Are you completely handmade?

Cremina: Yes. Let’s start off with my frame. It’s hand-welded. Most of my 130 parts are produced in Glarus, Switzerland; my heater comes from Milan, my brewing unit is also Swiss, from Jura. I am assembled in the manufacture exclusively by hand. So, handmade through and through.

How long does it take for you to look the way you do now?
Four and a half hours. Then I am switched on and put under pressure for 15–20 hours, checked for tightness and electrical safety. Finally, I am cleaned and put in a box.

Which of your parts is exchanged most often?
My brewing unit seal.

Excuse me.
Thank you. Otherwise, I am indestructible.

What else have you got going for you?
You want me to talk about how great I am? That’s not very becoming.

I know, but who could do it better than you?
Okay, then. I am (hisses somewhat embarrassedly) simple and I am great. One of my siblings has been in Bhutan for eight weeks and is making fresh espresso in a coffee bar there.

Is the simplicity and consistency your Swiss side showing?
The precision, to be precise. We Swiss make use of characteristics like reliability, thoroughness, precision, creativity. So it’s no wonder that big contemporary architects from Switzerland, like Peter Zumthor and Kurt Hauenstein, use my sister, the Maximatic.

Yes, you are Swiss. So here’s a question from your compatriot Max Frisch’s Fragebogen: “How old do you want to become?”
100 years old. At least.

How realistic is that?
If we’re talking about materials, there’s no question. All my materials are future-proof, as they are solid and sustainable.

Is anything about you going to change in the near future?
Just something small. In the summer I will be getting a shutdown button. That means I switch myself off after one hour. The EU wants it. And they’re going to get it.

Anything else? Different colours?
For my 50th birthday, there will be a special model of me in marone – golden brown – and a plaque.

Where do you see yourself in 50 years?
I still belong to my family, the Schättis. And I’m available in a few more countries. That’s the only way our business can grow. We de nitely want that.

 

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