About Buon Caffè by Luca

Why I wanted to sell coffee online too

My first experiences of running my own online shop had nothing to do with coffee. I was working on iPhone jailbreaks, custom lock screens and my own tweaks. I was fascinated by the idea that I could turn something I had thought up into something other people were willing to pay for.

I sold these iPhone add-ons through my first online shop and earned my first few hundred francs. And I was only 17 at the time! Those sales showed me that something I had built myself could reach people and generate an income of my own. That was exactly what I wanted to build on.

Later, I gained more experience through e-commerce projects and working with other businesses. Through webjungle.ch, I was also providing web services myself. So building shops, developing digital products and services, and shaping brands were already part of my work before coffee came along.

Around that time, I began working with a physical retail business. Through Michelli Design, I contributed my experience in online retail and added an online shop to its existing coffee offering. My contribution was to build and develop the digital side of the business.

To get started, I set up some initial, targeted trials with Google Ads. I paid for the advertising out of my own pocket. I wanted to find out how carefully set-up campaigns could bring the shop to people’s attention.

This was before the major shift towards online shopping during the pandemic. I did not have today’s AI tools to help me. Much of it was new to us: setting up campaigns, testing them, evaluating the results and learning from them. I put my own skills into building the business — and my own money too.

At the time, I trusted that we would make it work together as a family. My thinking was:

“But hey, we’re family. It’ll work out.”

Growing the shop during the pandemic

At first, orders came in one at a time. The online shop complemented the physical shop, and there was also a bistro. Over time, I began thinking about which part of the business I wanted to focus more of my work on.

The pandemic put financial pressure on the bistro in particular. The restrictions at the time meant it could not open for certain periods. Running costs and wages still had to be covered. At the same time, demand in the online shop was growing.

Alongside building the shop, I continued to handle administrative tasks as part of our work together. I would have preferred to spend more of that time on the online shop.

As the online shop grew, I wanted to help absorb the financial pressures of the pandemic and create a sustainable foundation for us as a family. I put my knowledge of building shops, developing brands and digital marketing to work. The online shop became an increasingly large part of my working day.

Eventually, I made it clear that I wanted to concentrate on the online shop. I saw better opportunities for my own development there, along with the prospect of more regular working hours.

More space for a growing business

As order volumes increased, storage space and organisation became more important. I wanted a larger warehouse because I believed in the potential of the online business and was convinced we would need the space.

During a viewing with the property management company, my father and I stood in the middle of a large warehouse that was still empty. More space also meant higher rent. That was where my father asked me a question I still remember today:

“Luca, are you sure you can cover this rent?”

My answer was a clear yes. I believed in taking the next step and wanted to go ahead. At the same time, I knew I was personally taking responsibility for the ongoing costs.

Over several years, the online shop’s revenue added up to a seven-figure sum. To me, this showed how the small online shop had become an established part of the business. Growth also brought new questions about its direction and how we would continue working together.

A new chapter in my journey as an entrepreneur

I wanted to put the growing business on a clear, professional footing, which is why I also advocated setting up a company together. It mattered to me that we formally agreed on our respective contributions and how we would work together in future.

Later, we discussed continuing the online and physical retail businesses separately. I agreed with that approach. Our working relationship then developed differently from what I had hoped for and eventually came to an end.

Over a long period, I had invested a great deal of work, time and my own money in building the business. Alongside this, I had a part-time job with another company. I deliberately used the time outside that job to work on the online shop and put my own financial wishes on hold. My experience from earlier start-ups and collaborations helped: I knew that building a business also meant making personal sacrifices. By budgeting carefully, I was able to get by on just under CHF 3,500.

I experienced the split as a turning point in both my personal and professional life. Communication about the shop’s future also weighed on me during that period. One email from that time has stayed with me in particular. I was certain that I wanted to continue my work on the online shop and follow my own path.

Through webjungle.ch, I also provide web services. I put a great deal of personal work into my projects, so that period affected me professionally too. It mattered to me to make the direction I was taking clear and to continue building trust through my work.

Business is business. Even so, this transition was painful for me. I wanted to carry on with my work and look ahead.

Since then, I have continued to run labottegadelcaffe.ch independently.

A five-franc coffee and a drive through the snow

My memories of those years also include meeting Italian coffee machine manufacturers. During a conversation with one of these manufacturers in a restaurant, we paid five francs for a coffee. When the export manager saw the price, he suddenly realised the opportunities Switzerland could offer for their high-quality machines.

For me, these are the moments that stay with you: when a conversation turns into an idea and people begin exploring it together. I am proud to have helped establish this manufacturer’s official distribution in Switzerland. When I see one of these machines today, I also think back to those beginnings and the people behind them.

Another memory involves collecting a machine. Together with the woman who is now my wife, I was going to pick up a coffee pod machine from another Italian manufacturer after it had been tested for its energy efficiency label. We got stuck in deep snow.

It was quite an ordeal at the time. Today, it is one of the stories my wife and I can laugh about again. Sometimes a machine in the range comes with a shared memory too. For me, experiences like these and the relationships that have developed over the years are just as much a part of the shop’s story as its growth.

My role in the video profile from that time

A founder profile from that time shows our work together. The partner company mentioned in it was my own business, Michelli Design.

Through Michelli Design, I contributed my technical knowledge, helped develop the point-of-sale system further and drove the online shop forward. This was backed by practical experience from my earlier digital projects.

Through webjungle.ch, I also provide web services myself. I brought those skills to our work together at the time — from the website to the online shop.

Since the split: Buon Caffè by Luca

Since the split, I have continued to run the shop as Buon Caffè by Luca exclusively through my own business, Michelli Design. In November 2026, I updated both the design and the technical side of the shop. My range remains focused on Italian coffee, suitable machines and accessories.

I look after the shop’s continued development and am here to offer personal advice. If you need help choosing, we will look at your machine, your preferred brewing method and your taste.

To help you, there is the Coffee Finder, the coffee guide and the option to contact me directly.