Thermoplan AG

Last updated

Thermoplan AG is a manufacturer of kitchen appliances for the restaurant sector. The headquarters of the company are located in Weggis (LU), Switzerland. [1]

Contents

History

Thermoplan was founded in 1974 by Domenic Steiner. The company's main products are modular super-automatic espresso machines. The medium-sized firm employs 125 employees.

The company's major breakthrough came in 1999, when it was chosen by the international coffeehouse chain Starbucks as their exclusive espresso machine supplier. [2]

In 2004, global corporations including McDonald's and IKEA began using Thermoplan equipment. [3] In the same year, Thermoplan was awarded the 2004 Innovation Award from the Central Swiss Chamber of Commerce. [4]

The company spent 1.6 million Swiss francs (US$1.3 million; €980,000) persuading Brazil's national soccer team to choose Weggis for its training camp before the 2006 World Cup. A practice ground in Weggis was turned into a temporary 5,000-seat arena called the "Thermoplan Arena". [5] [6]

The company employs around 420 people at the Weggis site in 2021 and sells its coffee machines in 80 countries worldwide. [7] Thermoplan AG has an export share of 98%. From September 2021, the construction of Plant 5 will begin using the latest technologies. [8]

Coffee and Espresso Machines

Verismo 801 and Thermoplan Black & White

The Verismo 801 was a superautomatic coffee machine designed exclusively for Starbucks, until discontinued in 2008. The Verismo 801 was released to the commercial market shortly before it was discontinued, under the Black and White CTS2 brand name. It features dual bean hoppers and is capable of pulling both single, double and half-caff espresso. It also has a steam wand with automatic temperature probe (for programmable auto-shutoff), and hot water spout. All functions are operated by the button control panel on the front of the device.

The Thermoplan CT1 and Thermoplan CTM are designed for operation by untrained workers; they feature an inbuilt milk-frother drawing milk from an internal milk fridge, that allows for complete one-click beverage making. The machine includes pre-set programs for latte, cappuccino, espresso, black coffee and white coffee although it can be configured with the Thermoplan Service Master Card.

Mastrena, Tiger, and Black & White 2

Thermoplan manufactures the Mastrena, the super-automatic machine made exclusively for Starbucks. The Mastrena is an upgrade of the Verismo 801, using some of the same components, and some face-lifted. The machine is smaller in size than the Verismo 801, due to the concerns of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz that the height of the Verismo 801 prevented baristas from interacting with customers. The machine has all the features of its predecessor, including a larger dual bean hopper, as well as the ability to pull ristretto and lungo shots.

Thermoplan also produces The Tiger, a lower-volume espresso machine with a similar modular design, distributed by Bunn in the United States, and the Black & White 2, an upgrade to the Black & White line of espresso machines, combining the main features found on the Thermoplan Verismo 801 and the Thermoplan Tiger. The B&W 2 is also sold as part of both Starbucks and Costa Coffee licensing programs in the UK.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cappuccino</span> Drink made with espresso coffee and steamed milk

A cappuccino is an espresso-based coffee drink that is traditionally prepared with steamed milk foam (microfoam).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Espresso</span> Type of strong coffee

Espresso is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water is forced under 9–10 bars of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans and roast degrees. Espresso is the most common way of making coffee in southern Europe, especially in Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, but it is also popular in the rest of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starbucks</span> American multinational coffeehouse chain

Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frappuccino</span> Starbucks iced coffee drink

Frappuccino is a line of blended iced coffee drinks sold by Starbucks. It may consist of coffee or crème base, blended with ice and ingredients such as flavored syrups and usually topped with whipped cream and or spices. It may also include blended Starbucks refreshers. Frappuccinos are also sold as bottled coffee beverages in grocery stores, convenience stores and from vending machines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Espresso machine</span> Device used to brew espresso coffee

An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. Multiple machine designs have been created to produce espresso. Several machines share some common elements, such as a grouphead and a portafilter. An espresso machine may also have a steam wand which is used to steam and froth liquids for coffee drinks such as cappuccino and caffe latte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ristretto</span> Short shot of espresso coffee

Ristretto is a "short shot" of a more highly concentrated espresso coffee. It is made with the same amount of ground coffee, but extracted with a finer grind using half as much water. A normal short shot might look like a ristretto, but in reality, would only be a weaker, more diluted, shot. The opposite of a ristretto is a lungo ("long"), which have double water amount. The French call a ristretto a café serré.

