What Schaerer does

Schaerer is a Swiss manufacturer of professional fully automatic coffee machines, founded in 1892 in Zuchwil, Canton Solothurn, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of France's Groupe SEB within its Professional Beverage Division since 2016. The company designs, produces, and services a portfolio of bean-to-cup and espresso machines (Coffee Soul 10/12, Coffee Soul C, Coffee Skye, Coffee Club, Coffee Art Plus, Coffee Art C) with daily outputs ranging from 80 to 250 cups, underpinned by patented technologies such as Best Foam milk system, ProCare automated cleaning, and bi-directional telemetry via the Coffee Link digital platform. Its customer base spans 85,000+ accounts across hotels, cafés, convenience/QSR, offices, healthcare, senior living, and sports venues, served through four regional subsidiaries (Switzerland, US, UK, China), a 400+ US service-partner network, 800 global service specialists, and 113-country coverage with 1.2 million installed machines.

The business model is a hybrid of professional hardware sales, multi-year service contracts (up to 20% lifetime savings vs. ad-hoc service), recurring parts and consumables revenue (8-year parts availability, US distribution via Parts Town), and an emerging subscription digital layer (Coffee Link Transparency and Optimizer tiers). Revenue is generated through enterprise quote-based pricing with no public list, supplemented by financing/leasing options, payment integrations (Twint, Alipay, WeChat Pay) for self-service retail, and service training delivered through the in-house Coffee Competence Centre established in 1999. Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-enterprise via subsidiaries, with a parallel channel of trained partners handling local sales and first-line service in long-tail geographies.

Schaerer's competitive position rests on Swiss engineering heritage (130+ years, ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001 certified), proprietary patented technology, a deep global service footprint that doubles as a switching-cost moat, and access to Groupe SEB's group-level R&D, procurement, and distribution scale shared with sibling brands WMF, Curtis, La San Marco, and Zummo. Active product launches in 2025 (Coffee Soul 10/12, Coffee Skye, Connected Ice, Easy Access), a co-showcase at HOST Milano 2025, and digital ecosystem buildout through Coffee Link indicate a company investing in product cadence and recurring digital revenue rather than restructuring.

Name

Schaerer

Legal name

Schaerer Ltd.

Website

https://schaerer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Schaerer is a Swiss manufacturer of professional fully automatic coffee machines serving 85,000+ customers across hotels, cafés, QSR, offices, healthcare, and sports venues in 113 countries, operating as part of Groupe SEB's Professional Beverage Division with 1.2 million installed machines worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Coffee Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee, Espresso & Tea Appliances Retail (CRACADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG)

