Stoll AG
switches to Blue Circle Capsules
Stoll AG is a Swiss coffee institution. Its philosophy that focuses on quality has made it a trendsetter. Its latest innovation – coffee in home-compostable capsules.
Florian Amann is the Managing Director of Stoll. He has been managing the company, which enjoys an excellent reputation among coffee connoisseurs, for the past ten years. In Switzerland too, people have become and continue to become more mindful of their coffee consumption. Consequently, coffee preparation and packaging have become major issues. ‘We endeavour to make our company as sustainable as possible so capsules were never on the agenda for us until we came across the new solution of home-compostable capsules,’ relates Florian Amann, looking back. Stoll coffee in capsules was introduced to the market in March 2020.
Challenges mastered
The new preparation method involving capsules did call for something of an internal adjustment within the long-standing company. ‘Capsule coffee needs to be approached completely differently,’ says Florian Amann. ‘We had to adjust the roasting curves and we had to do a lot of experimenting before we achieved the perfect result.’ Degassing of the coffee, in other words the time between roasting and packing, kept the roasters busy too. Albeit only briefly because the advantage of the collaboration with Blue Circle was that the roasts could be sampled directly from the packaging system, meaning changes could be implemented immediately. ‘We therefore arrived at a great result very quickly,’ remembers Florian Amann.
Comprehensively sustainable
The introduction of the home-compostable capsule is just one of many measures demonstrating Stoll’s dedication to the topic of sustainability. Communications are focused almost entirely on new, digital opportunities. The vehicles are hybrid or electric vehicles wherever possible. And at the product level, the focus is on expanding the organic line. The coffee placed in the home-compostable capsules is likewise organically grown and has fair trade certification. There is currently only one variety, but others are in the pipeline.
Enjoyment and a clear conscience
When it comes to quality, putting coffee in capsules is perfectly in keeping with the Stoll corporate philosophy because the advantage of capsules is that they keep the coffee fresh, as each portion is packaged individually. As a result, the consumer always enjoys coffee which is as fresh as it possibly can be. Amann: ‘Freshness is one of the most important factors with coffee.’ The roaster therefore sees a great deal of potential in the capsule. And that’s not all: ‘We can also sell it with a clear conscience as it meets our environmental protection standards.’