Strategic partnership between Mokate Group and GEA

Mokate, a family-owned, global enterprise

Mokate is one of the largest family-owned food sector businesses in Central and Eastern Europe and is probably best known for its many tea and coffee products and brands that are sold worldwide. The history of Mokate dates back to 1900, when members of the Mokrysz family became owners of a retail shop in Dobra, which is in the Czech Republic. In 1990 the grandson of the first owner, Kazimierz Mokrysz, passed the company to his wife, Teresa Mokrysz, and the business changed its name to Mokate, an acronym derived from MOkrysz, KAzimierz and TEresa. From these humble beginnings, but remaining family owned to this day, the firm has expanded and grown, and now operates two manufacturing facilities in Poland and another in the Czech Republic. With some 1700 employees across its businesses in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the UK, South Africa and Dubai, the Mokate group exports its products globally.

A quarter century of partnership 

Mokate has strong family and business values centred on trust and understanding, and over the last quarter century GEA and Mokate have based their relationship on those values. Our GEA experts have been at Mokate’s side to configure, test and optimize wet mix and spray drying plants for the latter’s coffee whiteners and higher-fat powders, which it manufactures for its own products, and for customers in markets as diverse as bakery and ice cream. Today, Mokate operates five GEA spray dryers, tailored to the organization’s exacting requirements, together with three upstream wet process lines. And that enduring relationship means that we are in constant contact with Mokate, and are there to help them with expertise, equipment, and knowhow, as they continue to expand and diversify. 

“The Mokate family values for its business are founded on respect and trust, and those values are reflected in our longstanding relationship with GEA. There is great professionalism on both sides, and a close partnership.” Adam Mokrysz, PhD, CEO Mokate

But it all had to start somewhere. Wind back 25 years to 1998, and so begins the relationship between the two firms. It was Mokate founder Mrs. Teresa Mokrysz, who at that time came and asked us at GEA to help devise the process, and configure the equipment needed, to produce a precisely defined whitener for a 3-in-1 instant coffee. So, we sat down with the Mokate team, and started the conversation.

Back in 1998 the firm’s expertise was in packaging tea and coffee products for 3rd party producers, and in distribution. But the Mokate goal was to start processing some of the components of these products in house, and so add significantly to its own value chain. And for that initial project GEA configured the upstream wet process, and installed first an GEA MSD® spray dryer, at the firm’s Ustroń site in Poland. Installing a line for processing the coffee whitener allowed Mokate to make that first venture into manufacturing and introduce its own products into the marketplace. 

GEA test facilities and expertise

We always work closely with our customers to configure equipment for every required stage of processing, from mixing to heat treatment, homogenization, evaporation, and spray drying. The success of the initial project with Mokate hinged on the expertise of both companies, and the dedicated test facilities and equipment at our site in Copenhagen. Together with Mokate we fine-tuned and evaluated the process for the whitener, and designed and trialed the equipment for the upstream wet stages, in parallel with configuring the MSD® spray dryer plant. 

With the installation in Ustroń helping to springboard Mokate’s move into commercial-scale manufacturing, it was then only a couple of years before GEA was again approached to support expansion of the company’s production capabilities, with the installation of another process line and GEA MSD® spray dryer, this time at the Mokate facility in Żory.

GEA support for continued expansion and growth 

With this additional spray drying facility and process line, Mokate continued to expand and diversify as a B2B manufacturer and supplier of ingredients and powders. In 2010 and again in 2014 the GEA and Mokate teams configured and set up at the Żory facility two FILTERMAT® 315 (FMD 315) spray dryers that would give Mokate the flexibility and capacity to move into additional geographies, and develop and manufacture a greater range of product types for new markets, product categories and food industry segments. 

As a result of further growth in Mokate’s business, in 2020 GEA then successfully completed a fifth project, this time to configure and instal a third upstream wet process line and much larger, FILTERMAT® 630 (FMD 630) dryer, complete with clean-in-place plant. This latest, integrated process line has at its heart the GEA BATCH FORMULA® mixer, and GEA homogenizers linked to the drying plant. And impressively – we think – this major project was completed to schedule in just 25 months, with adherence to all necessary CoVID restrictions at the time.

“The joint Mokate and GEA values of trust and understanding throughout our relationship have given us many opportunities on this long journey together. Having started out as a local company in Poland, we’ve been able to rely on GEA support and expertise as we expanded within the region, and into Eastern Central Europe, and across continents.”
Adam Mokrysz, PhD, CEO Mokate

Largest FILTERMAT® unit in Poland 

The FMD 630, which represents one of the largest FILTERMAT® units GEA has installed in Poland, effectively doubles capacity at Żory site, where the firm continues to run the two FILTERMAT® 315 units, and one of two MSD 315 spray dryers (the other MSD 315 dryer is still working at the site in Ustroń), along with the associated wet process lines.

With installation of the FMD 630 spray dryer and upstream capabilities, the upgraded Żory plant can operate at a capacity of 3.1-5.8 tonnes/hour from wet mixing, through to drying on the FMD 630, dependent on the final product. 

Sustainability at the heart of GEA technology

GEA has developed technologies to help improve process sustainability by cutting energy loss and waste, to help increase relative energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. The three FILTERMAT® dryers at the Mokate site are configured with efficient heat recovery systems to help recycle waste heat, and so ultimately reduce energy use and emissions. The FILTERMAT® machines have also been fitted with GEA air disperser units, which can improve relative safety. 

“We know that if we need to improve our efficiency by reducing water or energy use, for example, GEA will work with us to devise and propose potential solutions that will boost our competitiveness in these turbulent times. They react quickly, and with utmost professionalism and knowledge.” Adam Mokrysz, PhD, CEO Mokate

“We have a mutual agreement with Mokate, to offer them new technologies, and features, developed at GEA, that can further improve the operational effectiveness, sustainability and resource efficiency of their GEA equipment.” Tomasz Kordaczuk, Managing Director, GEA Process Engineering Sp. z o.o.

Dialogue is always ongoing with respect to improving process sustainability and efficiency for Mokate, as new technologies and capabilities emerge. The next phase in this continued drive to improve sustainability will consider the potential to fit the latest GEA energy-saving technologies, such as our AddCool® heat pump technology, into Mokate’s existing spray drying plants. 

The value of local knowledge and support

As a global organization, GEA never forgets the value of local knowledge and support. Our representatives around the world really understand and work closely with our food and beverage customers to help design, test and supply optimized components, equipment and whole process lines for complex projects. 

And it is local collaboration that has been so important to our ongoing, 25-year relationship with Mokate. This partnership has been enhanced by our key understanding of local language and culture, as well as our global process, engineering and product expertise, and insights into national and international markets. Mokate continues to expand and drive into new markets, never losing sight of the core values. 

GEA sales and technology experts at our office in Poland have also been instrumental in keeping the conversation active for 25 years. Having specialists in Mokate’s home country means that travel costs are reduced, while local GEA personnel who are familiar to the Mokate team, and who understand the company’s set up and operation, are always on hand for fast response. Some of the GEA team that started out with Mokate on their journey of growth 25 years ago are still working side-by-side with the Mokate family.

Trust, of course, continues to underpin our close relationship. Mokate has complete confidence that we will always work to configure the best system for their requirements, and that we will deliver on time, with as little disruption as possible. And at the level of day-to-day operation, our local experts are always on hand to advise, and to support, so that our equipment continues to deliver great results, year after year.