The History of Coffee in Switzerland

The history of coffee in Switzerland has so far received little attention. Yet the last few centuries are full of anecdotes: both colorful and bleak. Together with food researcher Dominik Flammer, we shed light on the last three hundred years in a podcast.

Dominik Flammer is not fond of cautious statements. He is clearly interested in shedding light on the everyday.

"Louis XIV was the influencer number one for the European nobility when it came to indulgence!"

Or:

"This romanticization that everything used to be better in the past is absolute nonsense."

Coffee is something that has become a daily occurrence for many people. Yet it is not a matter of course that a product travels halfway around the world, by jeep, by truck, by ship, and by truck again, is roasted, and still tastes good. Every time a bag of coffee from a distant world arrives at our roastery, it is a small miracle to me. But for many, coffee has simply become part of everyday life. In order to see something so mundane in a new light, you need vivid images and statements.

Dominik Flammer, food researcher, author and curator of the Culinarium Alpinum in Stans, spoke with me in a podcast about the history of coffee in Switzerland. Yes, coffee was once more of a daily staple, back when it was roasted at home. However, it was not until the progression of industrialization that the age of coffee roasteries began. "People were out more, working almost around the clock, so roasting coffee yourself was no longer an option."

The Grisons as founders of coffee houses across Europe

The frequently cited history of coffee begins with the second Siege of Vienna in 1683. However, the first coffee houses were not founded in Vienna, but in Italy. It was exiled Grisons natives, primarily confectioners, who first settled in Northern Italy and then throughout Europe to establish coffee houses.

At the beginning, coffee houses were drinking dens, dives, often places where debauchery was indulged in.

Dominik Flammer

We talk about the mixing of bourgeois ideals, coffee, status, and religion, and the influence this had on consumer behavior.

Switzerland as an actor in the slave trade and coffee colonialism

"It just takes historians who can think freely and rid themselves of traditions," says Dominik Flammer in the podcast. Swiss colonial history has been known for a long time, but it was only precisely documented historically in the last 40 years.

Coffee was a colonial good back then that had to be planted and harvested. To this end, people from West Africa were enslaved in South America, mostly on large plantations. Swiss families not only owned plantations but were heavily involved in logistics – they organized the transport of slaves as well as the transport of coffee. "A triangular trade," as Dominik Flammer calls it in the podcast.

From chicory coffee to apothecary sweets to roastery coffee

Coffee was expensive for a long time and was therefore considered a luxury item. However, consumption back then has little to do with today's understanding of coffee.

Five coffee beans had to suffice for a cup of coffee, along with substitutes such as chicory, or lupins, sugar, and spices.

Dominik Flammer

Aren't we glad that we can experience coffee differently today? The conversation with Dominik Flammer showed me how the history of coffee in Switzerland unfolded, but above all, that we are on the right track to enjoying coffee more again.

Two hundred years ago, coffee was roasted at home – it was simply cheaper and was the done thing. Today, many are roasting their coffee at home again, understanding, seeing, and smelling the processes, and being close to the source.

Interestingly, the famous Schwarzenbach coffee roastery in Zurich's Niederdorf only began roasting in 1929; previously, they sold green coffee to customers.

Dominik Flammer entertainingly demonstrates how lively the history of coffee is and how we all have a connection to it. Enjoy listening.