Exploring new places and meeting the diverse people who inhabit them can inspire us, broadening our perspectives while grounding us in our heritage. No one embodies this sentiment better than Bernd Braune, founder of Supremo Coffee, creator of the Comandante grinder, and seasoned globetrotter.
For those not yet committed to the ritual of meticulous brewing each morning, discussing conical burr angles and technical polymers with a German engineer might seem uninviting. Engaging with someone as warm and jovial as Bernd Braune, however, is anything but. Despite spending much of his career immersed in lab work, Bernd looks back and highlights the places outside the lab that have inspired him to innovate the way people brew coffee.
The Black Forest
Growing up amid the dense woodlands and rolling hills of Germany’s Black Forest, Bernd’s earliest memories are filled with nature and family. The region is known for its impressive heritage in precision engineering—home to the invention of the cuckoo clock and renowned watchmakers and tech companies. However, the Braune family trade was rooted in agriculture. Bernd fondly recalls those idyllic years, which included many days toiling in the fields.
‘We grew fruit trees for making schnapps—cherries, apples, pears… that's my country.
We also made wine; I even had to clean the wooden wine barrels from the inside,’ he
reminisced with a laugh. On Sundays, the family set aside work to share a meal together. As an elaborate cake was presented and the adults gathered, Bernd had one simple task: to help prepare the coffee using his grandmother’s grinder. This hefty, solidly built appliance required stability, so Bernd placed its square, wooden base between his legs—and any time a coffee bean wedged between the burrs, the torque from his motion would painfully dig the grinder’s sharp corners into his thighs. ‘It was really hurtful,’ Bernd recalled, ‘but I also remember the smell of freshly ground coffee and that it was the one day the family came together. Drinking a cup of coffee was a social moment.’
