IMF
Production drums, Occhiobello (Rovigo), Italy.
History
Founded in 1994, taken over in 2010 by Alessandro Garbin, who “marries engineering to a deep knowledge of coffee.” The company built its whole identity on convection and recirculation: clean hot air, a patented “Vortex” chamber under PLC regulation that mixes ambient air and hot air before sending it onto the bean, and a single burner that roasts and treats the emissions. Present at Paris Coffee Show 2026.
One particularity deserves a separate entry: the wood-fired roaster. For custom installations, wood combustion at 600 °C whose hot air is mixed with cold air by a modulating valve controlled by a PLC. A traditional heat source and modern control, a rare combination.
What it makes
Indirectly heated hot-air drums, with recirculation and afterburning built in using the same burner, from shop to industry; and, custom-made, wood-fired roasters.
The models
- RM2: 2 kg
- RM6: 2 to 6 kg, 24 kg/h
- RM15: 5 to 15 kg, 60 kg/h
- RM30
- RM60
- RM120
- RM240
- RM480: 30 to 480 kg, up to 1,920 kg/h
- with built-in destoner and chaff extractor
What you gain
Controlling the incoming air temperature by PLC gives a rare regularity, and the recirculation does the same energy work as at Loring with a slightly more present conduction, a compromise that some prefer. One flame for two jobs.
What you lose
Recycling smoke-laden air requires regular maintenance, on pain of losing the benefit. The savings figure comes from the manufacturer, with no independent measurement, and the year of the Vortex patent is not published.