I don´t know about you but I can´t imagine my morning without coffee. But I don´t drink the first thing in the morning as my parents do (I´m not sure my stomach could handle it) but after breakfast, when during drinking my latte I’m summing up what´s ahead that day (understand: what I have to clean up, cook, buy, arrange, order, etc.). Anyway, I wouldn´t leave the house without having breakfast and having coffee. And if we go for a trip and know that I cannot have my coffee, I take it to my favorite thermo cup. So much for my relationship with coffee.
That’s why you probably won´t be surprised that we recently headed to Jura. And I don´t mean Jura – the mountain chain or the canton. I mean the company, that as the only brand in the world focuses solely on automatic coffee machines and also has a visitor center since 2006.
How to get there
The Jura building was probably registered by anyone who ever drove on the A1 motorway from Bern to Zurich / Basel. If you are traveling in this direction, it really pays off taking the exit Oensingen and head to the village of Niederbuchsiten, where you will find the company’s headquarters.
4626 Niederbuchsiten, Švýcarsko
At the entrance, I was fascinated by the simple minimalist design of both the exterior and the interior of the visitor center. We were immediately greeted by a receptionist who explained to us that the automatic door to the exhibition opens every 6 minutes. At the meantime, we can put our coats in the dressing room or in the lockers.
Admission fee for children under 15 years of age is free, for adults and children over 15 are 9 francs. If you come on the day of your birthday (and prove it by showing your ID), you have free admission.
Exhibition
After the door closes behind you in the first room, you will be welcomed by a coffee bean that will guide you in other rooms as well. The door to the other rooms opens automatically and takes you into the history of coffee. You will find an interesting legend about a goat shepherd, whose herd discovered the coffee plant, tasted it and, most importantly, got to know the stimulating effects of the coffee.
Drinking coffee has spread to the Arabian peninsula and you could find it on every of the Arab market.
It was interesting to learn how the coffee got to Europe thanks to the active merchants. Logically, drinking coffee was first expanded in the ports where coffee was brought by the ships. But only coffee grains, not plants (export of coffee plants was forbidden).
In the 17th century, a Dutch trader smuggled a coffee plant into his homeland, but because of the climate, the plant didn´t germinate. The expansion of coffee production wouldn´t have been possible without theft and secret transfers of coffee plants, especially to the overseas colonies of Europe’s then great powers. That is why coffee growing has spread in French Polynesia, Indonesia, or Brazil.
Jura – company history
In the next section, you will find interesting information about Jura’s history. It was founded in 1931 by Leo Henzirohs. Jura was also known as a small home appliance manufacturer, but its main “jewels” are coffee machines.
You will learn what emphasis is put on the design, simplicity, and intuitive use of the machines or how coffee machines are subjected to load tests. But you will also learn that it is the quality of water that is no less important for the preparation and excellent taste of coffee.
At the end, you can stop in a small cinema and watch a short movie. I personally liked it – one could see the contrast between how people in Africa manually harvest the coffee beans and feed the whole family with money earned for this hard job and when someone on the other side of the world carelessly enjoys drinking coffee with their friends.
At the end of the tour, you can see coffee machines, and if the exhibition has tempted you to buy a coffee machine, let yourself be advised when choosing (but no one is persuading you to buy it!).
Roger Federer – Walk of Fame
Before you get to the shop, where you can buy different kinds of coffee, mugs, glasses and other souvenirs, you will pass Roger Federer’s “Walk of Fame”. The Swiss tennis legend is the ambassador of Jura and spreads its values in the world: performance, precision, elegance, prestige, and passion for excellence. * This part was a real experience for our little sports fan. He was excited to be able to take a photo with Roger (with his cardboard model of course) and send the photo to the email. Or, you can have your photo printed in the shop for 5 francs, where it is put into the envelope with the initials RF 🙂
Coffee bar
The cherry on top is a visit to the café. You get coffee vouchers with your ticket and you can choose from many coffee specialties, and you can also have something sweet.
My impressions
- We were excited to visit Jura World of Cofee. The exhibition is very interesting and professionally made, with great emphasis on detail.
- Here you will find very friendly staff – from welcoming to the café.
- And as a nice bonus, children will be given gifts (don´t worry, they won´t make them coffee junkies 😉 )
- The visitor center is wheelchair accessible, and you can also take a stroller.
- I personally would have liked to have a small children’s corner in the café so I could enjoy the delicious coffee for a while.
And what is your relationship to coffee? Is coffee part of your daily ritual? Tell me in the comment section!
9 Comments. Leave new
May I please see how much I like your posts? They are honest, nice to read and well-written. I found them on the Swis FB for mums and now my husband looks forward to me forwarding them!! Please keep exploring and giving the rest of us inspiration 🙂 thank you!
That´s the loveliest comment I´ve ever received! Thank you, Lucy!
Haha I love that you get greeted by a coffe bean! I only drink coffee with alcohol, ice-cream or with a lot of milk. But I do love the smell of the coffee!
The smell is really amazing!