Since 2013, we have been able to accompany people on their coffee journey. Many come to us because they've found their hobby and want to learn more. Others come to us because they see coffee as their life path. We're introducing one of them today: Simon Inniger.
"Coffee is simply extremely diverse, I learn something new every day," says Simon when asked why he engages so intensively with coffee. Yes, that's how we feel too – coffee can do a lot and connects not just worlds, but also completely different taste preferences.
Simon works full-time in IT consulting and came to coffee more by chance. As is often the case, it "caught him by the sleeve" – interest became a hobby, hobby became a passion, and passion became its own project: Simon's coffee roastery in Frutigen in the Kander Valley.
Simon's Mini-Roastery
After Simon attended a sensory course, the advanced barista course, and most recently the roaster level 2 course with us, he felt more than ready to start his own project.
In Frutigen in the canton of Bern, he realized his dream in a small garden shed. With the help of his family, he converted the "shack" and installed his roastery on the roughly ten square meters.
He bought his coffee roaster, a Probatone 5kg, from his colleagues at GoodLife Coffee. Coffee roasters are primarily made of steel and depreciation is minimal – so it makes a lot of sense to buy used ones. Especially when you're just starting out and want to keep your budget in check.
In the mini-roastery, everything is there that belongs in a roastery. A green coffee scale, various buckets, a roaster, and the green coffee storage. If Simon's roastery grows, there would still be room for green coffee in his parents' cellar.
"Simply Really Good Coffee"
In March, I visited Simon on a consultation day and helped him find the roasting profiles for his coffees. Simon's goal is simple:
Simply really good coffee. What sounds like a worn-out marketing slogan embodies my goal: I want to roast really good specialty coffees and make them simply accessible to my customers.
Simon Inniger, Simon's Coffee Roastery
And Simon understands that each market has its own rules and taste preferences. In his region, much more coffee is drunk from fully automatic machines, not filter coffee. So his goal must be to meet his customers where they are. Thus, his focus is on coffees that work well in fully automatic machines, but still taste like specialty coffee.
So a Jura fully automatic machine and an espresso machine stand side by side in his roastery. In quality control, he can extract the coffee the way his customers would at home.
In his online shop, he offers single origins, blends, and also two filter coffees. These are especially for him too, since he simply loves drinking filter coffee – a coffee from Nicaragua and a classic Ethiopian Sidamo profile.
Simon, Have Fun!
The trip to Frutigen alone is fun – so if you ever end up in Frutigen, you should definitely visit Simon. We've never seen such a small roastery.
We wish you much success and above all fun on your coffee journey, Simon, and we're happy to have been able to support you a little.
Your Coffee Makers
