From master carpenter to kitchen revolutionary
BORA founder Willi Bruckbauer explains what made his business idea so successful despite initial resistance.
When you first established BORA in 2007, no-one could have imagined that the downdraft extractor could become a success story.
Yes, I was very much on my own back then. The banks wouldn’t loan me any money as they didn’t see there being any market opportunities. And even kitchen manufacturers rejected the concept. But I still believed firmly in my idea.
What made you so optimistic?
I came from a practical background as a seventh-generation master carpenter specialising in kitchens and a passionate amateur chef. I’d always made a huge effort to design kitchens that were a bit different. I found both the design and perfect functionality extremely important. My vision was for people to be able to cook while looking out of a window, for example, without having anything sticking out in front of their head. I felt that the time had come for a downdraft extractor. And customers wanted this solution too.
You are known for having a clear motto in life.
That’s right. Be different to all others. And that’s precisely what shaped my intentions for the extractor. I wanted to radically redesign a traditional technical solution that has significant disadvantages.
What were your requirements for the BORA systems?
In short: no compromises! I wanted to offer premium quality from the outset. And it remained that way. BORA uses the best materials and offers perfect workmanship, outstanding efficiency with peak performance and extremely low noise levels. I also place the highest demands on aesthetic factors.
But the practical requirements are also important to you...
Right. I believe that it’s extremely important for our systems to be intuitive to use and easy to clean. I also think about making them simple, safe and quick for fitters to install. In this regard, we always focus on complete solutions that incorporate the design of the surrounding kitchen units and the potential exhaust ducting in the building. We benefit from our many years of experience in this regard and the fact that BORA is now a market leader and a renowned specialist and system provider. For a long time, BORA was the only supplier on the market to offer a complete system from hob to wall conduct or recirculation filter. This also includes the correct airflow for exhaust air or recirculation and requires the appropriate expertise. We know every screw in our holistic systems.
What exactly does that mean?
Unfortunately, people are often only aware of what is visible to the eye. In our case, the cooktop and cooktop extractor. But much more important is the hidden technology. For example, we have realised that little things like optimum ducting are key to achieving the ideal airflow. We have injected this knowledge into our Ecotube duct system to ensure outstanding functionality.
And customers also benefit from this ...
That's right - we are constantly researching to optimise existing products and develop new ones. This is very important to me and we now employ over 50 development engineers. There are currently six products - the BORA S Pure, BORA Pure, BORA M Pure, BORA X Pure, BORA Classic and BORA Professional - that are ideally suited to the respective customer profile and meet every challenge.
You are constantly expanding your complete system. For example, the BORA Ecotube and BORA 3box have been available since 2017. Why are you taking this approach?
We regularly question existing technology as we want to offer our customers ever better products. In this regard, BORA Ecotube loses up to 20 percent less pressure than conventional duct systems, optimising the extractor performance and noise levels and, where necessary, enabling longer, more complicated exhaust channels. Thanks to their outstanding heat insulation properties, excellent weather resistance and low pressure resistance, the BORA 3box wall sleeves are the perfect end piece for the exhaust system.
BORA regularly receives awards for outstanding design.
This is something I’m delighted about as I always wanted to create a brand with character. And I love purist, minimalist design. At BORA, the aesthetic design extends to the finest of details. For example, intelligent operating control lighting that only accentuates functions that are currently relevant ensures that nothing unnecessary disrupts the system’s discreet presence. Vertical sliders also enable the systems to be operated with intuitive finger movements, like on a smartphone.
What does BORA’s future look like?
We will continue to revolutionise the kitchen living space and think holistically in order to simplify cooking for our customers and create individual kitchen living spaces. With our cooktop extractor systems, the steam oven, our cooling and freezing systems, the cleaning and rinsing systems, the lighting and a large selection of accessories, we are revolutionising the kitchen living space, expanding its architectural design scope and enabling extraordinary experiences when cooking and enjoying together.
