drinktec Munich

When planning your visit, knowing the drinktec Munich dates and opening hours is essential for organising meetings with beverage and liquid food processing machinery manufacturers, filling and packaging technology suppliers, ingredients and raw material providers, automation and digitalisation specialists, and distribution partners.

Professional buyers in this industry evaluate more than individual machines. Efficiency, hygiene and food safety, automation capability, flexibility, energy consumption, sustainability, and total cost of ownership all influence procurement and partnership decisions.

drinktec Munich provides a professional environment for exploring developments across the entire beverage and liquid food value chain, from raw materials and ingredients to processing, filling, packaging, and logistics.

Why Visit drinktec Munich?

For professional visitors, drinktec Munich offers a concentrated setting to compare beverage and liquid food technologies, discover emerging innovations, evaluate suppliers, and follow developments across the global beverage and liquid food industry within one event.

The event brings together manufacturers of processing technology, filling and packaging systems, ingredients and raw material suppliers, automation solutions, and logistics providers with production managers, technical directors, procurement professionals, plant managers, and R&D specialists from beverage and liquid food production companies.

Visitors can compare product ranges, evaluate suppliers, identify partnership opportunities, examine technical documentation, and follow developments in process optimisation, digitalisation, sustainability, and new product concepts. drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, taking place every four years in Munich.

The next edition will take place from 11 to 15 September 2028 at the Trade Fair Center Messe München in Munich, Germany . The detailed visitor opening hours for 2028 should be reconfirmed on the organiser’s website closer to the event. drinktec 2025 brought together 1,117 exhibitors from 68 countries and attracted 58,281 visitors from 164 countries, with 70% of visitors coming from international markets . The 2025 edition occupied eleven halls . Visitors should check the organiser’s official website for the latest ticket, registration, programme and visitor information.

Source: drinktec Official Website — drinktec – World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Beverage and Liquid Food Industry

Exhibition Background & Industry Context

drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, taking place every four years in Munich. Since 1951, drinktec has served as the world economic summit for the beverage and liquid food industry, bringing solution providers and suppliers from all over the world together with national and global producers of beverages and liquid food .

Manufacturers of raw materials and ingredients, suppliers of process technology and machinery for filling and packaging of beer, soft drinks, water, fruit juice, milk and liquid dairy products, wine, sparkling wine and spirits as well as ketchup, soy sauce, cooking oil and other liquid food products are all represented .

drinktec sees its task as advancing the global beverage and liquid food industry and creates a space for encounters, provides a stage for solutions and sets impulses for the future at the Munich Trade Fair Centre . The VDMA (German Association for Mechanical and Plant Engineering) supports drinktec as a conceptual partner with its technical expertise and global network .

drinktec 2025 focused on three key themes: Circularity & Resource Management, Data2Value, and Lifestyle & Health . The key themes for 2028 should be updated after the organiser publishes the new programme.

Key areas at drinktec Munich include:

• Raw Materials and Ingredients — beverage ingredients, flavourings, additives, liquid food ingredients, processing aids, and raw materials
• Beverage and Liquid Food Process Technology — water treatment and deaeration, syrup-room and blending systems, ingredient dosing, mixing and homogenisation, filtration and separation, centrifuges, carbonation, fermentation, brewing and wort production, pasteurisation, UHT treatment, aseptic processing, evaporation and concentration, thermal processing, membrane technology, product recovery, tanks and vessels, pumps, valves and piping, heat exchangers, hygienic process components, and process measurement
• Brewing and Malt-Beverage Technology — malt handling and milling, brewhouse equipment, mash and wort processing, wort boiling, fermentation and maturation, yeast management, filtration, dealcoholisation, beer stabilisation, cellar technology, kegging, brewery utilities, by-product recovery, and low- and non-alcoholic beer production
• Cleaning, Filling and Container Technology — hygienic and aseptic filling, cold and hot filling, carbonated-beverage filling, still-product filling, dairy and sensitive-product filling, beer and wine filling, spirits filling, edible-oil filling, bottle, can, carton, pouch and keg filling, container rinsing and sterilisation, capping and closure application, fill-level control, seal-integrity inspection, change parts and format conversion, clean-in-place (CIP) systems, sterilisation-in-place (SIP), foam and manual cleaning, tank and pipe cleaning, hygienic valves and fittings, sterile barriers, cleaning verification, chemical dosing, water and chemical recovery, microbiological control, hygienic equipment design, and contamination prevention
• Packaging Technology — PET preforms and bottle blowing, glass bottles, aluminium and steel cans, beverage cartons, pouches, closures and caps, labels and sleeves, coding and marking, primary packaging, secondary packaging, case packing, shrink wrapping, tray packing, palletising, stretch wrapping, reusable transport packaging, packaging inspection, and packaging-material testing
• Plant Utilities and Supply Technology — refrigeration, heating and steam, compressed air, process gases, CO₂ supply and recovery, electricity and energy management, water treatment, wastewater treatment, heat recovery, pumps and drive technology, ventilation, utility monitoring, plant safety, and maintenance systems
• IT, Automation and Analytics — process control, automation systems, MES, traceability, IIoT platforms, digital twins, data analytics, and smart factory solutions
• Quality Assurance and Food Safety — laboratory equipment, microbiological testing, chemical and physical analysis, inline process analysers, Brix, pH and dissolved-gas measurement, turbidity and colour measurement, fill-level inspection, closure inspection, label inspection, foreign-body detection, leak and seal-integrity testing, vision systems, batch traceability, recipe verification, hygienic sampling, and shelf-life and stability testing
• Logistics and Production Support — empty-container handling, conveying, accumulation, crate and pallet handling, automated storage, warehouse-management systems, forklift and AGV integration, palletising and depalletising, order picking, finished-goods tracking, cold-chain logistics, yard and dispatch management, and returnable-container logistics
• Marketing, Packaging Design and Point of Sale — packaging strategy, label and container design, brand differentiation at the point of sale, consumer convenience, product presentation, and market-ready beverage concepts

