DEVEX Verfahrenstechnik - SOLAR Gold

Why producers choose the DEVEX Verfahrenstechnik - SOLAR Gold

• Premium cup quality — tastes like fresh brew
• ~20% of the CAPEX of conventional instant lines
• Frost-drying nearly halves drying electricity (~40%)
• Modular: start small, scale format and capacity
• One platform — instant, concentrates and RTD
• Beyond coffee: tea, cascara, fruit and herbal extracts
• Lower footprint — up to 55% water recycled, 40% steam saved
• Instant solubility in hot or cold — no sediment

Overview

A right-sized frost-drying instant coffee platform delivering megabrand cup quality at a fraction of CAPEX—so regional brands can own their instant line.

SOLAR Gold (“Soluble Artisan Gold”) is a premium instant-coffee solution built on DEVEX's frost-drying technology and taken to market by dph International. Unlike conventional freeze-dry gigafactories that require €15–50 million and megabrand-scale volumes, SOLAR Gold is right-sized and modular—viable at roughly 20% of conventional CAPEX with faster ROI. The process feeds liquid coffee directly onto a continuous belt inside a deep-vacuum tunnel (≤6 mbar), where water sublimates below 0 °C so the product never heats and its aroma and taste are preserved. Core soluble throughput is 22–24 kg/hr on a continuous line, giving 147 MT/yr (Arabica) to 160 MT/yr (Robusta) at three shifts over 290 days, with consistent ≤3% final moisture. The same platform produces instant coffee, cold & hot brew, cold & hot concentrates, liquid coffee concentrate and up to 4,500 cans/hour of RTD (320 ml)—and extends beyond coffee to cascara, tea, fruit and herbal extracts. Customers can start focused and expand product formats and variations as demand scales.

Developed by dph International in partnership with DEVEX Verfahrenstechnik; engineered and built in Germany.

Specifications