is typically used to package low to high viscosity products.  Since OYSTAR Hassia's form-filling and sealing technology is adapted to meet product and market requirements as well as particular customer needs in each instance, economical and highly efficient solutions can also be realized in other product areas. The machine used to package pressed coffee tablets in portion capsules formed from a PET/aluminum/OPP composite is just one of many examples. Using one such machine from the THM 18/42 series, Nestlé produces approximately 43,000 tablets in colored foil per hour.

To date, three OYSTAR Hassia machines are in use at Nestlé. The company values the high degree of efficiency offered by the OYSTAR machines. "For Nestlé, machine safety is the top priority," a company representative said recently at a Fraunhofer Applications Center for Processing Machinery and Packaging Technology (Fraunhofer AVV) convention about the German packaging machinery industry. "With 480 factories in 86 countries, and an annual investment of between €600 and €800 million for packaging machinery, we expect absolute reliability with regard to occupational safety and product protection." International, 24/7 service was named as the company's second most important requirement. Other than that, the company values machines that display a level of simplicity in their application. "In other words, they have to perform well but still be easy to operate."

OYSTAR Hassia and its form-filling and sealing equipment meet these requirements in every regard. Custom machine designs, for example to cater for production capacity or hygiene requirements, safeguard efficient production. The Nespresso coffee capsule machine is also extremely user-friendly, offering ergonomic working heights for maintenance, servicing, and visual inspections among other features.  

OYSTAR Hassia has been Nestlé's equipment partner for around 15 years. Nestlé will install a fourth form-filling and sealing machine in Orbe by the end of the year in response to sustained high demand for convenience products in the coffee market. Through efficient and safe production, Nestlé plans to rapidly further expand its market share

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