100 Jahre Blasercafé / Zurich

What did Walter Blaser from Bern have to do in Zurich?

As so often in life, love was also involved for Walter Blaser Senior when he set out at a young age to take his life in his hands. The reason he chose Zurich as his first center of life was a lady named Cécile. Together with his great love, Walter Blaser Senior founded a small coffee trading business on Zurich's Stampfenbachstrasse in 1922, complete with a store and a coffee bar named after his beloved Cécile.

 

The foundation for Blasercafé's success story was actually laid in Zurich. Compared to many start-ups from the modern era, however, Blasercafé went the other way. In 1929, the entrepreneurial couple moved to Bern, and opened Blasercafé's longtime headquarters on Effingerstrasse. In addition to an office and sales store, there was also space for their own roastery.

Image: Blaser coffee shop and coffee bar on Stampfenbachstrasse in Zurich

 

 

The development that Blasercafé underwent in Bern from 1929 onwards was remarkable. Despite difficult economic times and family misfortunes, the company made itself indispensable in the coffee trade. The location on Effingerstrasse remained iconic for a long time. During this time, Cécile Blaser managed the company together with Walter Blaser Junior. This was because Walter Blaser Senior died unexpectedly and much too early shortly after the move to Bern. Thus, for a long time, the official language on the executive floor was "Züridütsch". Even though Cécile Blaser naturally saw herself as a Bernese entrepreneur.

Even today, the friendly relationshiop between Bernese coffee expertise and Zurich gastronomic culture is cultivated. For example, the restaurant «La Stanza», an institution in the center of Zurich, has always commissioned Blasercafé to rast its coffee. As a contract roaster, Blasercafé now processes coffee beans to the perfect epresso blend for numerous specialty restaurants from Zurich to Bern. Former La Stanza barista Giuliano Bartoli is also now head of the coffee training center at Blasercafé.

Image: Blasercafé training manager Giuliano Bartoli in the coffee bar "La Stanza" in Zurich

 

 

 

 

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