What Geelen Counterflow does

Geelen Counterflow, founded in 1980 in Haelen, Netherlands, by Pierre Geelen, designs and manufactures industrial counterflow dryers and coolers for the feed and food processing industries. The company's core technology is a vertical, gravity-flow counterflow heat-exchange architecture in which product moves downward through the unit with no horizontal surfaces, minimizing cross-contamination and product build-up. PLC-controlled systems govern cooling air volume and multi-zone temperature profiles; cooling capacities target roughly 95% efficiency with at least 30% less cooling air and 50% less space than belt coolers. The product portfolio spans continuous flow dryers (up to ~1,500 L/hr evaporation) and batch dryers (5–15 decks, up to 7 temperature zones), alongside five cooler product groups, EHEDG-compliant hygienic designs, high-temperature heat pump modules with a COP of ~4, and a Counterflow Remote Diagnostics service. Geelen reports 11,000+ units delivered across 100+ countries and positions itself as the global standard in counterflow drying and cooling, serving petfood (Royal Canin / Mars), aquafeed (Cargill-Ewos), food, oilseeds, and animal feed manufacturers.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of custom-configured industrial drying and cooling equipment, supplemented by field service, on-site support, and remote diagnostics delivered by service engineers in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; equipment is configured from a library of standardized components to customer-specific capacity, hygiene, and energy requirements. The company sells directly via enterprise field sales — most prominently captured through flagship installations such as the first Electric Counterflow Dryer at Cargill-Ewos Bergneset (Norway) and the Hybrid Dryer project at a Royal Canin factory in South Korea. All R&D and manufacturing are centralized in a 15,000 m2 factory and BREEAM-certified (99.94% score) energy-plus headquarters in Haelen; wholly-owned subsidiaries (Geelen Counterflow USA Inc., Geelen Counterflow Latin America) handle regional sales and service. The firm is a family-owned private limited company with no external shareholders, led by CEO Sander Geelen, and has been operating under a '100% sustainable dryers and coolers' mission since 2012, with electric drying being the current strategic growth vector.

Name

Geelen Counterflow

Legal name

Geelen Counterflow

Website

https://geelencounterflow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Geelen Counterflow, founded in 1980 in the Netherlands, designs and manufactures industrial counterflow dryers and coolers used by global petfood, aquafeed, animal feed, food, and oilseed processors, having delivered 11,000+ units across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Drying and Cooling Equipment

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Counterflow drying equipment
• Industrial feed processing
• Pet food manufacturing
• Aquafeed production systems
• Food cooling technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Haelen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Drying Equipment: Custom-designed and manufactured counterflow dryers sold to feed and food industry manufacturers. Equipment ranges from continuous flow dryers (~750 L/hr evaporation) to large batch dryers (5-15 decks, up to thousands of L/hr evaporation). Sold directly to large enterprise customers including global petfood producers and aquafeed companies.
2. Industrial Cooling Equipment: Counterflow coolers sold as standalone equipment or bundled with dryers. Five product groups available, each with multiple sizes and wide range of options. Customized configuration based on thousands of standardized components.
3. Field Service and After-Sales Support: Dedicated field service team providing remote diagnostics, on-site support, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Service engineers located in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Geelen Counterflow designs, manufactures, and sells industrial counterflow dryers and coolers for the feed and food industries, including pet food, aquafeed, animal feed, food products, and oilseeds. The company pioneered the counterflow cooler in 1980 and the counterflow dryer in 1984, and now offers continuous and batch flow dryers with multiple energy source options (gas, steam, electric, heat pump) as well as hygienic design coolers. Equipment is custom-configured and supported globally through dedicated service engineers.

