WMF - A Brief History of Coffee Machines
WMF, or ”Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik” if you want to use their full name, are a leading premium supplier of household products, professional coffee machines and hotel equipment. The company was set up in 1899 when they made the first attempt at manufacturing a hotel coffee machine. Twenty-eight years later, in 1927, they perfected the production of a large-scale coffee machine at their Göppingen site in Baden-Württemberg, South West Germany. Two years later, they produced their first gas-powered machine and, the following year, an electric-powered machine. In 1932 they moved production to nearby Geislenglen, where they are still based today.
At the outbreak of WWII, all production at the factory ceased but began again in 1948. Throughout the following decade, great advancements were made in the creation of their machines. The old 1930’s style machines ceased to be manufactured, and instead, more advanced, user-friendly machines were produced, including the ‘Bella Italia’ in 1955, their first espresso machine. In 1969 their innovative ‘Programat’ machine won huge praise at the INTERNORGA trade fair in Hamburg. It was the world’s first fully automatic and electronically controlled high-quantity coffee brewing appliance.
Over the following decades, WMF continued to invest in ideas to develop and revolutionise their state-of-the-art machines. In 1999 WMF was the first ever coffee machine manufacturer to develop the option of making a ‘latte macchiato’ automatically at the push of a button. This innovation established the company as a leading trendsetter.
Throughout the 2000s, WMF continued to invest in the advancement of their machines in what was becoming a highly competitive market. The touch button machines were pioneering, practical, and easy to use. In 2013 with the launch of the WMF 8000 S – a new generation of machines was developed with a touch screen display and revolutionary appearance. Always one step ahead, WMF’s engineers and designers continued to develop yet another innovative machine; an espresso machine that produced milky foam in one cup. This was soon followed in 2017 by a more powerful successor model to the WMF 2000 S, originally developed in 2010, which was equipped with a patented ‘Dynamic Milk’ system. 2017 saw the launch of the company’s 9000 S+, the flagship model of WMF professional coffee machines, which enabled customers to mix their own freshly ground coffee bean blend.
Never one to be left behind or late to come up with ideas, the same year saw the introduction of the WMF ‘MyCoffee’ App, which allows the preparation of personal coffee drinks. Customers can create their own coffee flavours, save the recipe, and then call it up on the coffee machine as and when a coffee fix is needed. It also allows the user to share their personal recipe with friends!
Staying ahead in the digital age, in 2018, WMF developed ‘CoffeeConnect’, which allows customers to keep up to date with the performance and service data of their machines in real-time, thus optimising their coffee business perfectly. In 2019 the innovative ‘Dynamic Coffee Assist’ was developed, a system which continuously measures the brew flow.
If you fancy something a little more adventurous, how about adding a syrup station to your machine? WMF has developed an add-on which connects directly to your coffee machine. Coffee mix specialities can be created using this feature, or stored as standard drinks on the coffee machine display with just a few simple steps, with over twenty different standard icons available.
Or how about trying their Chilled Coffee system, available with the WMF 5000 S+. It works by freshly brewing an individual cup of hot coffee and then rapidly cooling it, providing a quick and smart way to prepare delicious iced coffee and other distinctive drinks.
The development of new and pioneering coffee machines continues. WMF always has and will always be at the forefront of ground-breaking technology.
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