What starts with a one-hour train ride for a cup of coffee ends with opening your own café in Basel. That's the short version of how Brü came to be.
From Madrid to Basel — Via Zürich's Coffee Shops
A few years ago, Felipe Fernandez Lobato — born in Spain, working in pharma — used to take the train to Zürich every few weeks just to find specialty coffee. Places like Café Mame were among the few in Switzerland serving it: coffee from top-tier beans, fruitier and more nuanced than the classic espresso.
When he moved to Basel five years ago, he found zero specialty coffee shops. His colleague Jorge Ros Guerrero felt the same way. Both missed the Spanish coffee culture — the social weekend brunches, the quality espresso. "What hiking is for the Swiss on weekends, brunching is for the Spanish," Felipe says.
A Ride Past an Empty Space
About two years ago, Felipe cycled past an empty storefront near Wettsteinplatz. One day later, he was viewing the space — and his friend Camilo Hernandez Mejia from Colombia spontaneously joined. The three were on the same wavelength from the start. Not just about coffee.
In 2024, they opened Brü₁ at Grenzacherstrasse 97: part specialty coffee café, part brunch spot, part after-work bar. "Our concept grew with time," Felipe explains. "Being so close to Roche, an after-work offering made sense." Jorge brought connections to a Spanish family winery — so the evening menu features Iberian wines, sangria, cocktails, and charcuterie boards.
Two Roasts, One Philosophy
The core is always the coffee. "We offer two roast profiles," Felipe explains. "One chocolatey, nutty — more approachable for traditional espresso lovers. And one fruity, acidic for specialty fans." About 80% of guests still choose the chocolatey version, he adds with a laugh. But the concept works.
Every coffee we serve scores 80+ on the SCA scale — that's the international standard for specialty coffee. We source from producers in Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and beyond.
Brü₂: Across the Rhine
Earlier this year, Brü expanded across the Rhine to Bankverein. Brü₂ at Sternengasse 19 in the Starbites Foodhall focuses even more on coffee and weekday lunches for professionals.
Basel's Specialty Coffee Scene
"Several specialty coffee shops have opened in Basel in recent years," Felipe says. "We're something like a friendly, conspiratorial community. Daniska and Draft Coffee, for example, are very good."
Basel is no longer a specialty coffee desert. And who knows — maybe someone is now commuting from Zürich to Basel for a cup.
Based on an interview published in the Basler Zeitung.
Visit us:
- Brü₁ — Grenzacherstrasse 97, 4058 Basel
- Brü₂ — Sternengasse 19, 4051 Basel