Product overview

Geelen Counterflow offers a portfolio of industrial counterflow drying and cooling equipment for the feed and food industries. The core products are Counterflow Dryers (available in continuous flow and batch flow configurations with gas, steam, or electric/heat pump heating) and Counterflow Coolers (five product groups for various capacities). Add-on modules include heat pumps for energy recovery, gas burners, steam heat exchangers, and Remote Diagnostics. The company pioneered the counterflow cooler in 1980 and revolutionized drying in 1984, becoming the global standard with over 11,000 units delivered worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counterflow Dryers Industrial counterflow dryers for feed and food processing, available in continuous flow (up to ~1500 L/hr evaporation) and batch flow configurations (5-15 drying decks, up to 7 temperature zones). Support gas, steam, electric, or heat pump energy sources with 60-75% energy savings compared to typical dryers. For feed and food manufacturers requiring energy-efficient drying.
• Counterflow Coolers Industrial counterflow coolers, the global standard for cooling feed and food products with 11,000+ units delivered worldwide. Five product groups available with multiple sizes and options, featuring PLC-controlled cooling air volume, 95% cooling efficiency, 30% less cooling air and 50% less space required compared to belt coolers.
• Hygienic Design Coolers Premium coolers designed according to EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) guidelines for food and super-premium pet food applications. Features no hollow spaces, 2B surface finish, no metal-to-metal bolted connections, and continuously welded and polished seams in the product contact zone to meet the highest food safety standards.
• Electric Counterflow Dryer First electric counterflow dryer for feed and food processing, using high-temperature heat pumps instead of gas burners to achieve 75% energy reduction and zero CO2/NOx emissions when powered by renewable electricity. Recovers 3 kWh from exhaust air per 1 kWh of electricity input. Designed for feed and food manufacturers seeking to decarbonize drying operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% energy reduction and zero CO2/NOx emissions achieved at Cargill-Ewos Bergneset facility
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• CombithermcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2023German manufacturer of high temperature heat pumps used in Geelen Counterflow's first electric dryer installation at Cargill-Ewos Bergneset. Combitherm utilized a new design of screw compressor from Bitzer, Germany. The working fluid is non-flammable with ODP of 0 and ultra-low GWP of 1.
• BitzersupportingTechnology or IntegrationGerman company providing new design of screw compressors used in the high temperature heat pumps manufactured by Combitherm for Geelen Counterflow's electric dryer technology.
• SNC-LavalinflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in the Royal Canin hybrid dryer innovation project in South Korea. Collaboration between Mars Petcare global engineering team, Royal Canin engineering team, Geelen Counterflow, and SNC-Lavalin. Project aims to significantly reduce gas consumption through electric sourcing as alternative to fossil energy.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clextral: French manufacturer of twin-screw extrusion systems and associated drying equipment for feed, food, and aquafeed. Direct competitor in extrusion-integrated drying for the same petfood and aquafeed verticals.
• CPM (California Pellet Mill): US-based manufacturer of pellet mills, hammermills, and feed processing equipment including dryers and coolers. Serves animal feed and pet food producers with similar process equipment to Geelen.
• Andritz: Austrian manufacturer of feed processing equipment including dryers, coolers, and pellet mills (via the acquired Sprout Matador business). Direct competitor in the same end markets of animal feed, pet food, and aquafeed.
• Wenger Manufacturing: US-based manufacturer of extrusion cooking systems and dryers for pet food, aquafeed, and human food applications. Direct competitor with a focus on extrusion plus downstream drying serving the same end customers as Geelen.
• Bühler Group: Swiss-based global leader in food and feed processing equipment, with drying, cooling, and extrusion systems serving pet food, aquafeed, and animal feed customers. Bühler is the most direct competitor to Geelen in counterflow and related drying/cooling technology with comparable global footprint.
• Büttner: German industrial dryer manufacturer serving feed, food, and biomass drying applications. Direct competitor in industrial drying equipment that overlaps with Geelen's core dryer product line.

Emerging players

• Hosokawa Micron: Japanese-headquartered industrial drying, milling, and processing equipment manufacturer with broader applications beyond feed and food. Adjacent competitor in industrial drying with overlapping technology (fluidized bed, flash, and contact dryers).

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Pak: Swiss-Swedish multinational food processing and packaging solutions provider. Competes with Geelen in food processing equipment (including drying) for dairy, beverage, and prepared food customers but with a substantially broader portfolio.
• GEA Group: German food processing equipment giant with broad portfolio including separation, homogenization, drying, and refrigeration equipment. Overlaps with Geelen in food processing drying/cooling but serves a much wider set of verticals.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling. Overlaps with Geelen in thermal processing equipment for food and industrial applications but across a much wider product range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Geelen Counterflow