THRIVING TOGETHER

A catalyst for change

H.U.T. IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ITS SOLUTION TO PRODUCE CATALYSTS TO REDUCE HARMFUL WASTE GASES, AGGRESSIVE SMOKE AND UNPLEASANT ODOURS ASSOCIATED WITH COFFEE ROASTING. THE RESULT IS HAPPIER LOCAL AUTHORITY, NEIGHBOURHOODS, AND ENVIRONMENT.

Not everyone smells the aroma of freshly roasted coffee with delight. For Julia Heuwieser, Managing Director of Germany-based manufacturing company Heuwieser Umwelttechnik GmbH (H.U.T.), it’s often a sign that something is going wrong.

“The smell of coffee indicates that harmful emissions are escaping. When you have odour and smoke, we know that polluting gases are coming out also,” she says.

Heuwieser has been the Managing Director at H.U.T. since 2015, but she grew up understanding the problem represented by the smell of coffee.

Heuwieser’s father Bernd established H.U.T. in 1995, manufacturing catalytic converters to reduce harmful and polluting emissions from industrial factories.

Heuwieser recalls growing up alongside the business, helping out as a teenager, and working with her father during school holidays.

“I’ve been involved in the company since I can remember. It started out supplying catalytic converters to mainly German-speaking areas, like Germany, Austria and so on, but over the years it’s grown to have customers on every continent,” she says.

Demand for the catalytic converters has expanded dramatically, alongside the global understanding of environmental protection and sustainability.

“Roasting coffee beans primarily creates hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen compounds, which escape into the atmosphere as gases,” Heuwieser explains.

These gases are what Heuwieser focuses on when she visits her clients, who include major roasters around the world looking for

Catalytic converter demand has expanded dramatically, alongside the global understanding of environmental protection and sustainability.

ways to shrink their emissions.

Many employ H.U.T.’s catalytic converters as a solution. At the catalyst, chemical reactions lead to a significant reduction of harmful emissions before they can escape into the atmosphere.

“Larger roasteries, who might have a processing volume somewhere around 500 kilograms a day, face similar government restrictions to any other large industrial processor,” Heuwieser says.

“Unfortunately, roasting coffee does inevitably create certain emissions. Simplified: The more caffeine and the darker the roast, the higher the concentration of emissions.”

For example, the caffeine in coffee beans contains nitrogen compounds, which form nitrogen oxide (NOx) gases when roasted. Nitrogen oxide is classified as a poisonous gas, which is why it is now specifically regulated in many jurisdictions around the world.

“That said, there are many factors in the real emissions we see besides bean variety. If you have a slow roasting process that takes 15 minutes or longer, there is a lower concentration of emissions,” says Heuwieser.

This means roasters who focus on slower, lighter-roasted coffees are likely to produce fewer harmful gases. Companies who look for an intense, dark bean, or simply the volumetric advantage

Julia Heuwieser is Managing Director of manufacturing company Heuwieser Umwelttechnik GmbH (H.U.T.).

of faster processing, need to account for correspondingly higher emissions.

H.U.T. offers customised solutions for all scenarios – adapted to the roaster’s size, the roaster type, the capacity and the roasting profile. Its catalytic converters – as the name suggests – convert harmful gases just as required in the specific context.

The catalytic converters are placed between the roasting chamber and the chimney to create a chokepoint that gas emissions must pass through before escaping outside.

Set-up is straightforward, “like sliding in a drawer,” says Heuwieser, noting that H.U.T. generally ships its catalytic converters straight to clients with basic installation instructions.

The part which requires particular know-how and experience comes well before the catalytic converters are posted or shipped: H.U.T.’s trained engineers evaluate current emissions in the light of requested limits. Based on that, the catalytic converters are tailored in order to meet specific client needs. All products are fully manufactured in the German headquarters.

“Different countries, and even different regions within a country, can have very different regulations for allowable emissions levels, and they can change quite quickly,” says Heuwieser, noting that within most European countries, those having a roasting capacity of at least 500 kilograms per day are legally required to take measures against emissions. However, there is no common standard.

“Nitrogen compounds weren’t even on the radar until recently, but now they’re a big focus of emissions reduction efforts.”

H.U.T. translates its clients’ legal responsibilities into precisely tailored systems, creating custom catalytic solutions to bring monitored emissions in line with regulations. “Typically, for reducing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, coffee smoke and odours, we recommend our oxidation catalysts. For additionally reducing NOx, the H.U.T. Tandem System is the preferred solution,” Heuwieser says.

The results speak for themselves. For example, a European roaster with a capacity to roast 3000 kilograms per hour, reduced its volume of hydrocarbons by 95 per cent, equalling 17.6 tonne less hydrocarbons per year – just by means of a catalyst. Heuwieser says those with a catalyst can also lower carbon monoxide output by 95 per cent, equalling 21.6 tonne less carbon monoxide per year. With the H.U.T Tandem System, users can save an additional 2.8 tonnes per year of nitrogen oxide.

