About Us – Founding Team | Coffee Coaching Club

About Us – The Two Voices Behind Coffee Coaching Club

The first sip often says more than any description on the packaging. A brief pause, a glance that lifts, a quiet exhale. It's exactly in that moment, between aroma and memory, that it's decided whether a coffee simply wakes you up or actually moves something in you. Coffee Coaching Club was born from the conviction that both belong together: the craft behind the cup, and an understanding of what happens within us the moment we drink it.

Behind it stand two people with very different, complementary backgrounds: Anke Wolf and Yalcin Akpinar. The path from Hamburg via Neuchâtel to Bern was also a path between two fields that, at first glance, have little to do with each other, and yet meet in a cup of coffee.

Anke – Over 10 Years of Coaching Experience

Anyone who has ever sat through a poorly structured workshop knows: expertise alone doesn't make a good course. It takes someone who understands how people learn, how a group is guided, where questions arise before they're even asked. Anke brings exactly that: a Swiss federal certificate as an adult educator, a CAS in Coaching for Organisations from FHNW Olten, and training as a systemic coach and process facilitator. For more than ten years, she guided adults through educational processes, as a lecturer, job coach and trainer, before founding her own company with Coffee Coaching Club.

The "Coaching" in the name is therefore no play on words. When you book a private barista course with us, the person on the other end knows how to convey knowledge in a way that actually sticks, whether you've been working with portafilters for years or you're holding a grinder for the very first time.

Anke brings this same process assurance from an entirely different direction as well: from her own experience in hospitality and gastronomy, where she learned what it takes for a space to feel right so that people feel comfortable, and as a career coach, where she has guided people through professional transitions. This combined human expertise is now clearly divided at Coffee Coaching Club: Yalcin is responsible for equipment and sensory science, everything to do with machines, grinders and aroma. Anke is responsible for the social side, the team, the cosy atmosphere in our showrooms, and the processes behind it. Two perspectives that meet in every cup and every course conversation.

From Anke's time as an adult educator and coach, before Coffee Coaching Club existed:

"Ms. Wolf succeeded very well in fostering a high level of commitment among participants, which was reflected in the high quality of output. Through her considerable andragogical and coaching competence, as well as her up-to-date expertise, she ensured a high standard of educational quality in both group and individual settings, which is why we can attest to her excellent performance at any time."

— NewPlacement Academy, Bern, "Focus" Programme

"Anke Wolf coaches sustainably and meticulously, with appreciative empathy and a firework of intelligence. She gives her coachees process security through a transparent, clear structuring of the coaching sessions, while consistently staying focused on her coachees' needs and topics."

— M. Bosse, co-trainer during the training programme

Yalcin – Over 15 Years of Flavour Science

Coffee is made up of more than 800 aromatic compounds, more than wine. What we experience as aroma largely happens through retronasal olfaction: scent molecules rise through the throat to the olfactory epithelium as we swallow. Most people aren't even aware of this while enjoying their coffee. Yalcin has spent his entire career working with exactly this science.

A certified food chemist from the University of Hamburg, with over 15 years in the international flavour industry, most recently at Philip Morris International, responsible for the sensory direction of several global product platforms. Not because that's meant to sound particularly impressive, but because it means: he has worked with flavours long enough to know just how much chance and how much craft go into a good cup. At Coffee Coaching Club, that knowledge now flows into our roast profiles, our bean selection, and the equipment we choose to carry.

Neither Anke's certificate nor Yalcin's experience turns our recommendations into law. They're the reason we speak with conviction, not proof that we're automatically right. This is our perspective on aroma and extraction, one of many in the world of coffee. There are no espresso laws and no espresso police. The only thing that matters: the coffee has to taste good to you.

Innovation for Our Community

It's eleven at night, the espresso tastes different today than usual, and the question of why can't wait until the next showroom visit. For exactly these moments, there's Jackson, our AI coach in the chat at coffeecoachingclub.ch, trained by Yalcin with the same sensory knowledge that also flows into our roast profiles. Jackson answers questions about products, settings and troubleshooting around the clock, via the Jackson box at the bottom of the website.

