GEA builds new large-scale mixing plant for flavor production at Symrise
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Symrise is expanding its liquid flavor production at the Holzminden site in Lower Saxony, Germany. To support this growth, GEA is installing a new large-scale mixing plant that boosts capacity, flexibility and resource efficiency. Together, both companies strengthen a key hub for the global food and beverage industry.
Flavor production expanded
GEA builds new large-scale mixing plant for flavor production at Symrise
Düsseldorf (Germany), November 18, 2025 – GEA is constructing a large-scale mixing plant for flavor production for Symrise AG at its main site in Holzminden, Lower Saxony, Germany. Symrise is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fragrances and flavors. With GEA’s turnkey process technology, the company is increasing its production capacity, enhancing flexibility and meeting the highest requirements for hygiene and material quality. Installation of the plant has been underway since summer 2025, with commissioning planned 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,” says Karsten Zota, Factory Manager Liquid Compounding at Symrise. “This makes us more flexible and enables us to better serve growing customer demand.”
The flavors produced – including vanilla extracts, citrus oils, meat flavors, and menthol-based essences – are used both for internal processing and as ingredients supplied to the food and beverage industry. They appear in a wide range of end products, from yogurt and confectionery to savory ready meals and beverages.
Challenge: Complex raw materials with specific requirements
Symrise processes a wide variety of raw materials at its Holzminden site – from alcohol-based solutions to viscous syrups. This places high demands on technology and safety. Ethanol-containing products require explosion-proof design (ATEX), while powders pose additional dust explosion risks. Substances such as citrus oils are aggressive to certain materials and require special seals. The viscosity range, from water-like liquids to syrupy consistencies, and temperatures between –20 °C and +80 °C demand precise process control. In addition, strong-smelling menthol blends, kosher recipes, and sweet flavors must remain completely separated. The new plant meets these diverse requirements within a fully integrated concept.
Expanded capacity for flavor production
At the heart of the new building is a spacious mixing area where raw materials from the adjacent tank farm or from containers are transferred to the mixing tanks via vacuum conveying. Powders are added through a dedicated filling nozzle. The homogeneous mixtures are then transferred to cooling tanks for maturation or directly to the filling line. The plant is connected to a cleaning and steaming system.
Energy efficiency and sustainability in process technology
The plant features a heat recovery system for CIP return flows, which reuses part of the process energy and reduces energy consumption per batch. Additional measures, such as water-saving CIP cleaning and optimized insulation, further cut water and energy use. Heat recovery not only improves efficiency but also helps meet environmental regulations, as wastewater is cooled to below 30 °C.
Customized design for complex liquid food processing
The diversity of the flavors processed places equally high demands on process control, material selection, and complete product emptying to minimize losses. GEA developed customized solutions, leveraging the flexibility of its components – such as hygienic seat valves with bellows and sampling valves designed to remove even the last product residues. These solutions were designed in close cooperation with the customer and refined through precise 3D planning to integrate seamlessly into the plant’s confined space.
Technology strengthening market positions
“This project demonstrates how vital customized solutions are for demanding applications,” emphasizes 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.”
Thanks to its flexible design, both existing and new formulations can be implemented quickly and efficiently – a decisive advantage when responding to market trends such as natural flavors and clean-label products. The investment marks a strategic step in strengthening Symrise’s leading role in the global flavor market.
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About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. For instance, every second pharma separator for essential healthcare products such as vaccines or novel biopharmaceuticals is produced by GEA. In food, every fourth package of pasta or every third chicken nugget are processed with GEA technology. With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated revenues of about EUR 5.5 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2024 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customers’ production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world.”GEA is listed on the DAX, the STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is also a constituent of the leading sustainability indices DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability and Dow Jones Best-in-Class World.
More information can be found online at gea.com.
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The GEA Foundation, established in 2025 by GEA Group, supports global and local projects in STEM education, child poverty reduction, infrastructure access and disaster relief. Through its Mission 30 strategy, GEA commits to donating one percent of annual net profit to build resilient communities.
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