Welcome to the 20 new subscribers that joined us last week! This is issue number 6, and we could not be more thrilled with all your support. Each issue is getting read by over 1,000 people and we’re excited to double that! As our last issue of the year, wishing everyone a great 2021!
I love learning the stories of designers and engineers who find their purpose later in life. After having built a career in one industry, taking a pivot into a totally different industry is...daunting. We saw it earlier with the creator of the Anglepoise lamp and this week we see it with Gerard-Clement Smit, the designer and founder of Moccamaster, the classic coffee maker. I wonder what will be my “late in life” pivot? What will yours be? Feel free to reply with any and all thoughts or suggestions!
Coffee equipment has lot’s of surprisingly great stories behind it. Howard Schulz, of Starbucks (and failed Presidential ambition fame), was one of the first to use the classic Italian La Marzocco espresso machines in the US. Then there is the frisbee maker (Aerobie) behind the Aeropress coffee maker, as well as Peter Schlumbohn, who went from making coffee using lab filter paper to designing the Chemex.
Today, let’s consider a story less well told: how a Dutch ladder designer built an iconic item that, even in a world of fast innovation, has stood the test of time for 70 years. It is also one of the coolest kitchen tools I own: The Moccamaster Techninvorm.
Design
Gerard-Clement Smit was a freelance designer (shoutout to all the freelancers, making the world go round!) hired by a Dutch company to design a coffee grinder. He found that when grinding a lot of coffee beans, or grinding quickly, heat became a problem. If there is too much heat in the grinder, it starts to brew the coffee and ruins the taste (unless you like burnt coffee). As a solution, he obtained a patent for introducing a fan into the grinding device. This type of blade grinder has since fallen out of fashion, in favour of the burr grinder, so let’s move on…
After his initial success, Smit pivoted and started Technivorm, building a factory in Amerongen in the Netherlands. There he built ladders and shelving systems, as well as a string bean slicer that became a Dutch kitchen staple.
His attention eventually turned back to coffee (who isn’t addicted?), and he earned himself over 20 coffee-related patents. He also started work on the Moccamaster, the product for which he is best known for.
Innovation
Later, when asked why he took on the challenge of a coffee machine, Smit said “I want to create the best cup of coffee with a coffee maker that lasts a lifetime. A Moccamaster should be the last brewer you’ll ever buy.” This approach to durability was new to market at the time and after a couple of models, the company released the KBG 741, which is their iconic home brewer. They quickly replaced the plastic bodies on the earlier models with aluminum housing, increasing its durability.
The innovation in their products is primarily in the approach to manufacturing: parts that are easily repaired or replaced and of high quality. For example, the heating element is made of copper, where most other brands are made of cheaper steel.
Modern coffee makers are filled with microcontrollers and sensors. Moccamaster uses physics and smart engineering to brew your coffee to perfection. When the water reservoir is empty, there is a float switch that turns off the heating element. If you are curious what a float switch looks like, just open up the back of your toilet! They are what stops the water when the tank gets full. Because the pressure through the brewer is generated by the water’s own heat, the water pulses. If you were to use a pump, it would give a constant stream. This pulsing gives the beans time to release their carbon dioxide into the air vs into your coffee.
Sustainability
As we work through a better understanding of what is truly sustainable, the Moccamaster has some great things going for it, as well as some challenges.
The positives:
Moccamasters are made by a well-compensated and well-treated labour force (Moccamaster masters?) in the Netherlands. One great anecdote about manufacturing is that every day in the factory at 11 AM they have a koffiepauze. While not unique to their factory, that name for a coffee break is incredible.
The majority of the parts are made near the factory and are assembled all in one place, reducing the carbon footprint of shipping it.
The pieces that wear the hardest are very easily replaceable. As well, parts are backwards compatible. If you break the carafe on your 1970s model, the 2020 version will work just as well.
All the parts are fully recyclable, minimizing the impact.
The majority of coffee makers they have ever produced (over 70+ years) are still in active use!
The negatives:
The company does not produce a sustainability report (and did not respond to requests for a copy of one). It is hard to truly understand the impact without this kind of information. Being a privately held company in the Netherlands, there is no obligation for them to produce one.
Recycling is a VERY flawed ecosystem. When commodity prices are low, like now, recycling is not worth the efforts to do it. Just because something is recyclable does not mean it should be recycled. If they really believe in the durability of the product, Moccmaster would ideally have a refurb/buy back program. This would ensure the products don’t end up in landfills and can reduce the impact of manufacturing.
Cost
The durability of a Moccamaster does not come cheap. For the classic KB model (which comes in 21 awesome colours), you are looking in the $350-$400 range. Some retailers even have their own refurb program. Transcend Coffee, who roast INCREDIBLE beans, have a couple on their site.
You can get other automatic coffee makers, like the popular OXO 8 Cup for around $150 or the Breville with more features for $250. Neither machine has been on the market for as long, so it’s tough to tell their durability. If other brands are less than half as reliable, over a 10 year lifespan, the upfront investment in a Moccamaster makes sense.
The other comparison to look at is to manual coffee brewing devices, like a Chemex, pour-over set up, or Aeropress. You would be challenged to exceed $100 for the equipment and will get an equivalent (or superior) cup depending on your skills. In my opinion, they are very different machines - but you need to decide for yourself which method works best for you. The Moccamaster is perfect for when you are serving coffee to a crowd (or even just more than one person). As well, they have a slightly lower cost per cup because they require slightly less beans to produce the same yield.
When something is built to last, there develops a robust resale market for that item. I was able to find used units for under $200 in classifieds of most major US metropolitan areas. At that price, buying a Moccamaster is a no brainer. I bought mine used from someone who happened to live around the corner! Small world.
Coffee-making can be elevated to ritual practice if you choose. When you think of things like tea ceremonies etc., they provide a moment to reflect and pause. While staring at my Moccamaster this morning, I was inspired by the lesson in its design: simplicity + engineering. A thing made well to make well. Not everything in your life needs to be like this, but to me, this one is a great source of joy.
Post Script
No matter how you make your coffee, it has to start with good beans. The beans themselves are not local (most “specialty” beans are grown in places like Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Kenya and others) but I have never been somewhere that did not have a local roaster. I am a big fan of what the team at Luna coffee is doing. In Stirling, Ontario, there is Quietly. The team behind Boxcar Social coffee shops in Toronto, just launched their own roastery, Subtext. One tip I would suggest is to find a coffee growing region you like. Beans from different places taste different. Then you can compare a bean from roaster to roaster (ie Colombian to Colombian, etc).
Perhaps the Bialetti in some future post :)