Is This Trade Fair Right for You?

Relevance depends on your role within the beverage and liquid food value chain and whether your objectives involve sourcing equipment, identifying technology partners, evaluating production capabilities, or understanding market trends in the beverage and liquid food industry.

Ideal For

• Production managers and plant managers
• Technical directors and process engineers
• Procurement professionals and technical buyers
• Beverage and liquid food manufacturers
• Brewery and malt-beverage professionals
• Soft drink, water, and juice producers
• Spirits and wine producers
• Liquid dairy and plant-based beverage manufacturers
• Food technologists and R&D specialists
• Packaging and logistics professionals
• Quality assurance and food safety specialists
• Automation, analytics and digitalisation engineers
• Utility, water-treatment and energy-management specialists
• Maintenance and engineering teams
• Sustainability and environmental managers
• Researchers, educators, and students
• Media, associations, and investors monitoring innovation across the beverage and liquid food sector

These professionals can assess product ranges, compare technical capabilities, examine system documentation, and evaluate efficiency, food safety, automation, and long-term partnership potential.

May Be Less Relevant For

drinktec may be less relevant for consumers seeking retail beverages or small-scale beverage equipment. It is primarily a professional trade event for the beverage and liquid food industry, focused on B2B relationships between manufacturers, suppliers, processors, and commercial buyers. Companies focused solely on non-food or unrelated industrial equipment without application in beverage or liquid food production may also find the professional audience’s expectations challenging.

Industries & Business Areas Represented

• Raw Materials and Ingredients — beverage ingredients, flavourings, additives, liquid food ingredients, processing aids, and raw materials
• Process Technology — water treatment, blending, homogenisation, filtration, separation, carbonation, fermentation, pasteurisation, UHT, aseptic processing, thermal processing, and membrane technology
• Brewing Technology — malt handling, brewhouse equipment, wort processing, fermentation, filtration, and cellar technology
• Filling and Container Technology — aseptic, cold, hot, carbonated, and still-product filling; container rinsing, capping, and seal-integrity inspection
• Cleaning and Hygienic Systems — CIP, SIP, hygienic valves, cleaning verification, microbiological control, and hygienic equipment design
• Packaging Technology — PET blowing, glass, cans, cartons, pouches, closures, labelling, coding, primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging
• Plant Utilities — refrigeration, steam, compressed air, CO₂, water and wastewater treatment, heat recovery, and energy management
• Automation and Analytics — process control, MES, IIoT, digital twins, data analytics, and traceability
• Quality Assurance — laboratory testing, inline analysis, foreign-body detection, vision systems, and shelf-life testing
• Logistics and Production Support — conveying, palletising, warehouse management, cold-chain logistics, and returnable-container logistics
• Marketing and POS — packaging design, label and container design, brand differentiation, and product presentation
• Sustainability — water and energy efficiency, packaging weight reduction, recycled content, recyclability, heat recovery, by-product utilisation, and food waste reduction
• Services — training, consulting, and technical services

These business areas are connected by the commercial and operational requirements of the beverage and liquid food sector, where efficiency, food safety, automation, and total cost of ownership are as important as individual machines.

