Kafischmitte – The Pioneer of Swiss Specialty Roasters
Our heartfelt congratulations! Kafischmitte is celebrating its tenth birthday. This is a celebration for the Swiss specialty coffee scene. We want to record this for the chronicle of Swiss coffee history. Without Roger Wittwer and Kafischmitte, specialty coffee in Switzerland would not be where it is today.
From the tranquil Langnau in Emmental, Kafischmitte has been a true pioneer for ten years. Here, quality coffee was purchased when most Swiss roasters didn't even know what 80 points were. Here, direct relationships with coffee roasters were established before the word "direct trade" had reached Switzerland. Transparency is highly valued in Langnau by the two founders, Roger Wittwer and Michal Otte.
From the very beginning, Roger sought international exchange with producers, roasters, and coffee professionals. He supported initiatives by baristas (Kaffeesyndikat) and contributed to networking among Swiss roasters, always sharing his knowledge.
Championships with 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 World Barista Championship in 2012.
I also owe a tremendous amount to Kafischmitte. Roger roasted for me for my first barista championship in Tyrol, though the coffee was significantly better than my barista skills at the time. Trusting in Roger and Michal's abilities, I imported a coffee from Kenya in 2014. We had 12 kg available for my Brewers Cup participation. We could 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 excellent 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 great contribution to the Swiss coffee scene!
Heartfelt best wishes for the next 100 years.
Benjamin and Philipp
