Thermoplan The Company
The company's major breakthrough came when it was introduced by the international coffee house chain Starbucks as the exclusive supplier award received. The module system convinced the coffee giants from overseas, but it guaranteed shortest downtime. Today, more global corporations like McDonald's and IKEA to the customers of the emerging company, which is the 2004 Innovation Award from the Central Swiss Chamber of Commerce won and its growing number of specialized manufacturing buildings in a quiet village (Weggis) in Switzerland, far from the major economic centers of the Swiss Central country and foreign effect.
The Verismo 801 by Thermoplan AG Switzerland is used by Starbucks espresso coffee business. This unit is sold internationally as the Thermoplan Black & White (to IKEA and McDonalds, among others) but is exclusive to Starbucks in the United States through 2010. The first machine of this design was originally made in France. The machine has a modular architecture. For example, the grinder module (Mechanical Module in Starbucks-speak), has two grinders units but only one grinder motor. The way it works is one grinder has a burr set cut in one direction and the other burr set is cut in the opposite direction. Both grinders are connected to the motor by a common drive belt. When the motor turns clockwise the left grinder grinds and the right just bounces the beans around. When the motor is reversed counterclockwise the right grinder grinds and the left just bounces the beans around. The other modules are the CPU module, the Power Module, the Hydraulic Module (coffee boiler water distribution block, and pump), the Foamino (a hot milk auto foamer). Each module is held in place by two thumb screws.
The French company fell on hard times and the Foamino suppler Thermoplan acquired all the assets and patents, moved the operation to Switzerland, and began marketing the machine under the Black and White name. In the late 90's when Starbucks was looking to replace the venerable La Marzocco with a Superautomatic they found Thermoplan. They realized some changes needed to be made for the US market and to meet their strict coffee quality profile. Although the Foamino works well in Europe where they add a little milk to their coffee to make a little cappuccino, Starbucks understood in the USA were they add a little coffee to their 16 or 20 ounce cups of milk the Foamino would not cut it. Working with the Thermoplan engineers they replaced the Foamino with a powerful steam boiler and a thermal sensing steam wand. The Tea / Steam Module (Starbucks speak again), looks like a small old time steam locomotive when it's removed from the machine for service and works like one too.
The Verismo 901 is a Starbucks module upgrade to the Verismo 801. Thermoplan developed Magistrale was an ill-fated Starbucks prototype that was rejected during testing and subsequently scrapped. Thermoplan also manufactures Starbucks newest machine, the Mastrena, the Tiger, a lower-volume espresso machine with a similar modular design which is distributed by Bunn in the United States, and the Black & White 2, an upgrade to the Black & White line of espresso machines, combining the main features found on the Thermoplan Verismo 801 and the Thermoplan Tiger.
