BÜHLER’S FLAVOUR CREATION CENTER IS OPERATING AT FULL POWER FOR CUSTOMERS

The Flavor Creation Center, which has been processing coffee since 2013 and cocoa and nuts since 2022, has been upgraded and refurbished, and is now up and running as part of Bühler’s innovation hub in Uzwil, Switzerland. The opening of four Application & Training Centers (ATCs) – Flavor Creation Center, Food Creation Center, Protein Application Center, and Energy Recovery Center – complementing the existing ATCs, such as the Extrusion Application Center, is a milestone in Bühler’s journey to support customers and partners to create a more sustainable food system.

The centre showcases Bühler’s proven expertise in product innovation, technology and process validation, process optimization, and training and education. In partnership with other Application and Training Centers, customers have the unique opportunity to consider new and different technologies along the value chain to find the best possible solution for their application, from the raw material to the finished product.

The processing, roasting, and grinding of cocoa beans, nuts, and coffee is now combined in one location to create innovative flavours and high-quality products. The technological solutions available for cocoa include cleaning, de-shelling, alkalizing, and roasting (batch and continuous roasting), and result in high-quality cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder.

For coffee processing, customers have access to diverse roasting technologies such as tangential roasters and drum roasters. These solutions support their search for the best flavour profile, processing time, and colour. Attuned to healthy food trends, the Flavour Creation Center also offers a new grinding technology, the Pulsar mill, which has been designed to grind nuts and seeds into smooth and tasty pastes.

The collaboration with the other Application & Training Centers in Uzwil provides extended finished-product value streams. The Flavour Creation Center collaborates with the Chocolate Application Center to produce chocolate mass from cocoa, and spreads from nut pastes. It works with the Food Creation Center team to produce cereal bars and chocolate bars. At the Energy Recovery Center cocoa shells are used to produce energy. Training and education is another highlight of the application centre as up to October 2023 more than 4,000 customers (be it beginners or experienced professionals) had participated in a wide range of training courses about raw materials, setup of equipment, technologies, and services.