About Wilbur Curtis

Curtis Celebrates 80 Years of Coffee Innovation and Looks Forward to the Future of Brewing

MONTEBELLO, CALIF. -- The Wilbur Curtis Company—one of the world’s leading commercial coffee brewing manufacturers—is celebrating its 80th anniversary, commemorating eight decades of superior coffee brewing.

The Curtis brand was launched in 1941 in a small Hollywood, California, facility. On a mission to create the perfect cup of coffee, Curtis quickly built a reputation for excellence in manufacturing coffee brewing equipment. Fueled by a growing line of products and successful sales, Curtis soon expanded with commercial accounts across the country. Through the brand’s constant quest for helping customers make a more satisfying cup of coffee, the company grew into a thriving multi-million-dollar operation with customers around the world.

Attracted by the company’s impressive growth and stellar reputation, Groupe SEB acquired Curtis in early 2019. The union gave tech-savvy Curtis a fresh infusion of innovation, advanced engineering expertise, and even greater access to international markets. This acquisition has propelled the brand to the thriving foodservice manufacturing operation it is today.

“Curtis has a longstanding reputation for producing intelligently-engineered equipment,” says Emmanuel Couppey, Vice President of Marketing at SEB PROFESSIONAL North America. “Additionally, our strong connections to roasters, convenience store owners, foodservice operators and other key industry leaders enhance our global enterprise and potential to deliver the highest quality machines to foodservice channels across the globe.”

Behind the company’s innovation and craftsmanship is a motivation much harder to describe—a boundless pursuit for undeniable excellence. Even today, this passion is evident at the company’s Montebello, California headquarters, and is reflected by the large number of employees who have loyally been with the company for decades. Quite simply, Curtis associates love what they do and that love translates into the products they produce and sell.

This spirit of teamwork has helped Curtis thrive in a very competitive market by developing robust segment-specific brewing solutions that add greater productivity and profitability to restaurants, convenience stores, high-volume venues and roasters. For virtually any foodservice segment, Curtis provides a full line of intuitive, cost-effective and elegantly-designed systems that are the center of successful beverage programs. These products include the GemX line of satellite batch brewers, the recently introduced GemX Narrow brewer, the intuitive ThermoPro X thermal brewers, PCGT Cappuccino Machines, Iced Tea Brewers and most recently, the Genesis Bean-to-Cup Brewer.

In contrast to today’s supercharged, rise-and-fall business lifecycle, Curtis has made a name for itself with its steady, unstoppable climb to industry prominence and prestige. And the company isn’t done yet. Curtis is poised to introduce exciting new equipment in the coming months and years that will continue to propel the company into new foodservice markets and provide operators with new and exciting ways to profit.

“Curtis is all about drive, innovation, team spirit and a global mindset,” Couppey says. “Now powered by SEB PROFESSIONAL North America, these qualities will continue driving our company to a bright future with limitless possibilities.”

About The Wilbur Curtis Company

The Wilbur Curtis Company is an internationally recognized leader in the design and manufacture of innovative commercial coffee and tea brewing systems, and specialty drink dispensers.

About SEB PROFESSIONAL North America

At SEB Professional North America, our passion for coffee fuels millions of people as they take on their day. Through our three brands – WMF, Schaerer, and Curtis - we support both commercial and non-commercial foodservice industry, as well as convenience retailing, grocery, and more. As the Market Leader in premium automated coffee and espresso solutions, as well as drip coffee, we combine big ideas with innovation. We work to solve the most pressing problems in our industry by building the highest quality coffee brewing equipment and couple our equipment with tailor-made service solutions to address each of our customer's needs. Our job is to make your job - creating memorable coffee experiences for your customers - easy. Here, at SEB Professional North America, it’s not just a cup of coffee; it is countless hands building, thinking, and creating that sparks passion for coffee around the world.

Curtis Iced Tea Brewers and Dispensers Create Big Opportunity for Self-Serve Profitability

MONTEBELLO, CA – Curtis, part of the SEB PROFESSIONAL North America family of industry-leading coffee and tea solutions, enhances profitability for beverage and foodservice operations with an expansive line of iced tea brewers and dispensers. Using Curtis systems, operators can satisfy the increasing demand for self-serve beverages as businesses continue to open up.

In a recent Technomic Convenience Market 2020 Annual Report, 75% of consumers surveyed indicated they are anxious to return to self-serve formats available at c-stores for dispensed beverages. And Curtis iced tea brewers and dispensers, ideal for self-serve environments systems, allow operators to keep pace with current consumer preferences.

“Curtis has been a leader in the iced tea equipment category for decades,” said Emmanuel Couppey, vice president of marketing at SEB PROFESSIONAL North America. “And with iced tea identified as one of the fastest-growing dispensed beverages at convenience stores†, there’s no better time to implement a Curtis system into your business and capitalize on this growing trend,” Couppey said.

