A brand name is often totally imaginary. At Lattesso, the brand name is the concept – milk (latte) and espresso. No additives. Or the story of how coffee and quality met in a Swiss kitchen.
The concept
Initial attempts, 2003
The story of Lattesso started in the Noughties. A Bavarian from Lucerne visited Japan and saw something that amazed him – the Japanese prefer to drink coffee cold, as a takeaway, instead of hot and seated at a table. He was sure that cold coffee to take away would also work in Switzerland.
The market was small and insignificant – products mostly in tins or plastic bottles, poor quality, long-life products. But he was undeterred and saw the possibilities. His name is Erich Kienle, he originally trained as a dairyman and, at 53, decided to go it alone as an old “young entrepreneur”.
Launch of Lattesso
Market launch 2013
Kienle had the idea of focussing on coffee and quality in 2011. The existing, ready-to-drink coffees contained more than was absolutely necessary – stabilisers, thickeners and emulsifiers. Kienle said to himself “It must be possible to do things differently”. At home, he tinkered with his ECM espresso machine and developed a recipe and process for a successful production method that did not require additives. Initially sneered at, he would not be deterred and within a year had implemented the concept, thus becoming a pioneer of 100% natural coffee drinks. That was the birth of Lattesso.
Clean and safe
Creative innovation, 2013
The clear aim, in addition to quality, was a genuine takeaway packaging solution. The customary standard options on the market were unsatisfactory, so this also required an innovative approach. At great expense and using costly prototype tools, Kienle succeeded in developing a completely new sipper lid that met the desired requirements. Safe, easy to open and with appropriate hygiene precautions in the drinking area. The great degree of innovation meant that the lid could be covered by an exclusive, international technical patent. He had succeeded in developing perfect coffee-to-go packaging exclusively for LATTESSO.
Honduras
Santa Rosa de Copan, 2019
In Honduras, we promote cooperation with coffee growers from the Beneficio Inaginsa Santa Rosa de Copan who are not geared to maximum yields but to sustainable cultivation in the forested uplands. And in Blasercafé, Bern, we are working with a roastery that relies on lengthy, gentle drum roasting. This is handicraft using premium production methods – proper, honest, skilled.
Quality control
Blaserkaffee, 2021
This is Lattesso. It is much more than just a brand name. It is exactly what it says – the first completely natural coffee drink.
Takeover by Cremo
Fribourg, 2022
The beginning of a new era. Lattesso is proudly integrated into the influential milk processor Cremo. The lifestyle product thus becomes a symbol of the pleasure of enjoyment and innovation that is now taking hold at Cremo.
