NATEX was created in a management buyout from Schoeller-Bleckmann Process Technology Division, a part of a state-owned steel conglomerate, where more than 40 years ago the first applications of supercritical CO2 were introduced and is since then at the forefront of developments within the supercritical fluid extraction area.

In 1980 the first pilot plant was installed and R&D activities in close cooperation with customers started. Soon this resulted in two major milestones for the CO2 extraction industry: an installation for a tea decaffeination plant with a capacity of 3,000 tons per year and a coffee decaffeination plant processing 10,000 tons of coffee annually, with recovery of caffeine.

Backed by this unique industrial know-how, patents and pilot installations, the former key employees founded NATEX in 1993 to continue the journey as one of the main driving forces in the industrial CO2 process industry. This process and plant building know-how is complemented by Innoweld Metallverarbeitung GmbH, a specialized manufacturer for high-pressure, high- temperature and corrosion-critical equipment. The close collaboration with industrial customers, research institutes and precisely selected suppliers have yielded in several novel and unique processes, with consideration of the individual task at hand.