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Evolve North has joined forces with Brambati to expand its roasting capability with a new factory fit-out.
What began as a chance meeting at the Triestespresso tradeshow in Italy in 2016 has blossomed into a lucrative partnership between Italian manufacturer Brambati S.p.A. and Victorian roaster Evolve North.
“I went to the expo to find a suitable manufacturer to buy a roaster from,” says Evolve North Director Warwick Shemilt.
“Brambati stood out because they offered a comprehensive description of how to achieve roast uniformity, so the decision was very easy.
“Brambati President Fabrizio Brambati saw me looking at one of the roasters and spoke to me for an hour and a half. It was an amazing experience and the start of our journey together.”
That journey has led to Evolve North commissioning Brambati to fit out its new roastery. Located in Shepparton, Victoria, the roastery plant spans 4500-square metres across the 10,000-square-metre site.
“The partnership has been really successful for both companies, because we’ve continued to expand our line-up of Brambati equipment. We started with a 30-kilogram roaster, then two years later we bought green bean silos. Now we have an entire plant fit out,” Warwick says.
The new plant is equipped with a green bean loading platform, one-tonne bulk loader, green bean silos, and an inline scale.
“We also installed a cleaning station to ensure the beans are completely free of dust, stones, and any other impurities before going in the silo,” Warwick says.
“The inline scale weighs the beans before they go into the silo, giving us an accurate inventory of the greens beans we have in stock that are ready to roast.”
From there, the beans are fed into one of two coffee roasters, either the newly installed 120-kilogram or Evolve North’s original 30-kilogram Brambati roaster.
“We can have both roasters running side-by-side, allowing us to roast 150 kilograms of green beans every 15 minutes. That’s six tonnes every 10 hours, which is a significant increase in our capabilities,” Warwick says.
“From the roaster, the beans go to into roasted coffee silos via an 11-metre-high bucket elevator which is the gentlest process to ensure there is no damage to the coffee beans. The beans are then post-blended.”
Warwick says this is to maximise the natural flavour of each origin to bring out the best possible flavour of each blend component. He says the recipes created behind the blends balance the intricate flavours each origin has to create a sweet and balanced product.
“The beans go into a roasted coffee silo and then different coffees are mixed in a 600-kilogram blender. After that, the beans go up another bucket elevator into a packaging platform,” Warwick says.
“Above the platform is a grader. This is the final process the beans go through to discard any blemishes or chips. Those defects are discharged into a bin, ensuring customers receive only the best beans.”
Warwick says he placed an order for his Brambati roasting equipment in December 2022, which was completed and made fully operational in just under a year.
“The equipment was installed by tradesman from Italy and Victoria after arriving in 11 40-foot containers in October 2023, and was up and running within nine weeks,” he says.
“This included shifting our existing 30-kilogram Brambati roaster and green bean silos from our original site to the new roasting plant.”
Warwick says he was impressed with the speed and accuracy with which the roasting equipment was delivered and installed.
“It was such a smooth process. To be able to send an entire plant from overseas and have it working as soon as it was switched on is impressive,” he says.
“When we initially looked for a bigger roaster and at how we could increase our capacity, [we needed to ensure our partner Brambati] could offer us an integrated plant from start to finish.
“Fabrizio has visited the new coffee roasting plant at least three times since we started discussions. You’re not just dealing with overseas interaction: they have staff in Melbourne and Sydney who are only a phone call away. It’s been very easy and open communication throughout the project.”
Warwick says the service Brambati has provided is unlike anything he has experienced.
“The automation, software, and equipment design is unparalleled,” he says.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Brambati and how easy they are to work with. We thank the Brambati team for an amazing plant that ensures we bring regional Australians the best coffee in the world.”
Brambati President Fabrizio says the plant is fully automatic, meaning only one operator is required to complete all operations.
“We take pride in our products being adaptable and reliable. We know Evolve North is a company that works tirelessly to ensure its roasting equipment guarantees the same results 24 hours a day, and through our control systems and advanced software it’s easy to ensure everything runs smoothly,” he says.
“When we supply a plant, we do so with the future in mind. We factor in company growth and think with the view that we will eventually double the company’s capacity.”
Once the project was complete, Fabrizio says it was a celebration of two companies that share a commitment to coffee excellence.
“After working with Evolve North for many years, we believe this strategic partnership has benefited everyone, from our companies to our consumers. Our hope after every expansion project is that it will be followed by other projects, to further grow both companies,” says Fabrizio.
He believes one of the key strengths of Brambati lies in its capacity to listen, differentiate proposals, and develop solutions based on the specific needs of individual customers.
“Our customers have always been taken care of, even remotely. We host webinars for companies all over the world and we make extensive use of virtual commissioning,” he says.
“Our technicians are able to carry out tests and train operators online remotely to ensure the continuity of our high-quality standards, a crucial aspect for a company that produces coffee every hour of the day.”
For 79 years, Brambati has led technological innovations within the roasting industry. Fabrizio says its longevity is testament to its ability to adapt and grow with the market.
“We still partner with companies today that worked with my grandfather, and to have that intergenerational connection is very special to me,” he says. “I hope the new customers we sign on will eventually get to meet my grandchildren once they take over the business.”
For more information, visit brambati.it or evolvenorth.com.au
This article appears in the April 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
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