Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1237674
52 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2020 (April / May) By Dan Shryock I IMA Coffee Hub MA Group, the international leader in the design and manufacturing of automatic processing and packaging equipment for the coffee and tea industries, has assem- bled a group of solutions to serve the coffee industry. The group – The Coffee Hub – brings together the applications needed to handle all stages of coffee handling, processing, and packaging. "IMA created the hub aiming to leverage expertise at every step of coffee pro- cessing or packaging and be the one-stop answer to large and small coffee producers worldwide," the company said. With this "handful of expert companies and supported through consolidated, strategic partnerships, IMA now addresses any issue facing cof- fee producers, starting from when green coffee is delivered to when bulk-packaged capsules, pods, and ground coffee or beans are shipped to retail outlets." IMA packaging solutions have been on the forefront of single-cup filling and pack- aging for 10 years with the well-known GIMA brand and then with Mapster since 2017. The recent merger of GIMA and Mapster companies into IMA S.p.A. in January and the acquisitions of Spreafico (2019), Tecmar (2019), and Petroncini (2018) have contributed to the process of creation and strengthening of the IMA Coffee Hub. IMA Coffee Hub now serves the coffee industry as a one-stop supplier of specialist brands to large and small coffee producers worldwide, the company says. It supports green coffee intake, and processing, roasting, grinding, packaging, and cartooning. Here's a quick review of each stage: Green coffee intake, cleaning, and storage Whether beans arrive in a single bag, a bulk container, or any size in between, auto- mated handling —including telescopic conveyors, indoor and outdoor hoppers, and robotic technology — work with intelligent software to maintain security and effi- ciency during the intake process. Once the beans arrive, each shipment must be cleaned, sorted, and weighed for storage. IMA touts its systems as "important tools to guarantee the maximum process- ing efficiency" that still protects the "integrity of the raw material without dispersions and contamination," as well as operator safety. Petroncini cleaning systems are able to remove all types of foreign objects from lots ranging from 2-20 tons. At the same time, dust suction and automatic filters create a dust-free working environment. The GIMA 595 capsule filling and sealing machine's flexible design makes customized solutions possible