Curtis iced tea brewers are available in a wide variety of G4 and G3 digital technology models for ultimate programming flexibility. Operators can choose from low profile and sweet tea brewers, to combo brewers and more, each designed to fit effortlessly in any operation.

With a sleek design and stainless steel construction, each Curtis iced tea dispenser is NSF® Certified and built to withstand rigorous foodservice environments. TCN Narrow Tea Dispensers offer a small footprint perfect for operations with limited counter space. The TCO tea dispenser is available in a variety of sizes and its oval design has no sharp edges or corners so, it’s ideal for self-serve operations.

Dispenser features include sloping bottoms allow for easy dispensing and welded-on stainless steel handles/hand grips for conveniently moving the dispenser even when it’s completely full. Additionally, Curtis offers touchless dispensing adapters that allow for a hands-free, 100% contactless beverage dispensing experience.

Visit Iced Tea Microsite

GemX Narrow Coffee Brewer - Winner of the 2021 Kitchen Innovations Award

Curtis Space-Saving G4 GemX® Narrow IntelliFresh® Coffee Brewing System with FreshTrac®

MONTEBELLO, CALIF. – The recently launched Curtis G4 GemX® Narrow IntelliFresh® Coffee Brewer with FreshTrac® is designed to maximize counter space and double an operator’s foodservice coffee volume. It’s the latest creation from Curtis, part of the SEB PROFESSIONAL North American family of industry-leading coffee and tea solutions, and it’s also a winner of the Kitchen Innovations® 2021 Award presented by the National Restaurant Association.

“We are proud to have the GemX Narrow recognized as a forward thinking, innovative equipment line for foodservice,” said Emmanuel Couppey, vice president of marketing at SEB PROFESSIONAL North America. “The KI Awards program has earned a reputation for defining equipment that is smart, sophisticated and that solves operational concerns.”

Compact yet robust, the GemX Narrow expands beverage versatility while saving operators valuable counterspace. At just 10.5” wide, the unit’s two 1.5-gallon dispensers fit side by side, allowing operators to brew three gallons of their best seller or feature an additional specialty coffee variety in the same compact space. The rotating brew basket makes it easy to brew into either satellite without changing their position.

KI Award recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of industry leaders and food facility consultants, multi-unit executives and design experts. Judges look for innovative, new equipment that reflects the trends and topics most important to foodservice operators today, delivering advancements in speed, efficiency, space-savings and more.

Curtis combines almost 80 years of passion for coffee with technology, innovation and a commitment to do the right thing for customers and the environment. Learn more about the Curtis GemX Narrow IntelliFresh™ Brewer at https://www.wilburcurtis.com/microsite/gemxn

Thirsting for more information on Curtis equipment? Check out our Microsite Library.

Thirsting for more information on Curtis equipment? Check out our Microsite Library. Our microsites contain a wealth of in-depth details on many of the Curtis brewing systems. From batch brew commercial coffee brewers to iced tea brewers to our Primo Cappuccino dispensers and more, Curtis has a system to help your beverage program increase profitability and sales.

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Wishing everyone a happy Easter

Happy Easter Wishing everyone a happy Easter. Our offices are closed today April 2nd in observance of Good Friday. We will reopen on Monday morning April 5th and we look forward to serving your needs.

Curtis Unveils Space-Saving G4 GemX® Narrow IntelliFresh® Coffee Brewing System with FreshTrac®

GemX Narrow Commercial Coffee Brewer

Curtis, part of the SEB PROFESSIONAL North America family of industry-leading coffee and tea solutions, recently launched the G4 GemX® Narrow IntelliFresh® Coffee Brewer with FreshTrac®. Since 2018, the industry-leading Curtis GemX Satellite Brewer has enhanced beverage and foodservice operations nationwide. The brand-new GemX Narrow is designed to maximize counter space and double an operator’s foodservice coffee volume.

“The new GemX Narrow is the most compact yet robust commercial coffee brewing system on the market,” said Emmanuel Couppey, vice president of marketing at SEB PROFESSIONAL North America. “It features two streamlined satellite dispensers in the same footprint, doubling batch brewing volume, and expanding beverage versatility all while saving operators valuable counterspace.”

At just 10.5” wide, the GemX Narrow’s two 1.5-gallon dispensers fit side by side, allowing operators to brew three gallons of their best seller or feature an additional specialty coffee variety in the same compact space. The rotating brew basket makes it easy to brew into either satellite without changing their position.

“In terms of counter space saved and capacity gained, the new GemX Narrow outpaces all other brewers in its category,” Couppey explained. “This streamlined unit allows operators to merchandise twice the amount of coffee in the exact same footprint as our standard G4 GemX System.”

