Melitta USA Expands Commitment to Sustainability with Solar Panels

On Aug 16, 2017

Melitta North America, a brand well-recognized for exceptional quality in all aspects of coffee and coffee preparation, announced a major update to its sustainability efforts – the installation of solar panels at the brand’s state-of-the-art coffee roasting facility in Cherry Hill. The $1.3 million project will help increase energy efficiencies at the 100,000 square-foot plant, which roasts all coffee for Melitta’s North American needs.

“As a family-owned, eco-minded brand, this new initiative expands our commitment to operating sustainably and protecting the environment in which we live and work,” said Jeff Bridges, vice president, operations. “In addition to producing eco-friendly products like bamboo coffee filters, recyclable single-serve capsules, 100% recyclable boxboards used in packaging, and composite coffee cans made from recycled materials, we’ll now be able to generate 563,385 kilowatts of clean energy annually – enough to power 50 homes for an entire year.”

The plant’s solar panels have an estimated annual environmental benefit equivalent to the planting of 50,942 trees, the conservation of 367,425 gallons of water and the removal of 1,017,767 pounds of CO2 from the earth’s atmosphere.

This is the most recent substantial update made to further enhance the roasting facility. Over the past several years, significant investments have been made from new equipment being installed for the production of single-serve coffee to plant expansion developments to full modernization modifications. The Cherry Hill location has been in continuous operation since 1964, when Melitta first entered the U.S. coffee market. The plant produces the full range of the brand’s coffee products for major retail chains and specialty stores across the country and is a staple in the Cherry Hill community.

New Jersey is currently ranked fifth in the nation for solar power generation, based on data from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The solar panel installation has been completed and the panels are fully operational, generating electricity for the plant.

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