Mondi : pulp supports Melitta in making coffee an indulgence®

Over the past 22 years Mondi Frantschach has supplied Melitta with 200.000 tonnes of high-quality raw material for its Melitta® filter bags® - a milestone that the companies are celebrating together

Melitta's filter bags® are a familiar sight in grocery stores and house-holds for a very long time. For more than a century Melitta is a market-leading advocate of good coffee and its enjoyment. In the most recent 22 years of its success, the coffee producer has enjoyed the support of Mondi Frantschach, which supplies it with high-grade unbleached kraft pulp manufactured from pine and spruce. 'We are acutely aware that first-class coffee depends on the use of the best raw materials. That's why we have placed our faith in 200.000 tonnes of supreme quality kraft pulp from Mondi Frantschach,' says Ingolf Ewe, Head of Strategic Purchasing Production Material Melitta.

Coffee ranks among the most popular beverages in Europe, as illustrated by its own annual National Coffee Day and reflected in numerous statistics[1]. In Germany coffee consumption far outstrips the figures posted by all other beverages. In 2015 average personal consumption stood at 162 litres. 'The preferred way of brewing coffee is the drip method using filter papers. It is an excellent way of bringing out the flavours. Filter coffee tastes especially mild because the filter paper traps fats and oils contained in the beans. The properties of the pulp used in filter paper production are therefore very important,' comments Ingolf Ewe.

High-grade pulp as produced at Mondi Frantschach mill for quality filter paper

'Here at Mondi we are proud to supply our pulp to a producer that is a household name. The product Melitta's filter bags® posed an exciting challenge from the outset. Like Mondi, Melitta attaches very high priority to raw material quality and processing excellence. A filter bag® may sound like a boring subject, but delivering first-class coffee enjoyment depends on a whole raft of quality criteria - beginning with the right pulp,' explains Gottfried Joham, Managing Director of Mondi Frantschach.

The principal criteria that apply in Melitta's filter bags® production are the grammage and moisture content of the speciality paper whose characteristic crêpe finish arises during the manufacturing process. 'As already indicated, for our Melitta filter papers the raw material must meet the benchmark applied by Mondi Frantschach`s unbleached kraft pulp produced in Austria. Unless the cones are practically odourless and neutral in taste, the consumer cannot enjoy a perfect cup of coffee. It would not be exaggerating to say that everything starts with the choice of the appropriate pulp as starting point for the production of our filter paper,' insists Ewe.

The Mondi Frantschach team and their sales colleagues at Mondi Sack Kraft Paper decided to mark this delivery milestone in the partnership with Melitta. They decorated the 200,000th tonne of pulp with a huge ribbon before sending it to Germany. Furthermore, a Mondi Sack Kraft Paper delegation led by Sales Director Conny Josefsson and sales representative Chiara de Strobel presented Ingolf Ewe and his purchasing and logistic colleagues from Melitta with a special commemorative certificate and award. 'We are glad to look back on such a long and trusted customer relationship with Melitta, especially on delivering 200.000 tonnes of unbleached long-fiber kraft pulp so far from Frantschach. Our raw material is made from 100% European conifers, such as spruce and pine, to yield clean, uniform, flash-dried market pulp with great strength and excellent mechanical and chemical purity. We refine the cellulose into various quality grades in our own specialty pulp plant. All are suitable for the manufacture of packaging papers for foodstuffs. Delivering these product specifications and quality standards we hope to support Melitta with our pulp for high-quality filter bags® for the next 22 years and 200.000 tonnes,' says Conny Josefsson, Sales Director Sack Kraft Paper.