The Curtis GemX Narrow features the same innovative and smart design elements found in the original GemX system. IntelliFresh technology delivers gentle, digitally controlled pulses of heat to keep coffee at its ideal temperature regardless of volume. Four encapsulated sensor points inside each satellite monitor coffee level, freshness and carry the same intelligence on their stands when moved to a remote merchandising location.

Curtis FreshTrac streamlines labor by replacing distracting, audible alarms and mechanical timers with a simple, intuitive and customizable system of three LEDs that glow and flash, letting operators track coffee freshness and volume from across the room.

“The new GemX Narrow offers sophisticated technology and striking design to complement any foodservice counter,” Couppey said. “It’s a versatile solution that maximizes the profitability of batch brew coffee programs.”

Curtis combines almost 80 years of passion for coffee with technology, innovation and a commitment to do the right thing for customers and the environment. Learn more about the Curtis GemX Narrow IntelliFresh™ Brewer at https://wilburcurtis.com/microsite/gemxn

Social Media Gallery

So many of our customers and followers on our social media platforms have been sharing great "in-use" photos of Curtis equipment. We're excited to share these images on our website and feature some of our most popular batch brewers, thermal coffee brewers, hot water dispensers, single cup brewers and much, much more. We'd love to include your operation in our gallery so please reach out to us on any of our social media platforms and tag us!

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New Touchless Adapters Convert Existing Curtis Dispensers to a Touchless Program

Touchless Adapter System for all Curtis coffee and tea dispensers

Announcing the introduction of the new Touchless Adapter System for all Curtis coffee and tea dispensers. This innovative solution allows businesses to instantly transition to a hands-free beverage program.

As self-serve beverage operations open back up, providing customers and employees with a safe experience for beverage dispensing has never been more important, and now it couldn’t be easier with this simple system that equips all dispensing handles with hands-free operation.

Depending on the dispensing handle type, two Touchless Adapter styles are available to fit all Curtis dispensing units. The “classic” adapter fits traditional “bale type” handles, and the “stylized” adapter fits newer disc handles. Working with an empty unit, installation is quick and easy with the help of a #2 Phillips screwdriver (dispensers without faucet guards require no tools for installation).

With an all stainless steel design that’s easy to clean and dishwasher safe, the Curtis Touchless Adapter System provides a cost-effective, hands-free solution for any operation. This innovative adapter helps to reduce contact on surfaces and provides a safer experience for beverage dispensing.


Curtis Coffee Glossary

Curtis Coffee Glossary

Welcome to the new Curtis Coffee Glossary. As with any industry, there is a technical vocabulary of terms that is associated with it. The coffee business is no exception.

To help, we’ve developed a glossary containing some of the most common definitions of terms used in the coffee world. Click any letter to see coffee terms and definitions beginning with that letter.

We’ll continue to update this list and add to this resource in the future. So, if you have any additional definitions you’d like to see here or, if you have any questions, we welcome any and all feedback.

Feel free to reach out to us on any of our social media accounts and with suggestions and we’ll give you credit for the suggestion.

Thank you for checking out the new Curtis Coffee Glossary!

Go to Glossary

Brew and Merchandise Two Tea Flavors with the Curtis Rotating Brew Basket Iced Tea Brewer

Curtis Iced Tea Brewers

MONTEBELLO, CA – Curtis, part of the SEB PROFESSIONAL North America family of industry-leading coffee and tea solutions, announced a new spin on a field-tested favorite – a three-gallon tea brewer with a rotating brew cone. This exceptional brewer provides simple operation and allows businesses to offer multiple flavors of fresh and flavorful iced tea throughout the day.

“As self-serve beverage operations open back up and summer fast approaches, it’s strategically important for businesses to offer more choices to their customers,” said Emmanuel Couppey, vice president of marketing at SEB PROFESSIONAL North America. “This unit’s rotating brew cone and dual dilution nozzles let operators easily brew two tea flavors in the same footprint.”

At just 12.5” wide, the G4RTB is enhanced with cutting-edge Curtis G4 technology. A digital control module allows for fine-tuning with pulse brewing, delay and all critical brewing functions. In addition, to deliver enhanced tea flavor and clarity, two separate precision valves provide unsurpassed control over concentrate brewing and dilution cycles. Other features include intuitive scroll-through programming, a built-in self-diagnostic system, cold-water lockout and a fast brew option that allows concentrate and dilution cycles to run at the same time – perfect for an unexpected customer rush.

“Curtis tea brewers have been the industry benchmark of excellence for decades,” explained Couppey, “They are available in a wide variety of models from low profile and sweet tea brewers, to combo brewers and more, each designed to fit perfectly in any operation; this tea brewer enhances a time-honored line of units equipped with our signature Curtis craftsmanship.”

Learn more about the entire line of Curtis Tea Brewers