Based on their long-term experience, the H.U.T. team offers individual advice on how to reduce emissions. They support their clients even after their catalysts have been installed, especially in order to ensure that their products last as long as possible – but also if requirements change and the solution needs to be adapted. Generally, catalysts are low-maintenance, have a long lifetime and are easy to integrate, irrespective of the roaster’s particular set-up.

“We do see some younger specialty roasters just getting started who are very aware of sustainability and want to design their production around a low-emissions, lowfootprint standard,” Heuwieser says.

Those are the companies that go above and beyond current legal requirements, often pitching their products squarely at niche coffee markets to find invested and environmentally aware consumers.

While more and more businesses focus on sustainability, Heuwieser believes that global legislation will also impose further emissions reductions on the coffee industry.

“There is so much attention on sustainability in nearly every country as well as on a global level, and in my personal view that will lead to even stricter standards,” she says.

“The entire coffee industry is very aware of sustainability and the effect emissions have on the environment.”

There are less dire reasons than environmental protection to keep an eye on a roastery’s gaseous outputs. In residential areas, neighbours may not be enthusiastic about the robust aromas achieved by their local coffee roaster.

This might not be a concern for facilities in entirely industrial environments, but H.U.T. is seeing an increasing number of neighbours complaining about smells and odours in mixed residential zones.

“I don’t know if it’s a global trend, but I am seeing more and more clients who have received these kinds of complaints,” says Heuwieser.

To avoid such neighbourly confrontation and contribute a more considered environmental plan, Heuwieser encourages prospective customers to speak to H.U.T.’s experienced team about the best options to suit their needs, hopefully resulting in an even more informed and sustainably-conscience future of coffee roasting. GCR

For more information, visit www.hut-heuwieser.de/en/

LESS ISMORE

WMF PROFESSIONAL COFFEE MACHINES IS ADDING THE WMF 950 S TO ITS PORTFOLIO, A FULLY AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINE OFFERING POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN A SMALLER CAPACITY.

To WMF Professional Coffee Machines, premium coffee quality and compact machine design is just as important for those looking to brew coffee in small quantities.

Paired with customisation to uphold consumer demand for individual needs, premium manufacturer WMF says its new fully automatic WMF 950 S is just what the market needed.

“WMF Professional Coffee Machines now offers an economically attractive solution for companies which brew only small quantities of coffee,” says Axel Fähnle, Head of Global Brand Marketing, Content and Market Activation, GBU Professional Coffee Machines at WMF GmbH.

“Designed for an average daily capacity of up to 50 cups, this robust, fully automatic machine offers coffee-milk specialties to the entry-level segment,” he says.

Fähnle says the demand for a high-quality professional coffee machine that operates at a lower capacity has been growing for years.

“Our unique selling proposition is that our customers profit from our experience as leaders in the professional coffee industry, while at the same time enjoy value for money, an important factor for the smaller entrylevel business.”

Fähnle says restaurants and hotel buffets, or heavily frequented bakeries and convenience stores are not the only places where people want quality coffee.

“Small businesses, shops and start-ups also appreciate the delights of high-quality

The new fully automatic coffee machine WMF 950 S offers powerful professional technology for small needs. coffee specialties. The same applies to the operators of new, agile business concepts such as co-working spaces, pop-up-stores, or mobile conference catering,” he says.

WMF is now meeting these requirements with the WMF 950 S coffee machine, closing the gap between classic consumer appliances and commercial coffee machine technology, without compromising on reliability, professionalism, convenience, and coffee quality.

“Its key features include a removable and lockable bean hopper with a capacity of 750 grams, and a dependable milk system for both warm milk and foam. A separate manual insert for a further powdered coffee makes for added diversity,” says Fähnle.

He says the seven-inch LCD touchscreen display allows for intuitive navigation through all functions and settings, with 21 preconfigured recipes.

“These can be adapted to suit personal taste and further recipes, including pictures,” says Fähnle.

The machine also features a height adjustable beverage spout and button for varying coffee strength.

“And for added convenience, a regulator allows you to change the cup volume, making it easier to produce the perfect coffee serving when using different cups and mugs,” Fähnle says.

He adds that these inner machine features allow customers to control their own coffee concept effortlessly.

“Generally, there is a trend towards smaller, portable units and thus also towards smaller machines. This applies to our core markets in the hotel and catering industry as well as entry-level businesses,” Fähnle says.

With its slender dimensions of 30.3 centimetres in width, 52.8 centimetres in height and 56.2 centimetres in depth, an empty weight of only 20 kilograms and an easy-to-remove water tank, the WMF 950 S is also suitable for portable use. All necessary connection materials for operation with a fixed water supply are included.