Photos:

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Photo description:

Group picture Frantschach - the pulp-journey begins f.l.t.r.: Herbert Halbreiner (Head of production planning), Christian Gernig (Deputy Managing Director), Anton Monsberger (Production planning), Michael Valent (employee), Günther Vallant (employee), Gottfried Joham (Managing Director Mondi Frantschach), Stefan Fellner (Operational assistant), Walter Gupper (employee)

Group picture Melitta - arrival of the pulp f.l.t.r.: Uland Beck (ME-CP*/Purchase Melitta), Matthias Mayer (Company Mayer, Zurich), Conny Josefsson (Sales Director Mondi Sack Kraft Paper), Ingolf Ewe (ME-CP/ Purchase Melitta), Chiara de Strobel (Sales Representative Mondi), Wolfgang Siemann (ME-CP/Storage Paperproduction Melitta).

Ingolf Ewe and Conny Josefsson f.l.t.r.: Ingolf Ewe, Head of Strategic Purchasing Production Material Melitta and Conny Josefsson, Sales Director Mondi Sack Kraft Paper

Contact

Waltraud Seiner, Head of Marketing Packaging Paper
Tel: +43 (1) 79013 - 4754
Email: waltraud.seiner@mondigroup.com

Elisabeth Dock, Communications Manager Packaging Paper
Tel: +43 (0) 664 844 65 20
Email: elisabeth.dock@mondigroup.com

About Mondi Frantschach

Mondi Frantschach, located in southern Austria, is one of the leading suppliers of sack kraft and speciality kraft papers for national and international packaging manufacturers and converters. With 135 years of experience and an in-house research and development lab, the Frantschach mill is a well- established resource of valuable knowledge that Mondi uses to support its global customers. Mondi Frantschach is part of the international packaging and paper company, Mondi Group, and ranks among the region's most important employers.

About Mondi Sack Kraft Paper

Mondi Sack Kraft Paper is a business segment of the business unit Packaging Paper and ranks among the leading European suppliers of both high- quality sack kraft papers and bleached and unbleached market pulp. It maintains five production sites that are focused on producing sack kraft paper with excellent runnability and printability ensuring optimised converting machine productivity.

Customer focused. Every day.

With over 100 years of experience and a broad product portfolio consisting of top quality paper grades Mondi can serve its customers best. Mondi`s sack kraft paper is the main component of industrial bags used to pack a variety of products essential for e.g. the building, food, agricultural or chemical industry. In addition, the sack kraft paper production benefits from a deep know-how enhanced through in-house expertise. Mondi's Sack Kraft Paper supports close collaboration with customers in order to drive product optimisation, every day.

Innovative. Every day.

Mondi Sack Kraft Paper fosters innovative research and cutting-edge technology. Its commitment is reflected in the work of its R&D and Bag Application Centres, the Print Competence Centre, where packaging and printing solutions are developed and tested in close cooperation with customers. In addition, the team of specialists at our Food Safety Laboratory develop optimised solutions that meet highest requirements for food contact and other sensitive applications.

We are Mondi: IN TOUCH EVERY DAY

At Mondi, our products protect and preserve the things that matter.

Mondi is an international packaging and paper Group, employing around 25,000 people across more than 30 countries. Our key operations are located in central Europe, Russia, North America and South Africa. We offer over 100 packaging and paper products, customised into more than 100,000 different solutions for customers, end consumers and industrial end uses - touching the lives of millions of people every day. In 2015, Mondi had revenues of €6.8 billion and a return on capital employed of 20.5%.

The Mondi Group is fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and compound plastics, to developing effective and innovative industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Our innovative technologies and products can be found in a variety of applications including hygiene components, stand-up pouches, super-strong cement bags, clever retail boxes and office paper. Our key customers are in industries such as automotive; building and construction; chemicals; food and beverage; home and personal care; medical and pharmaceutical; packaging and paper converting; pet care; and office and professional printing.

Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for Mondi Limited under the ticker code MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker code MNDI.

For us, acting sustainably makes good business sense and is part of the way we work every day. We have been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007.

[1] Deutsche Kaffeeverband e.V.: http://www.kaffeeverband.de/

Last change: 24/10/2016