FDBusiness.com

Nestle is strengthening one of its fastest growing businesses in Europe with a Eur220 million (over SFr265 million) investment in building a new Nescafe Dolce Gusto factory in Germany, the largest market for the brand worldwide. Nescafe Dolce Gusto is Nestle’s machine and capsule ‘coffee shop experience-at-home’ system for both hot and cold drinks. It offers nearly 30 coffee, Nesquik and Nestea varieties.

The factory, located in Schwerin, will create 450 jobs. With 12 new production lines, it will become operational by the end of 2013. Located about 100 km from Hamburg, the biggest European port for coffee imports, the factory aims to produce about two billion coffee capsules a year for export to the rest of Germany, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

“This is one of our biggest investments in Europe and highlights our continuous investment in our capacity for innovation,” says Laurent Freixe, Nestle’s zone director for Europe. “Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the leader in the portioned coffee market in 20 countries. With a growth rate of over 50%, it is one of the fastest growing businesses for Nestle inEurope.”

The Schwerin site is the company’s third Nescafe Dolce Gusto factory. Last year, Nestle invested SFr64 million in the Nescafe Dolce Gusto site at its Nescafe factory in Girona, near Barcelona, Spain.

The company’s first Nescafe Dolce Gusto factory, which opened in 2006 in Tutbury in the United Kingdom, is already running at full capacity. Last year Nestle invested £110 million in the site to triple production.

The Schwerin factory is Nestle’s latest investment in Germany– the company’s fourth largest market globally.