Azul Kaffee in Bremen, Germany, celebrated their 75th Birthday on 7th September this year:
“The Azul coffee roastery is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and invites all coffee lovers to celebrate this special anniversary together on Saturday, September 7, from 11 am to 4 pm. Under the motto “Genuine Bremen roasting craftsmanship”, the roastery at Deich 43 will open its doors for an open day dedicated to coffee.
The history of Azul begins with a vision more than 75 years ago. Walter Fritz Wolters, then a partner at Lohmann, Wolters & Co, an importer of green coffee, dreamed of founding a coffee roasting company that would cater exclusively to the gastronomy target group. The coffees were to be of the highest quality and the all-round service was to be geared towards the needs of cafés, restaurants, hotels and the like right from the start. The aim was to spoil guests with particularly high-quality coffee and make them want to order a second cup.
Wolters put this vision into practice in 1949 in the spirit of optimism of the young Federal Republic of Germany and founded Azul Otto Reuter GmbH. As Wolters was not allowed to operate his own roasting plant as an importer of green coffee, the company initially traded under a different name. However, the name and logo already revealed the fascinating identity of the new brand.
The first Azul logo was clearly inspired by the Costa Rican coat of arms. This goes back to the founder’s strong connections to the Central American country. And so the striking volcanoes of the national coat of arms and the sun shining behind them were present in the logo for a long time.
Rösterei am Deich is looking forward to welcoming many guests from Neustadt and the whole of Bremen to its open day.
Rösterei am Deich is looking forward to welcoming many guests from Neustadt and all over Bremen to its open day.
The name of the then still young coffee brand also has its origins in Costa Rica. “Our name Azul, Spanish for blue, is derived from the term Azules, which was commonly used in Costa Rica at the time for particularly sought-after coffees from the Costa Rican highlands,” explains Azul Marketing Manager Gunnar Willipinski.
With its exceptional expertise and passion for coffee and its focus on a clearly defined target group, Wolters created a solid foundation that made Azul a success story right from the start. The combination of a Bremen coffee roastery, service orientation and a love of coffee inspired the catering trade and the name Azul quickly became well-known. From its base in Bremen, the company expanded continuously and increased its customer base. Today, Azul is a well-known brand in German-speaking countries that stands for variety and coffee quality, has established itself as an important player in the German coffee landscape and successfully represents the coffee city of Bremen nationwide.
Azul also opened its doors to private coffee lovers in 2019 with the roastery on the dyke just a few steps away from the Schlachte. Directly on the banks of the Weser, the craft of roasting is brought to life with a drum roaster and large panoramic windows. Neighbors of the roastery, Bremen residents and tourists enjoy a good cup of coffee there or buy a freshly roasted specialty coffee to take home.
The Rösterei am Deich is located directly in the large Azul roastery on the Neustadt side of the Schlachte in the street Am Deich. Next Saturday, visitors can gain an insight into the art of coffee roasting. The master roasters from Azul will be on hand to share their knowledge and passion for coffee. During the tours of the roastery, guests can experience how the green coffee beans are transformed into the finest coffee. There are also regular roasting demonstrations, where the craft of roasting is shown in action at the roastery on the Weser dyke.”
- Edited translation of the article pictured above
- The original article appeared in the newspaper Weser Kurier, Lea Giebmanns
Before founding the company Lohmann, Walters & Co., Wilhelm Lohmann lived many years in Costa Rica and founded there not only a family but also a successful coffee plantation. More will follow in a later post. In Costa Rica the Cerro Lohmann is named after him.
