Germany's Symrise AG is powering up its global flavour business with a new production plant now under construction at its Holzminden headquarters. The high-tech facility will boost Symrise's liquid flavour production capacity by up to 50% and significantly reduce delivery times.

The project is being engineered and delivered by process-technology specialist GEA. Installation began in summer 2025, with commissioning slated for spring 2026.

“The production of liquid flavors is one of Symrise's core competencies. The new plant increases our capacity by up to 50% and significantly shortens our delivery times,” said Karsten Zota, Factory Manager Liquid Compounding at Symrise. “This makes us more flexible and enables us to better serve growing customer demand.”

The plant will turn out a wide range of flavor ingredients — from vanilla extracts and citrus oils to meat flavors and menthol essences — used in everything from yogurt and confectionery to ready meals and beverages.

At the center of the new facility is a spacious mixing hall where raw materials flow in from a tank farm or containers via vacuum systems, while powders are added separately. Once blended, mixtures are cooled, matured, or sent straight to the filling line. The entire operation connects to automated cleaning and steaming systems.

To cut energy and water use, GEA equipped the site with a heat-recovery system that recycles CIP (clean-in-place) return flows, optimized insulation, and water-saving cleaning processes. Wastewater is cooled below 30 °C to meet environmental requirements.

Handling dozens of flavor types without loss or contamination also means zero-waste system design. GEA used hygienic seat valves with bellows and specialized sampling valves to recover even tiny product residues. Engineers worked with Symrise in a detailed 3D-planning process to fit the technology into tight conditions without compromising performance.

“This project demonstrates how vital customized solutions are for demanding applications,” said Dr. Lukas Schnöing, Liquid Food expert and Project Manager at GEA. “Our experience in processing complex liquid products, combined with precise project management and the ability to engineer tailored solutions, made this plant possible.”