Coffee Island & Mahlkönig: The present and future of their partnership!

We recently met with Jörg from MAHLKÖNIG and had the chance to talk about its partnership with Coffee Island. We also remembered the experience we shared together during the years of our co-operation!

Jörg, started his career in MAHLKÖNIG as an intern. He joined the team in 2001 and after passing from various positions (from freelancer to marketing manager) he is now the Sales Director of North and Eastern Europe of the same company, having also managed to set up a small business in Shanghai. MAHLKÖNIG invest on their people and its partnerships.

Nowadays the company has 210 partners all over the world! Among them we also find Coffee Island. It all started 2 years ago when Jörg met Konstantinos, the Coffee Island CEO and they shared a common vision about quality, specialty coffee. As Jörg states continuing his narration, there was some kind of ‘karmic relation’ developed between them which lead them decide they could route together the road of quality. That is also the reason why Coffee Island is a key account on MAHLKÖNIG portfolio.

MAHLKÖNIG’s main focus, is on the development of the finest grinders to achieve the best grinding possible for all kinds of coffee types and roasts. Jörg talked a little bit about how the history of the company! In the beginning, MAHLKÖNIG ‘s name was Stawert and it was a company basically dealing with motor machines. In the ‘60s, following the trend of the era where people were overcoming after war, Stawert developed turned their interest to coffee and spices, so they changed their business from motor machines, to grinding machines for coffee and spices.

In 1999, the ownership of the company changed. At that time, MAHLKÖNIG created the grinding on demand and expanded their field of expertise on the grinding of espresso. You must be wondering why this is so important! Well it is simply because it offers the perfect “practical size” controlled coffee evenly structured as well as because it adds to the procedure to finally brew the finest cup of coffee.

With Coffee Island they performed research and technical trainings in order to bring the focus back on quality. Research and Development is as essential for both of the companies as it is in specialty coffee, the level of the extraction which can influence the whole process and in the end it can even affect the taste of coffee.

MAHLKÖNIG has founded a grinding Academy in Hamburg where detailed grinding training is taking place/attempted. The attendees of this Academy can learn from how essential it is to clean the machines, to the importance of understanding the reason why the beans should be cut. MAHLKÖNIG is the only company that isn’t “afraid of” attempting this professional education in grinding.

How does the future shape for MAHLKÖNIG? Innovation is always a perspective however the interest has turned to a new concept on which the company is now focused on. “Grind by weight” on a professional level is the future; according to Jörg. Up till now the grinding is performed by time but from now on the grinding will be performed by weight.

At Coffee Island we anticipate to see this evolution and we promise that we will continue insisting on quality of coffee grinding.