Ancient legends from the 6th-century may shed light on coffee’s origins. As folklore would have us believe, Ethiopian goat herder Kaldi first noticed the benefits of coffee beans after his herd consumed coffee berries and became exceptionally energetic. News quickly spread regarding the beans, and various concoctions began to spread across the globe. Techniques for its preparation have evolved since then, and in modern times the art of coffee making has fascinated connoisseurs for half a millennium. Coffee has become a central pillar of social gatherings, and humankind has found an ever-increasing number of ways to prepare the beans.
Over the years, convenient methods of preparation have increasingly prevailed. Techniques such as dehydrated instant coffee initially faltered in their early historical attempts. During the mid-1800s, an instant coffee paste attempt failed as its consumers abhorred the taste during the American Civil War. A decade later, Max Morgenthaler, a Swiss chemist working at Nestle in 1929, contributed to perfecting the dehydrated technique. Through his private research, he cracked the code to prepare a decent tasting cup of instant coffee. The result was the iconic soluble powder-coffee, Nescafé.
While techniques have continued to develop over the years, a simple truth prevailed; additional convenience is desired, but all coffee tastes better when fresh beans are ground right before brewing. This basic concept has become a cornerstone of modern habits and created a culture surrounding coffee-serving establishments.
Similar to Morgenthaler in the 1930s with his powdery discovery, the Swiss have continued to transform coffee habits. Switzerland plays a decisive role in the coffee sector. It has become an integral part of the whole value chain, as the largest green coffee bean trader, the largest global roaster, and a leading provider of coffee making machines, among other roles. Coffee making machines, in particular, represent the epitome of modern state-of-the-art quality coffee making techniques.
Contemporary machines merge convenience and long preferred fresh ingredients. Therefore, coffee shops, offices, convenience stores, and an expanding number of global chains are increasingly procuring premium coffee machines from renowned international suppliers based in Switzerland; particularly, those able to deliver a fresh bean-to-cup coffee as they reduce labor and decrease food waste.
A collection of Swiss mechanical, electrical and software engineers dedicate their lives to customizing systems that quench the drinking habits of an ever-growing cross-cultural global consumer base.
Jörg Schwartze, CEO of Schaerer, the leading Swiss specialist in fully automatic coffee machines, highlighted Swiss engineers’ excellence as one reason behind Switzerland’s continued success in becoming a distinguished global supplier of high-quality coffee machines. In particular, he emphasized clients can always turn to Switzerland if they face a challenge requiring an elaborate technical solution that should be executed in a quick, pragmatic, and customer-oriented manner. At Schaerer, Schwartze mentioned proudly working alongside clients by combining their local market know-how with Schaerer’s expertise in customizing machines that can meet emerging trends.
“In-house R&D as well as our own coffee competence center have been the core success behind Schaerer, and collaborations with clients help drive some of Schaerer’s innovations. We continuously reinvest in R&D, which allows us to set new benchmarks in the segment and develop forward-thinking solutions to drive drink quality to perfection, increase drink variety and to facilitate tasks for coffee machine users. We are very proud of working alongside our clients, and our self-service concept can adapt the coffee machine technology to fit their needs. Such market knowledge enables us to push new boundaries in our machines, and some cold beverage solutions stemmed from such cooperations. Our new Schaerer Coffee Soul machine also embodies these values and ensures our clients continuously get the outstanding high-quality coffee they expect from their individual machine,” stated Schwartze.
“We continuously reinvest in R&D, which allows us to set new benchmarks in the segment and develop forward-thinking solutions.”
Dr. Joerg Schwartze, CEO, Schaerer
Going further alongside current digitization trends and capitalizing on the Internet of Things movement, Schaerer launched an innovative digital platform solution that benefits professional coffee businesses. As a free-standing, self-service concept, the new Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner machines combine fresh beans, on-the-spot coffee bean grinding, and fresh milk. These machines are not a powder-filled machine that can sit idle for over a week. They require routine care and conditioning. Through a high degree of digitization, the latest machines communicate the required maintenance to ensure optimal operation. The machine itself coordinates after-sales services, including condition monitoring, cleaning, and preemptive alerts if a component needs replacing.
Schwartze highlighted, “Digital checks result in reduced downtime and fewer technician visits. In addition, these digital accessories bring a variety of customizable benefits for users, such as a mobile payment solutions, interactive screens, and other advantages.”
Schaerer, headquartered in Zuchwil, Switzerland, is the number one provider of fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines to the USA market, and according to Schwartze, continuously strives to provide next-generation machines. For its American clients, Schaerer adapted one of its fully automatic espresso machines to transform into a single-serve option for providing a freshly brewed American long black coffee.
Schwartze affirmed, “Schaerer is a driver behind next-generation coffee machines. Our company has been renovating its product portfolio with a focus on customization and customer-centricity. In addition, Schaerer’s long-lasting Swiss quality and innovative product lines can decrease waste by 15 percent, and are examples of how tech innovation is shaping coffee consumption. Schaefer’s upcoming lines will continue to solidify our position in the USA as the partner of choice for high-quality automatic coffee machines.”
Over a millennium after Kaldi’s discovery, in 2021, the current global pandemic highlights the risks behind social gatherings. The population is coming to terms with a new reality of social distancing and self-isolation. Coffee making techniques continue to evolve, and thanks to Swiss engineers’ ingenuity, another fact is emerging – coffee machines are increasingly able to merge convenience and taste. They offer a convenient cup of joe made with fresh ingredients and no human interaction. Baristas are aware technology relieves them from tedious, repetitive work so they can increasingly focus their value-added service to ensure quality coffee and concentrate on the consumer.