Moccamaster celebrates an incredible 55 years

Do you know of any company that has been making a virtually identical product for more than half a century, and has sold over 10 million units? There won't be many, will there? Anyway, one such product is called Moccamaster and you've all come across it in coffee shops.

Where did the Moccamaster come from?

TheDutch company Technivorm was founded by Gerard Clement Smit, a trained mechanical engineer , in 1964. Initially, the company produced racks, shelves or ladders for industrial use.

After about two years, however, Gerard Smit invented the KM1 coffee grinder with its unique heat dissipation system. This prevented the coffee from burning during grinding - a revolutionary solution at the time. His idea was bought and the grinder was manufactured by Douwe Egberts.

How about a coffee maker?

And it was at Douwe Egberts that Gerard Smit was invited to try to develop a quality drip coffee machine. He decided to make the best coffee machine that would make even better coffee and last the customer a lifetime. And so, in 1968, the Moccamaster was born, and in the first few years it managed to sell around 150,000 units throughout Europe.

Moccamaster KB 741

In 1976 Technivorm came up with a new iconic timeless design for the new Moccamaster, the KB 741. And thanks to how successful the first few years of Technivorm were with the Moccamaster, Gerard Smit and his team decided to focus only on the development and production of the Moccamaster and leave everything else behind.

Moccamaster KBG Select

"I want to make the best cup of coffee with a machine that will last a lifetime. Moccamaster should be the last coffee machine you ever buy." - Gerard Clement Smit

Technivorm 55 years later

Technivorm's team of six grew to around 150 employees over the following years. However, the entire philosophy of the company remains virtually the same - handcrafting the most durable and design-led coffee machines that will be "the last ones you will ever buy in your life ."

The Moccamaster of today

Today's Moccamaster KBG Select (or also 741) is minimally different from the original. It still has a glass teapot, which may or may not be heated directly on the surface of the machine. It is available in many colours and is still one of the most durable and best drip machines on the market.

It is also backed by the manufacturer itself, which offers a 5-year warranty. In one breath, however, he says that with daily use, the Moccamaster will last you 20 years or more.

Another type of Moccamaster that Technivorm manufactures is the KBGT. It is very similar to the previous type. It is just a little taller to accommodate the supplied thermocouple underneath. At the same time, of course, it lacks the aforementioned kettle heating. Ideal for any café!

Another type with which Technivorm have appealed to a wide mass of customers is the Moccamaster Cup-One. A cute, scaled-down Moccamaster that will brew one cup (0.3 litres) of the same coffee every time and always just as good. We dedicated one article on our blog to the Moccamaster Cup-One, check it out!

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Where will Moccamaster go in the next few years?

If I may venture a prediction and a bit of wishful thinking... I believe and hope that Technivorm will not rush into any further improvements to the successful Moccamaster. 55 years ago, Gerard Smit invented and produced a timeless thing. A thing that was essentially primitive and yet brilliant. A thing that looks great - whatever you want, Moccamaster on the kitchen counter or in the coffee shop, just look at the colours. But most of all, a thing that can make excellent filter coffee, in a sensitive and efficient way.

See how the Moccamaster is made

So let's keep our fingers crossed for Technivorm to continue to thrive. In 55 years, in 2078, let's meet back here and see if the Moccamasters of 2023 are still working for us. I think they will.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn't Moccamaster useless for the home?

That's very relative. If you don't like filter coffee, it's useless. If you do, and you want to spend as little time as possible on preparation while still getting great coffee at a consistent quality, the Moccamaster is the ideal choice.