Products & Solutions You Can Explore

Product and solution areas presented by the organiser include:

• Beverage ingredients, flavourings, additives, and processing aids
• Water treatment, mixing, blending, filtration, separation, carbonation, fermentation, brewing, pasteurisation, UHT and aseptic-processing technology
• Tanks, pumps, valves, heat exchangers and hygienic process components
• CIP and sterilisation systems
• Filling, capping and container-treatment machinery for bottles, cans, cartons, pouches and kegs
• PET blowing, labelling, coding, inspection, secondary packaging and palletising equipment
• Refrigeration, compressed air, process gases, CO₂ supply and recovery, and energy-recovery technology
• Laboratory, food-safety and quality-control systems
• Production automation, analytics, MES and traceability solutions
• Wastewater treatment and recycling systems
• Production logistics, packaging design and point-of-sale solutions

Business Opportunities

• Compare processing, filling, and packaging equipment against defined production requirements
• Assess whether equipment meets efficiency, hygiene, and quality standards
• Evaluate automation capability, energy consumption, and total cost of ownership
• Identify equipment, technology, and service partners for planned production upgrades or new facilities
• Evaluate competing approaches to process technology, filling, and packaging
• Compare how suppliers address sustainability, resource efficiency, and digitalisation
• Clarify regulatory compliance, certification requirements, and technical documentation through direct discussions with potential partners
• Compare systems based on throughput, efficiency, hygiene standards, and automation level
• Network with equipment manufacturers, technology providers, processors, and procurement professionals

How to Prepare for a Productive Visit

Before attending drinktec Munich, careful planning can significantly improve the value of your visit:

• Define your strategic priorities: Identify whether your focus is on raw materials and ingredients, process technology, brewing technology, filling and container technology, cleaning and hygienic systems, packaging technology, plant utilities, automation and analytics, quality assurance, logistics, or sustainability
• Prepare questions about production capability, efficiency, and food safety: For process equipment, ask about rated and realistic throughput, product viscosity range, supported recipes, shear and heat impact, product-loss rate, temperature accuracy, cleanability, CIP duration, water and chemical consumption, microbiological risk, changeover time, batch consistency, automation interfaces, hygienic certification, maintenance access, spare-parts availability, commissioning responsibility, operator training, and total lifecycle cost. For filling and packaging systems, examine containers per hour, achievable efficiency, product and container range, fill accuracy, oxygen pickup, foam control, product loss, aseptic performance, closure integrity, changeover time, format-part requirements, packaging-material tolerance, inspection coverage, line balancing, reject management, cleaning time, utility consumption, operator requirements, service response, and total cost per packaged unit. For quality and food safety systems, examine laboratory capability, inline measurement, foreign-body detection, traceability, and shelf-life testing
• Review the supporting programme: The 2025 edition introduced formats including Liquidrome, the Startup Area, Health Bar, guided tours and specialist knowledge-exchange sessions. The organiser has not yet fully confirmed which formats will return in 2028. Visitors should consult the official 2028 programme for confirmed forums, demonstrations, special areas and networking events
• Divide the exhibitor landscape by key areas: Before the event, group exhibitors by key areas — ingredients, processing, filling, packaging, automation, utilities — to structure your visit efficiently. The 2025 edition occupied eleven halls. Visitors should consult the official 2028 hall allocation when planning routes and meetings. The fair takes place from 11 to 15 September 2028 at the Trade Fair Center Messe München
• Plan meetings with potential partners: The event provides an opportunity to coordinate with manufacturers, suppliers, and industry professionals in one location

Review the organiser’s current exhibitor directory and group relevant companies by business objective, product area, or hall location before planning meetings.

Exhibitor Perspective

Exhibitors at drinktec range from international process technology manufacturers, filling and packaging equipment suppliers, and ingredient and raw material providers to automation companies, logistics specialists, and service providers.

drinktec 2025 brought together 1,117 exhibitors from 68 countries and attracted 58,281 visitors from 164 countries, with 70% of visitors coming from international markets . Decision-makers from the world’s top 20 beverage corporations were once again in attendance, bringing large delegations to explore the future of beverage and liquid food production .

Visitors evaluating potential partners should look beyond individual products to understand efficiency, food safety, automation capability, and total cost of ownership. The event’s focus on innovation, digitalisation, sustainability, and B2B networking provides additional engagement opportunities for visitors and exhibitors.

Planning to exhibit rather than visit? Explore the drinktec Munich Strategic Exhibitor Guide.

Continue Your Research

Research companies participating in the exhibition — explore the drinktec Munich Exhibitor List to identify process technology manufacturers, filling and packaging equipment suppliers, ingredient and raw material providers, automation companies, and logistics specialists before your visit.

When comparing beverage and food technology events, use our guide to choose the right trade fair in Germany for your strategic sourcing or partnership priorities.

At drinktec Munich, a productive visit depends on evaluating efficiency, food safety, automation capability, and strategic fit across the beverage and liquid food ecosystem.