Melitta Opens M-Lab in Cherry Hill for Coffee Training and Pilot Production

Melitta North America cut the ribbon on a 4,500-square-foot innovation, training and pilot production center called the M-Lab, co-located with the company’s roasting headquarters in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The facility is designed to give roasters, brands and coffee professionals a place to train, test and iterate products without immediately committing to full-scale production.

The M-Lab houses dedicated collaboration and classroom spaces alongside a green-coffee lab and a pilot production area. Technical core equipment includes a Probat P60 pilot roaster and a Sovda lift system in the production zone, with a Probat 4-barrel sample roaster available in the green-coffee lab for cupping and small sample runs. Brewing gear spans Melitta Professional superautomatic and bean-to-cup machines, a La Marzocco Linea PB X on the bar, commercial batch brewers, grinders, pourover stations and hot water towers. Those assets let teams move from sensory evaluation and extraction work directly into pilot roasting and packaging trials.

Early programming at the M-Lab emphasizes both education and industry development. The facility hosted the NCA Next Gen Coffee Challenge and SCA Coffee Value Assessment CVA courses, and a panel featuring industry figures such as Todd Carmichael and Nikisha Bailey. Melitta North America framed the center as a resource to support brands of all sizes, from startup concepts to national production development, aiming to compress development timelines and raise technical capacity across the community.

For local roasters and coffee professionals, the M-Lab offers practical value. Baristas and roasters can refine espresso and filter recipes using the La Marzocco Linea PB X and Melitta Professional equipment, then validate those profiles on the Probat P60 in small-batch pilot runs. Product developers can run packaging and fill trials at scale small enough to avoid costly missteps, while quality teams can use the green-coffee lab and sample roaster to build consistent cupping protocols. Educators and trainers gain classroom space tailored to certification courses such as the SCA CVA, helping build measurable skills across staff and contractors.

The Cherry Hill M-Lab opened January 26, 2026, and positions Melitta as a hands-on partner in product development rather than just a supplier of equipment and ingredients. For coffee businesses chasing faster iterations, cleaner handoffs between R&D and production, or formal training pathways for staff, the M-Lab is a practical resource to watch. Expect more public programming and pilot projects in the months ahead as Melitta expands course offerings and schedules additional industry events at the new facility.