History

In 1922, Bern-born Water Blaser Senior and his wife Cécile Hug set up a small coffee trading business in Zurich. The small shop on Walchestrasse boasted a coffee bar under the name ‘Cécile’ in honour of the co-founder. Even back then, Walter Blaser bought green coffee straight from its countries of origin.

In 1929, the entrepreneurial young couple moved their business to Effingerstrasse 25 in Bern, where they had more space for the office, shop and roastery. Passers-by were able to watch the roaster at work through the window. Despite difficult economic times, the small business carried on developing.

After Walter Blaser Senior’s untimely death in 1939, his wife Cécile Blaser successfully carried on alone despite difficult economic circumstances and the authorities’ reservations. Together with her son Walter Blaser Junior, she used her initiative and courage to make it through the war and post-war period.

Walter Blaser Junior, who had started working in the business while he was still at school, took on the role of director. His mother stood by his side until 1980. From this point on, focus shifted to gastronomy and wholesale.

In 1955, the first fully automatic and electronically powered roasting machine in Switzerland was put into operation at Effingerstrasse 25. Innovation and progress were the focus of the day.

In 1962, Markus Blaser joined the business side of the company and took over general management from 1982. A couple of years later, his brother Rolf Blaser followed in his footsteps to work on the technical side of the company. The 3rd generation is present in the family business from now on.

In the sixties, Blasercafé bought the Mercantil company, consisting of a shop at Spitalgasse 4 in Bern and a shop with coffee bar in Biel. This allowed Blasercafé to expand its presence to one of the best locations in Bern as well as Biel.

In 1964, production was expanded and modernised. For this project, new premises were rented on Kapellenstrasse. Gastronomy customers were now served by an in-house delivery fleet of VW buses.

Even back in the ‘70s, mobile catering solutions were in demand. The camper van that Blasercafé transformed into a coffee bar was an ancestor of today’s food trucks. In the summer of 1968, the camper was set up at various locations complete with outdoor seating. The camper was also perfect for later visits to expos and trade fairs.

Things were starting to get a little cramped at Effingerstrasse. An old beer depot on Güterstrasse was taken over in 1975. This new location provided more space for staff and production, as well as a direct link to the train platform.

In 1981, the old buildings at Güterstrasse were torn down to make way for a new 7-storey building! Featuring the latest technical facilities, our production and company headquarters at Güterstrasse 4 were officially opened. The coffee roasting department became Blaser Café AG and the raw coffee department became Blaser Trading AG.

During the recession, the company needed a new source of income. And they found it: thanks to an innovative product development, the company was able to offer a patented coffee solution for airline catering. Together with increasing export income, this allowed the company to expand the production building on Güterstrasse.

Between 1996 and 1998, Marc Käppeli, Bettina Blaser and Michael Blaser joined the business. Marc Käppeli took on the role of director from 2006. Bettina Blaser now manages HR and Michael Blaser took over corporate communication. Together with Marc Käppeli and Stefano Zoratti, they now make up the executive management of Blaser Café AG.

Under the name ‘Alpine Coffee Center’, Blasercafé opened one of the first coffee academies in Switzerland with an exceptionally varied course programme. The barista and sensory courses are especially popular. The range of courses has been adjusted and developed until today, with certified courses from the SCA Coffee Skills Program also being offered.

Open to the public, the professional baristas in this bar prepare coffees for guests. Visitors can also watch the roasting masters at work with their Coffee-Tech roaster as well as take a course in the modern training room. The attached shop sells coffee machines, grinders and barista equipment.