— Prof. Dr. Chahan Yeretzian
Head of Coffee Excellence Center
University of Applied Science Zurich

Revolutionizing Coffee Consumption

Mikafi is a Swiss startup that revolutionizes the way we consume coffee – with coffee that for the first time ever can be created and roasted online or in a coffee shop location. The startup’s founders believe that in a world where sustainability, personalization, and quality experiences are becoming more and more important, coffee roasting must be rethought. That is how the team of five business enthusiasts/engineers/designers came to build a well synchronized coffee roasting ecosystem.

Part of this ecosystem is an electric tabletop roasting machine and a digital platform to manage coffee from farm to cup. The fully automated roasting service enables businesses selling coffee to serve the next generation of creative and sensuous coffee experiences with unique and ultimate fresh coffee.

Tons of Tech Behind Every Roast

From green beans to a cup of coffee – the mini-roasting machine MCR 1 is the first of its kind and the result of a two-year design process. The idea behind its design is to unveil the roasting process of the coffee, while hiding all the technically necessary components under a perforated surface. Currently in a test phase, it is developed to be used in restaurants, bakeries, and cafés. Without demanding any prior knowledge, different tastes and creations of coffee can be roasted on demand and right before the customers’ eyes. This not only prevents overproduction, it also replaces the use of gas by electrical power.

Mikafi’s digital service ecosystem connects coffee farmers, local hospitality businesses, and their consumers. To amplify learning from community preferences, raw coffee beans can be purchased from importers and roasted on the spot. This is how Mikafi provides local businesses with the future of coffee experience that increases their profitability, enables personalization, and guarantees sustainability from farm to cup. Furthermore, the concept is thought to foster a fairer and more direct trade between the coffee farmer and the consumer, and most of all to strengthen the taste experience of the latter.

Mikafi wants to become the world’s most beloved digital coffee roastery. Their mission is backed by ProHelvetia, InnoSuisse, other research grants, a VC, as well as private investors.

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For Interview Requests, please Contact Swissnex Communications:
Julia Kuhn Mirza, Sr. Communications Manager: [email protected]
Sophia Burri, Communications Associate: [email protected]

Website
https://www.mikafi.com/en/

Swiss Design Accelerator
The program is a collaboration by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Swissnex in San Francisco. Pro Helvetia, under the label Design Switzerland, aims to connect emerging Swiss designers with the international markets at key industry events, and enable them to gain visibility, build professional networks and reach their business goals. Swissnex’s experience and established network will enable the studios to access key industry experts from the US West Coast and to reach their entrepreneurial goals.

More about this year’s Swiss Design Accelerator