Keywords

• Professional coffee machines
• Bean-to-cup equipment
• Commercial coffee systems
• Automatic espresso machines
• Coffee machine manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zuchwil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Coffee Machine Sales: Sale of professional coffee machines including Coffee Soul, Coffee Skye, Coffee Club, Coffee Art Plus, and Coffee Art C. Machines range from compact (80 cups/day) to high-capacity (250 cups/day) models.
2. Service & Maintenance: Comprehensive service contracts covering installation, maintenance, and repair services. Can save up to 20% over the service life compared to ordering services individually. Includes prioritized scheduling and proactive maintenance.
3. Parts & Consumables: Sale of genuine replacement parts and consumables including cleaning agents, water filters, and maintenance kits. Parts available up to 8 years after end of series production. Partnership with Parts Town for US market.
4. Digital Solutions Subscriptions: Free Transparency package for basic telemetry access. Paid Optimizer package for in-depth analysis and fleet optimization. Also offers financing and leasing options for machines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schaerer designs, manufactures and sells professional fully automatic coffee machines (Coffee Soul, Coffee Skye, Coffee Club, Coffee Art Plus, Coffee Art C) ranging from compact 80 cups/day units to high-volume 250 cups/day bean-to-cup systems for hotels, cafés, QSRs, offices, bakeries and convenience stores. The company also sells the Schaerer Coffee Link digital telemetry platform (free Transparency + paid Optimizer packages), ProCare automated cleaning cartridges and Connected Ice accessories, and provides modular service contracts, genuine parts and consumables, plus training at its Coffee Competence Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schaerer Coffee Soul (Soul 10 & Soul 12) High-capacity fully automatic coffee machine delivering up to 250 cups per day; available in Soul 10 (10.4" display) and Soul 12 (12.1" screen) variants with three GUI modes (Staff, Frequent User, Guest) for hotels, cafés, QSRs and high-volume foodservice.
• Schaerer Coffee Skye Compact fully automatic coffee machine with up to 180 cups per day capacity, 8" touch display with Guest/Frequent/Staff user modes, color-coded status lights, Twin Milk options and flexible configuration for offices, cafés and co-working spaces.
• Schaerer Coffee Club Compact fully automatic coffee machine delivering up to 80 cups per day; 50 cm tall, 32.5 cm wide, with 7" TouchIT display, Smart Milk System, CleanIT automatic cleaning and dual USB ports for data updates and promotions. Final order date 30 September 2026.
• Schaerer Coffee Art Plus Two-step espresso machine producing 70-80 cappuccinos/lattes per hour; features Finesteam steam wand with PEEK material, dual bean hoppers with dedicated grinders, push-button operation and aesthetic design for hotels, restaurants and specialty coffee shops.
• Schaerer Coffee Art C Bean-to-cup coffee machine delivering 70-80 hot or iced beverages per hour with integrated grinders, no-dilution iced coffee brewing, up to 3 hoppers with dedicated grinders and up to 80 programmable beverage options across multiple bean types.
• Schaerer Coffee Soul C High-volume bean-to-cup coffee machine with 150-180 cups-per-day capacity, ProCare automated daily cleaning for 300 days without user intervention, bi-directional telemetry for menu customization and branding, Auto Setup and Auto Calibration technologies, 13" footprint and ADA compliance.
• Schaerer Coffee Link Digital platform combining cloud telemetry, real-time data analytics, fleet management, remote recipe updates and price management; offers a free Transparency package for basic telemetry access and a paid Optimizer package for in-depth fleet analysis and optimization, sold to enterprise customers managing distributed coffee machine fleets.
• ProCare automated cleaning system Automated cleaning system using pre-dosed cartridges for milk and coffee circuits; supports up to 100 cleaning cycles without staff effort or downtime (300 days on Soul C), ensuring hygiene compliance with minimal labor input.
• Connected Ice Ice dispenser accessory providing perfectly portioned ice nuggets integrated with Schaerer machines, reducing manual effort and expanding cold beverage offerings.
• Coffee Competence Centre Training and expertise center located in Zuchwil, Switzerland, offering coffee knowledge training, machine-settings optimization and support for customers, partners and employees since 1999.
• Schaerer Service Contracts Modular service solutions including installation, maintenance and repair services; service contracts offer up to 20% cost savings over machine service life, with prioritized technician scheduling and all-inclusive coverage, supported by 800 service specialists globally and 400+ US service partners, with parts available up to 8 years after end of series production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Service contracts can save up to 20% over machine service life compared to individual service orders
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Parts TowncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParts Town partnership enables fast ordering of genuine Schaerer parts and consumables for US customers. They offer genuine parts with Schaerer quality that are always compatible with Schaerer machines, with large in-stock inventory for fast delivery.
• Turnpike WearablesstrategicTechnology or IntegrationTurnpike Wearables partnership enables service employees to receive real-time smartwatch notifications about upcoming tasks, allowing early rectification of breakdowns. This intelligently connects personnel and technology.
• Groupe SEB (SEB Professional Beverage Division)coreOthersSchaerer has been part of the SEB Professional Beverage division of the French Groupe SEB Group since 2016. Together with WMF, Curtis, La San Marco and Zummo, this forms a network of expertise in beverage solutions for the food service industry.
• WMFcoreOthersWMF is a brand within the SEB Professional Beverage division alongside Schaerer. At HOST Milano 2025, both WMF and Schaerer were showcased together as part of SEB Professional's innovative beverage solutions.
• SEB Professional Experience Center ViennastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEB Professional opened a Professional Experience Center in Vienna where the future of coffee is showcased, including Schaerer solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Thermoplan:
• Rex-Royal:
• WMF: German professional coffee machine manufacturer and direct sibling brand within Groupe SEB's Professional Beverage division. Competes head-to-head with Schaerer in hotels, restaurants, and QSR accounts globally and is co-marketed at SEB Professional trade-show booths (e.g., HOST Milano 2025).
• Wilbur Curtis: US-based commercial coffee equipment manufacturer, also part of SEB Professional. Direct overlap with Schaerer in North American foodservice and specialty coffee accounts, leveraging the same Irvine, California regional HQ infrastructure.
• Franke Coffee Systems: Swiss-engineered professional coffee machine division of the Franke Group, offering bean-to-cup and traditional espresso systems to global hotel, QSR, and convenience customers — directly comparable to Schaerer's positioning and product range.
• La Marzocco: Italian premium espresso machine manufacturer focused on specialty coffee shops and high-end hotels. Competes with Schaerer's Coffee Art Plus/Art C lines in design-conscious cafés and serves the same barista-quality-at-scale value proposition.
• Jura: Swiss premium automatic coffee machine maker, traditionally stronger on the consumer/small-office side but increasingly active in light-professional and SMB segments where Schaerer's Coffee Club and Coffee Skye compete.
• La San Marco: Italian heritage espresso machine brand and fellow SEB Professional portfolio company. Competes with Schaerer's traditional espresso offerings in cafés, restaurants, and the Italian and Southern European specialty coffee market.
• BUNN: US commercial beverage equipment manufacturer (now part of the Middleby portfolio) with deep penetration in QSR, convenience stores, and foodservice — directly overlapping Schaerer's high-volume bean-to-cup and iced-coffee use cases in the North American market.

Broad incumbents

• De'Longhi: Italian global appliance group with both consumer and professional coffee machine lines (including the La De'Longhi and ECP brands). A broad incumbent that overlaps with Schaerer in mid-tier professional settings but does not specialize in the same high-volume, fully-automatic B2B niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/schaerer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schaerer-ltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schaerer