Kafischmitte – The pioneer of Swiss specialty roasters
We offer our heartfelt congratulations! Kafischmitte is celebrating its tenth anniversary. This is a celebration for the Swiss specialty coffee scene. We want to record this for the annals of Swiss coffee history. Without Roger Wittwer and Kafischmitte, specialty coffee in Switzerland would not be where it is today.
For ten years now, Kafischmitte has been a true pioneer from the tranquil town of Langnau im Emmental. They were buying quality coffee back when the majority of Swiss roasters didn't even know what 80 points meant. They built direct relationships with coffee roasters before the term "direct trade" had even reached Switzerland. Transparency is a top priority in Langnau for the two founders, Roger Wittwer and Michal Otte.
Right from the start, Roger sought international exchange with producers, roasters, and coffee professionals. He supported initiatives by baristas (Kaffeesyndikat), contributed to the networking of Swiss roasters, and always shared his knowledge.
Championship success
Kafischmitte was successful at Swiss and World Coffee Championships shortly after its founding. Kafischmitte roasted the World Championship coffee for Anna Käppeli in 2010. Philipp became Swiss Champion with a coffee from Kafischmitte and then placed 10th at the 2012 World Barista Championship.
I also owe an incredible amount to Kafischmitte. Roger roasted coffee for my first barista championship in Tyrol, and the coffee was significantly better than my barista skills at the time. Trusting in the skills of Roger and Michal, I imported a coffee from Kenya in 2014. We had 12 kg available for my Brewers Cup participation. We were able to roast exactly two batches with it! Two weeks later, I became Swiss Brewers Cup Champion with this coffee.
Small but mighty!
Kafischmitte has always been a side project. But the coffees are so great that many full-time roasteries could learn a thing or two from them.
We thank you for your commitment to good coffee and fair prices for producers. Thank you also for your immense contribution to the Swiss coffee scene!
Wishing you all the very best from the bottom of our hearts for the next 100 years.
Benjamin and Philipp
