Here you can find them of every kind and shape: Moroccan, Turkish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, electric, manual with a horizontal crank, others with a vertical crank, and even in the D. Maria II style. The collection of coffee grinders at Centro de Ciência do Café (https://www.centrocienciacafe.com/pt/) already includes 177 pieces from different periods and origins, many of them from the Peugeot brand. The very same one that makes cars. “Because before making cars,” begins museologist Cristina Gameiro, “Peugeot manufactured sewing machines and coffee grinders.”
A significant part of the collection of the Centro de Ciência do Café – which seeks to promote coffee culture and spread knowledge – comes from extensive research carried out by Grupo Nabeiro, through which it was possible to acquire many of the objects on display. “Some, a minority, were donated,” adds Cristina.
The creation of the collection predates the opening of the Centre, in 2014. It even predates the opening of the Museu do Café, inaugurated at the end of 1994, although pieces acquired in more recent years are also part of the collection, which has been built up over time. “When Senhor Comendador began to envision the museum, he did not have only his own holdings and those of Delta Cafés in mind. He also planned to acquire other types of objects and pieces, in order to enrich the space.” Such as, for example, 177 coffee grinders.
In the following pages, we present 12 mills from the collection, each distinct from the others. The remaining 165 are on permanent display at the Centre, which is open to visitors every day from 10:00 to 18:00 (on Saturdays and Sundays only until 14:00).
