Kafischmitte – The Pioneer of Swiss Specialty Coffee Roasters
Heartfelt congratulations! Kafischmitte is celebrating its tenth birthday. That's a milestone for the Swiss specialty coffee scene. We want to document this for the record books of Swiss coffee history. Without Roger Wittwer and Kafischmitte, specialty coffee in Switzerland wouldn't be where it is today.
For ten years, Kafischmitte has been a true pioneer from the quiet town of Langnau in the Emmental. Here, quality coffee was being sourced when most Swiss roasters didn't yet know what an 80-point score meant. Here, direct relationships with coffee roasters were being built when the term "direct trade" hadn't yet reached Switzerland. Transparency is a top priority in Langnau for the two founders Roger Wittwer and Michal Otte.
From the very beginning, Roger sought international exchange with producers, roasters, and coffee professionals. He supported barista initiatives (Coffee Syndicate) and contributed to networking Swiss roasters, always sharing his knowledge.
Competitions with Success
Kafischmitte was successful in Swiss and World Championships in coffee preparation shortly after its founding. For Anna Käppeli, Kafischmitte roasted the World Championship coffee in 2010. Philipp became Swiss Champion with a Kafischmitte coffee and then placed 10th at the World Barista Championship 2012.
I also owe Kafischmitte an enormous amount. Roger roasted for my first barista championship in Tyrol, and the coffee was definitely better than my barista skills at the time. With confidence in Roger and Michal's abilities, I imported a Kenyan coffee in 2014. We had 12 kg available for my Brewers Cup competition. 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. Yet their 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. Many thanks also for your tremendous contribution to the Swiss coffee scene!
Wishing you all the best for the next 100 years.
Benjamin and Philipp
