History

Company founding

Diligence, a passion for engineering, a pioneering spirit and a love of coffee – these were the driving forces that motivated Alex van Gülpen, Johann Heinrich Lensing and Theodor von Gimborn to found Emmericher Maschinenfabrik und Eisengießerei in 1868.

The ambitious goal of the newly founded company was to bring outstanding coffee in reproducible quality and in large quantities to market – using innovative roasting machines that stand the test of time, even at an industrial scale.

The first spherical roaster

Through their combined expertise, van Gülpen and von Gimborn manufacture the ‘Emmerich Spherical Roaster’, thus beginning a new age of coffee production.

The setback

The city of Emmerich is completely destroyed during World War II. The ‘Emmericher Maschinenfabrik & Eisengießerei’ also falls victim to the devastating attacks.

Reconstruction

At the Emmerich Machine Factory, the first new cast is poured in the foundry’s newly rebuilt production halls.

This marks the beginning of a new era ...

The name change

According to Managing Director Carl Hans von Gimborn the company name change from ‘Emmericher Maschinenfabrik’ to PROBAT was his most successful business decision.

Incorporation of Bauermeister

Emil Ludwig Hermann Bauermeister founded the company in Hamburg in 1882 as a supplier of grain mills. The company has been active in the cocoa and chocolate industry since 1900. Following its incorporation into the PROBAT Group in 1985, Bauermeister has developed into a specialist for grinding and classifying machines and systems for the food, minerals and chemical industries.

Opening of the R&D Center

The new research and development center in Emmerich opens up a new world of possibility. Here customers can experience coffee in all its facets and details. The ‘Technikum’ houses state-of-the-art laboratory and conference facilities as well as roasting and grinding technologies to develop new products.

HDM joins the PROBAT Group

Foundation of Hamburg Dresdner Maschinenfabriken. The company covers the entire process technology for cocoa and chocolate production. HDM is part of the PROBAT Group and combines more than a decade of know-how in process engineering for the food industry and related sectors. 

150 years of PROBAT

PROBAT celebrates its 150th anniversary. As the market leader for innovative roasting solutions, we look back with pride on a long tradition and at the same time focus on the topics of the future.

Opening of Food R&D Center in Dresden

Our highly skilled team of engineers and technicians are on hand to support you with your testing requirements and answer your questions on cocoa processing, chocolate production, malt and nut roasting, grinding and crushing systems.

New construction of production facility

The new progressive PROBAT factory mirrors the customers' constantly increasing quality demands on products and services, thus setting an international benchmark in the company's core markets.

A.C. HORN Manufacturing acquired by PROBAT

With this strategic investment, the global market and technology leader in coffee roasting plant and machinery strengthens its competitive advantage through new technological capabilities and synergies to further penetrate the global food market. 

Royal duyvis wiener joins the PROBAT Group

PROBAT acquires Royal Duyvis Wiener, one of the world's leading manufacturers within the global cocoa, chocolate, and nuts & seeds processing industry. This step underlines once more the expansion strategy of the world market leader for roasting plant and machinery and is an impressive demonstration of the growth potential of the group.

Integration: United as One PROBAT Group

Royal Duyvis Wiener becomes Probat B.V. and Hamburg Dresdner Maschinenfabriken becomes PROBAT Dresden GmbH.  This rebranding marks the official launch of PROBAT as the unified brand offering tailor-made solutions for both the Coffee and Food sectors. This transformation is more than just a name change; it is a strategic step towards enhancing synergies, optimizing processes, and driving innovation.