“We are moving away from the classic product view slightly and placing increased focus on the specific needs and emotions of a new target group,” says Fähnle.

Fähnle says this includes those who are more digitally minded, consisting of people who spend more time online, and are looking less for technical arguments and brochures and more of a personal bond and satisfaction to their needs.

“You only have to look at the changing working world to see that the office is taking on a whole new approach, with many people now choosing to work remotely,” he says.

“Offering a pleasant working atmosphere will be a decisive competitive factor in the future, and we support this aim with our attractively priced new fully automatic coffee machine, for smaller demand, especially with so many employees now working partially from home.

“With this in mind, we conducted several field tests in offices, convenience stores and hospitality venues. Each of these target groups has different expectations of the coffee machine, and we received positive feedback from everyone.”

The WMF website also offers comprehensive, multilingual how-to videos explaining operating steps and user tasks, from installation and handling of the machine right through to cleaning and descaling. If customer service is ever needed, telephone support is available, or the customer can simply send their unit to the service partner.

Fähnle says this makes installing the WMF 950 S intuitive and convenient, with an integrated start-up program that guides the customer through all necessary settings from the first switch-on.

The WMF 950 S comes with a patented Click&Clean system, a cleaning program that starts automatically when the Off button is pressed. This ensures hygienic and efficient care of the milk system.

The milk hose is connected to the decentralised hot waterspout of the coffee machine and is cleaned automatically when the system is launched. The machine automatically rinses the milk path from the connecting tube to the foam spout.

“System cleaning using a cleaning tablet is only necessary after 250 brewing cycles or seven days,” says Fähnle.

The bean hopper can also be completely removed for cleaning without the need to remove the beans first. A sensor monitors the correct positioning of the two-litre drip tray, preventing it from overflowing.

“With the new WMF 950 S, the path to perfect coffee enjoyment couldn’t be simpler,” Fähnle says. “Thanks to its preconfigured design, the machine can be ordered conveniently online with just a few clicks. Customers from Germany can use the integrated online shop, while international customers can use the English contact form.”

To Fähnle, the WMF 950 S offers the perfect coffee experience at an attractive price and provides a superb introduction into the professional coffee world of WMF.

“Whether for small businesses, start-ups, co-working spaces, serviced apartments, hair salons or fitness studios, the WMF 950 S is sure to delight the sophisticated tastes of coffee aficionados,” he says. GCR

Axel Fähnle is the Head of Global Brand Marketing, Content and Market Activation, GBU Professional Coffee Machines at WMF GmbH.

For more information, visit wmf-950S.com

M200

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE M100 IS NEVER EASY, BUT LACIMBALI HAS PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES WITH A MACHINE THAT CELEBRATES POWER, ERGONOMICS AND FLEXIBILITY IN AESTHETIC DESIGN AND FUNCTIONAL ABILITY.

Gruppo Cimbali Coffee Equipment Manager Filippo Mazzoni has worked for the Italian company for 27 years. He started as a technician, has worked as an Academy Trainer, and has honed his skills from both sides of the coffee chain.

Within that time, he’s watched LaCimbali evolve from the M30 machine to its latest M200 release, and doesn’t stop marvelling at the capabilities of the Italian company.

“The purpose of this new machine was to have a key focus on ergonomics with easy-to-use features and LaCimbali has deliver a product that delivers best performance in terms of extraction and flexibility,” Mazzoni says.

The machine has a low profile for the barista to maintain eyesight with the customer.

The keyboard with in-touch or button mode are also in alignment with the barista’s hands and eye movements to optimise workflow and maintain best ergonomic practices at high volumes.

“All the controls are in front of the barista and in the proper direction to make the coffee-making process easy to use and control. Working on the M200 must be an enjoyable experience for the barista,” Mazzoni says.

The Up&Down system makes it easy to adjust the height of the worktop from 75 to 145 centimetres to allow the barista flexibility to use different cup volumes, from espresso cups to reusable ones.

To achieve excellent espresso, coffee

The new M200 uses multi-boiler technology for maximum temperature consistency and features GT1, GT2 and Profile technology.

quality is key. Then, Mazzoni says, it’s about setting the group head temperature, brew ratio, and grind size, followed by pre-infusion tuning and pressure profiling to enrich the desired aroma in the cup.

The M200’s predecessor, M100, was available in both single and multi-boiler technology. The M200 however, only uses multi-boiler technology for maximum temperature consistency. It features three key technologies: GT1, GT2 and Profile technology.

With GT1 technology, users can control the temperature of each boiler, guaranteeing the stability and flexibility for different coffee orders.

“The barista can decide the amount of coffee they would like involved in the pre-infusion process, the wetting phase, and its length of time. I think it’s one of the only products in the market with such flexibility in terms of the pre-infusion process,” Mazzoni says.