<i>Café au lait</i> Drink made with coffee and hot milk

Café au lait is coffee with hot milk added. It differs from white coffee, which is coffee with cold milk or other whiteners added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iced coffee</span> Coffee served chilled

Iced coffee is a coffee beverage served cold, It may be prepared either by brewing coffee normally and then serving it over ice or in cold milk or by brewing the coffee cold. In hot brewing, sweeteners and flavoring may be added before cooling, as they dissolve faster. Iced coffee can also be sweetened with pre-dissolved sugar in water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caffè mocha</span> Chocolate-flavored coffee drink

A caffè mocha, also called mocaccino, is a chocolate-flavoured warm beverage that is a variant of a caffè latte, commonly served in a glass rather than a mug. Other commonly used spellings are mochaccino and also mochachino. The name is derived from the city of Mokha, Yemen, which was one of the centres of early coffee trade. Like latte, the name is commonly shortened to just mocha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White coffee</span> Number of different kinds of coffees or coffee substitutes

White coffee can refer to any of a number of different kinds of coffees or coffee substitutes worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat white</span> Drink of espresso coffee with steamed milk

A flat white is a coffee drink consisting of espresso with microfoam. It is comparable to a latte, but smaller in volume and with less microfoam, therefore having a higher proportion of coffee to milk, and milk that is more velvety in consistency – allowing the espresso to dominate the flavour, while being supported by the milk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee preparation</span> Process of turning coffee beans into a beverage

Coffee preparation is the process of turning coffee beans into liquid coffee. While the particular steps vary with the type of coffee and with the raw materials, the process includes four basic steps: raw coffee beans must be roasted, the roasted coffee beans must then be ground, and the ground coffee must then be mixed with hot or cold water for a specific time (brewed), the liquid coffee extraction must be separated from the used grounds, and finally, if desired, the extracted coffee is combined with other elements of the desired beverage, such as sweeteners, dairy products, dairy alternatives, or toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk coffee</span> Category of coffee-based drinks

Milk coffee is a category of coffee-based drinks made with milk. Johan Nieuhof, the Dutch ambassador to China, is credited as the first person to drink coffee with milk when he experimented with it around 1660.

Capresso markets high-end coffeemakers, espresso machines, grinders, electric water kettles, and frothers. The company is owned by Jura AG of Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy Serving Espresso Pod</span> Packed coffee pod standard

The Easy Serving Espresso pod, is a small packed coffee pod with a paper filter covering for use in a non-grinding espresso machine. The E.S.E. standard was created by Italian Illy in the 1970s and is maintained by the "Consortium for the Development and the Protection of the E.S.E. Standard." It is open to all coffee roasters and machine manufacturers, making it the self-acclaimed "only open system available to the sector for espresso coffee prepared with paper pods".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Café Allegro</span> Coffeeshop in Seattle, Washington

Seattle is regarded as a world center for coffee roasting and coffee supply chain management. Related to this, many of the city's inhabitants are coffee enthusiasts; the city is known for its prominent coffee culture and numerous coffeehouses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolce Gusto</span> Espresso machine/coffee capsule system

The Nescafé Dolce Gusto is a coffee capsule system from Nestlé. The machines are produced by hardware manufacturers Arno from Næver, Krups and De'Longhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nespresso</span> Coffee brand owned by Nestlé S.A.

Nestlé Nespresso S.A., trading as Nespresso, is an operating unit of the Nestlé Group, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Nespresso machines brew espresso and coffee from coffee capsules, a type of pre-apportioned single-use container, or reusable capsules (pods), of ground coffee beans, sometimes with added flavorings. Once inserted into a machine, the capsules are pierced and processed, water is then forced against a heating element at high pressure meaning that only the quantity for a single cup is warmed. By 2011 Nespresso had annual sales in excess of 3 billion Swiss francs. The word Nespresso is a portmanteau of "Nestlé" and "Espresso", a common mechanic used across other Nestlé brands.

References

  1. ↑ Swiss Trade Register: Thermoplan AG Archived 2016-01-23 at the Wayback Machine (German)
  2. ↑ Seattle PI: Starbucks will 'fight to the death,' Schultz says
  3. ↑ Thermoplan: Timeline
  4. ↑ Thermoplan: Timeline
  5. ↑ "Once-sleepy Swiss town booming after Brazilian soccer team visit". The Star Online. August 19, 2007. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  6. ↑ Northcroft, Jonathan (June 4, 2006). "Fun at the carnival". The Sunday Times (London, England). Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  7. ↑ Decker, Andrea. "THERMOPLAN: Von Weggis in die ganze Welt". Luzerner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  8. ↑ "Meilensteine: Schritt für Schritt in Richtung Erfolg | Thermoplan AG". www.thermoplan.ch (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.