Anyone who wants to dive deeper will find answers on our help pages to the most common questions about espresso machines, grinders, water and milk foam. On our interactive knowledge pages, from the sensory overview to the extraction and grinder simulator, you can also experience how grind size, pressure or water chemistry change your own espresso. None of this replaces a conversation in the showroom. It's simply there for when the showroom happens to be closed and curiosity doesn't want to wait — our way of staying innovative for our community.

At a Glance

Anke Wolf
Role	Founder & Owner — Coaching, Team & Operations
Swiss Federal Certificate	Adult Educator (INSPIRIERBAR GmbH, Bern)
CAS	Coaching in Organisations, FHNW Olten
Further Training	Systemic Coach and Process Facilitator
Experience	Over 10 Years in Adult Education & Coaching, Plus Hospitality, Gastronomy & Career Coaching
Languages	German, English, French

Yalcin Akpinar
Role	Co-Founder — Equipment & Sensory
Education	Certified Food Chemist, University of Hamburg
Most Recent Position	Senior Taste Designer, Philip Morris International
Responsibility	Sensory direction of three global platforms, 180+ markets
Awards	ABCD Awards PMI (2015, 2016, 2024), Exceptional Award (2017)
Experience	Over 15 Years in the International Flavour Industry
Languages	German, English, Turkish, French

Who This Matters To

For anyone who's ever wondered who's actually behind the roast profiles and course recommendations at Coffee Coaching Club. Whether you've been drinking espresso for decades or you're buying your first grinder, whether you're in Bern or Zürich, with a small or a large budget: what we recommend to you comes from genuine professional engagement with aroma, extraction and learning processes, not from a sales script. Our opinion still remains just one of many in the world of coffee. In the end, what matters is what tastes good to you.

Want to ask us yourself? Come by our Showroom in Bern or our Showroom in Zürich Oerlikon, try our roasts and get to know us in person. Or start with our advice tool if you'd rather get your bearings online first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is behind Coffee Coaching Club?

Coffee Coaching Club GmbH is run by Anke Wolf and Yalcin Akpinar. Anke brings a Swiss federal certificate as an adult educator, a CAS in Coaching, and experience in hospitality, gastronomy and career coaching, and at CCC she's responsible for the social side, the team, the cosy atmosphere in the showrooms and the processes. Yalcin is a certified food chemist with over 15 years of experience in the international flavour industry, most recently as Senior Taste Designer at Philip Morris International, and is responsible for equipment and sensory science, from roast profile development to the selection of machines and grinders.

What does a flavour expert from the consumer goods industry have to do with coffee?

Sensory science and flavour chemistry are a transferable field: they're about how aroma compounds form, change and are perceived by us, regardless of the product. Yalcin's over 15 years of experience in the strategic sensory direction of global product platforms now flow directly into our roast profiles and bean selection.

What does "Coaching" in the name Coffee Coaching Club actually mean?

It refers to Anke's professional background as a certified adult educator and coach. Our barista courses, team events and coffee tastings are built didactically, not just demonstrated.

What is Jackson, and where can I find help with problems with my machine or grinder?

Jackson is our AI coach in the chat at coffeecoachingclub.ch, available around the clock via the Jackson box at the bottom of the website, trained by Yalcin with the same sensory knowledge that also flows into our roast profiles. For deeper troubleshooting, our help pages on espresso machines, grinders, water and milk foam are also available, along with interactive knowledge pages such as the extraction and grinder simulator.

Can I meet Anke and Yalcin in person?

Yes, we're regularly on site ourselves at our showrooms in Bern and Zürich Oerlikon. For a meeting with a set time slot, we recommend booking a consultation appointment.

Is Coffee Coaching Club a GmbH?

Yes, Coffee Coaching Club GmbH, based in Bern (Gerberngasse 44). All details can be found in our imprint.