GT2 technology allows the user to set up to two different temperatures on the one boiler, further expanding the machine’s potential. “For example, you could set 93°C for espresso, and a lower second temperature for a caffè extra lungo with a large cup volume,” Mazzoni says.

The profile technology adds differentiated modulation of the pressure profile for an even more precise and consistent result in terms of body, acidity, bitterness intensity, and olfactory panorama.

“We can control the pre-infusion time, extraction phase and final phase with different pressures,” Mazzoni says. “For example, high pressure/shorter infusions can result in acidity, whereas long pre-infusions or low pressure means less acidity and more body in the cup. Then in the final stage of extraction, you may choose to reduce pressure which also reduces bitterness. This technology is about respecting the coffee in every single shot.”

To enhance the sensory experience, LaCimbali will soon release a sensory mobile app that connects to the M200 and allows the user to control exactly what they want from each stage of the extraction, such as acidity, aroma or more body.

“The app will give baristas advice on how to set different parameters in order to achieve a particular result in the cup, such as less acidity or more body, and you can easily adjust the settings to impact taste and aroma,” Filippo says.

The M200 is what Mazzoni describes as a “perfect union of LaCimbali’s tradition and future ambition to deliver an extraordinary product”, and a celebration of fine-tuning and flexibility that was not possible 20 to 30 years ago.

For designer Valerio Cometti, Founder and Creative Director of Valerio Cometti+V12 Design, there is no bigger joy then seeing his products come to life. What begins with a sketch on paper is transformed over months and years into a piece of art.

“I have been lucky to collaborate with Gruppo Cimbali for the past 13 years, designing their super automatic machines to their traditional models, touching nearly every corner of the range, even designing its Mumac museum,” says Cometti. “But thanks to our strong heritage and collaboration that we have raised the bar together on the design of the M200, and it’s quite an achievement.”

Given Gruppo Cimbali’s strong foundation in design, Cometti says it was first important to understand its values, and what it wanted to express to the end user with this machine.

“Design is a vehicle of message. It was important to clearly define the trajectory the product needs, then bring on board all the technical constraints the machine needs to have, such as the position of the boiler, portafilter, steam wand etc. We then challenge those constraints,” Cometti says. “Because we have such a strong connection with LaCimbali’s R&D team, we can have robust discussions.”

In the case of the M200, Cometti says ergonomic consideration was fundamental, before adding a little bit of his “secret sauce” to bring the design to life, with long-lasting shapes and materials. “I’m personally against trends when it comes to design. An item like an espresso machine must remain relevant for 25 years or more,’ Cometti says.

The vertical panel of the machine traditionally divides the barista to the end consumer, but not in the M200. On one side of the wall is the barista working space and all the instruments they need: touchscreen, The M200 has a key knobs, buttons, steam wand etc. Each focus on ergonomics had to be ergonomically considered and extraction performance. – easy-to-reach and at an appropriate hand and eye-level given the high volume of coffees expected from this machine. On the other side is where Cometti says a bond must be created with the customer.

“I believe the combination of extreme performance and functionality on the left side of the wall and the more controlled emotional side of LaCimbali combine together to deliver a wellconnected, clear and considered layout,” he says.

To celebrate the functioning hub of the machine, the engine is lifted off the ground to expos the chassis.

“We work a lot with the automotive industry. The engine of the Ferrari is always laid out under a see-through panel, and for the M200, we wanted to celebrate the power of the machine. There are so many machines that are oriented towards a wall, but we wanted to make the end user visually and emotionally involved in the process with a 360-degree experience of the machine,” Cometti says.

Thanks to his mechanical engineering background and aeronautical inspiration, the side profile of the M200 is depicted in clear flowing lines that symbolise speed, power, and effortless flow.

“The trademark Cimbali ‘C’ is a fairly unmistakably shape which we made part of the chassis. It’s a symbol of personality and simplicity. I personally like fewer clean flowing lines but with function. If you take away the C, the machine falls apart. It’s an integral part of the chassis,” Cometti says.

Polished metal has been used in the right balance, but the colour of the machine is a statement.

“We shared several different representations of red before the final pantone was selected. We invest a lot of time in getting the colour right. Colour differences are quite striking. Even your own perception of colour changes from one eye to another,” Cometti says.

“You can look at the current trend of colour and choose to follow or ignore it, and I ignore it. Why? Because trending colour palettes will change. When buying an M200, you’re going to keep it a long time, therefore the colour must be a statement, in the right ratio.”

For Cometti, the ultimate expression of enjoyment, however, is seeing his design creations in real life and baristas being drawn to the machine.

“I have never once forgotten the barista in the whole design process,” he says. “When I see the barista swiftly and smoothly going through the process of coffee making and watching them enjoy themselves in their own art, in a flowing manner, using this professional productivity tool with soul and personality, that’s the best reward.” GCR

For more information, visit www.cimbali.com