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Company and History

BORA - More than cooking.

We are revolutionising the kitchen as a living space. With extraordinary products for extraordinary experiences.

"TO BE PROGRESSIVE, YOU MUST BE OPEN-MINDED, INQUISITIVE AND QUESTION THE NORM."
WILLI BRUCKBAUER

Willi Bruckbauer

Willi Bruckbauer is at the heart of BORA – the visionary, creative mind and driving force behind the groundbreaking cooktop extractor systems. With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen sector, the qualified master carpenter knows what people want from modern kitchens: to create a living space that meets the needs of the individual and makes them happy. Every day.

Extractor hoods are simply not part of this picture: they are loud, ineffective and visibly intrusive. They also restrict the possibilities when designing a kitchen. Willi Bruckbauer’s vision was to invent an effective vapour extraction system that meets the highest standards in terms of both technology and aesthetic appeal. Thanks to continuous experimentation and discovery, an innovative system was devised that draws off cooking vapours more effectively than ever before possible. The reward for our hard work: prestigious awards and accolades such as the ‘Deutscher Gründerpreis’ (German Entrepreneurs’ Award), ‘365 Orte im Land der Ideen’ (‘365 Places in the Land of Ideas’), red dot awards, Plus X Awards, German Design Awards, Iconic Award, German Brand Award, Good Design Awards, iF Design Awards and more.

Employees

"When I visit the company, I notice that there’s a special spirit, a special dynamic. Our staff lives and breathes BORA. Our success depends much more on my employees than on me. I just want to act as moderator. I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and passion displayed in our departments each day".

Cook meals and eat healthily: the ‘Hälzybas’ at the two sites enable employees to enjoy a healthy lunch made with organic, regional ingredients – completely free of charge. This literally brings together employees from different teams around the same table. The company uses this good nutrition to support its employees’ health.

Sponsoring

BORA has been a main cycling sponsor since 2015, and the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has been competing in the UCI WorldTour, cycling’s premier international league, since 2017. With the start of the Tour de France 2024, the new majority owner Red Bull also appears in the name and, from then on, the team has been riding under the name Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. Since sponsoring is such a great tool for raising a brand’s profile and bringing it to life, the decision to sponsor cycling was a conscious one and, in typical BORA fashion, went against the mainstream.

The passion for cycling at BORA wasn’t the only deciding factor, the sponsorship also has a strategic element to it. BORA has chosen sponsorship that fits in with the company in every way and helps it achieve its marketing objectives. The advertising value achieved through cycling plus the accompanying promotional campaigns have proven effective. Market research shows that there is increasingly greater brand recognition and that these measures have had a positive impact on BORA’s brand image, meaning the effort is paying off. The success of BORA as a company confirms that we are taking the right approach: BORA is growing far more quickly in countries with an affinity for cycling than in others.

However, sustained success is only possible if the sponsoring activities are authentic and if the team and the sponsor share the same fundamental values, uniting them as a “family”. Both the team and the sponsor represent reliability, momentum, courage, performance and strong roots with where they came from. Both love what they do, aren’t afraid to break new ground and don’t shy away from the competition. They both, of course, take a sustainable and careful approach to health, their surroundings and the environment. Willi Bruckbauer summarises the sponsoring relationship as follows: “We combine things that belong together: sport, health, a cosmopolitan outlook, team spirit, ambition and energy. Everything that is part of BORA’s DNA and completes the circle. You wouldn’t believe how many people around the world we’ve encouraged to get involved in cycling through our commitment to the sport – even our staff and retail partners. The team is the perfect ambassador for taking the revolution onto the road.”

The BORA Story

It was right! It was a good decision to set off on the path towards revolutionising the kitchen world with our first prototype over a decade ago. It was a gamble, but it paid off: kitchens needed to be more attractive and we’ve achieved that if you listen to thrilled users of our cooktop extractors raving about them: functionality, quality, aesthetics.
Willi Bruckbauer

Development of an initial prototype

First patent registration, BORA Professional

Development takes off when Will Bruckbauer develops his first cooktop extractor system BORA Professional and has it patented in 2006.

Establishment of BORA Lüftungstechnik GmbH

Willi Bruckbauer establishes BORA Lüftungstechnik GmbH to press ahead with his idea of a more attractive kitchen as the most important room in the house. An important resolution is made at the same time: “The traditional can, should and must be redesigned.”

Launch of BORA Professional

Alongside the BORA Professional cooktop extractor, the BORA Professional gas cooktop and Tepan stainless steel grill are created. At the same time, development of the induction and Ceran cooktops starts. Now with two employees, the company begins to export to Benelux, Austria and South Tyrol.

Receipt of award in the 365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas competition for innovation

Focus shifts to the Swiss market, which is worked for the first time.

Launch of BORA Classic

Receipt of the Deutscher Gründerpreis (German Entrepreneurs’ Award) in the start-up category

Start of international expansion

Subsidiaries opened in Austria and Australia

First exhibition stand at EuroCucina in Milan

The company begins professional cycling sponsorship (Netapp-Endura team)

BORA Classic receives the Red Dot Award for product design

Launch of BORA Basic as a compact system

New head office opened in Raubling, with its own training centre for retail partners and installers

Broadcasting of the first TV advert

BORA now has 47 employees

Opening of a showroom in Sydney

Further international expansion (29 countries) with the sale of BORA Professional, BORA Classic and BORA Basic

New development: BORA Basic with surface induction

Spatial expansion by moving into the BORA building in Raubling

Main sponsor of the BORA – Argon 18 cycling team

First Tour de France participation as team BORA – Argon 18

First use of the BORA Cooking Truck, BORA in the air

Receipt of the German Brand Award 2016 by BORA Lüftungstechnik GmbH

Receipt of the Iconic Award for BORA Professional

The number of employees is now in the triple figures

Launch of BORA Professional 2.0; presentation at Living Kitchen in Cologne

Awards for BORA Professional 2.0: Red Dot Award 2017 Best of the Best and the Plus X Award 2017: Best Product and others

Start of the BORA Revolution Tour, BORA Cooking Truck

Groundbreaking ceremony for the BORA company building and R&D department, Niederndorf, Austria

Main sponsor of the BORA - hansgrohe cycling team, participation in the UCI World Tour

Signing of the three-time world champion Peter Sagan

Move into the BORA company building in Niederndorf, Austria. The architectural design reflects the company’s values and carries the thumbprint of company founder and master joiner Willi Bruckbauer. The research and development department there has more room for innovative product development.

Eye-catching exhibition stand at EuroCucina in Milan and area30 in Löhne (DE)

First victory at one of the cycling world’s Monuments – the “Queen of the Classics” Paris–Roubaix race. First yellow jersey for the team at the Tour de France (second stage), won by Peter Sagan. Both occasions generate interest in the BORA brand.

BORA Lüftungstechnik receives the Top 100 award

Launch of BORA Pure

Launch of BORA Classic 2.0

Rewards for the new products BORA Pure and BORA Classic 2.0, including the Red Dot Design Award, Iconic Award 2019, Good Design Award, Plus X Award for product of the year 2019 (BORA Classic 2.0)

Plus X Award for best brand of the year 2019

Early extension of the sponsoring contract with the cycling team BORA – hansgrohe to 2021

Peter Sagan wins his record seventh green jersey (points classification), while Emanuel Buchmann comes fourth in the general classification in the Tour de France

BORA – hansgrohe comes in second place in the UCI WorldTour team rankings, and the team achieves stage wins at all three Grand Tours for the first time.

Launch of BORA X Pure

Completion of the expanded BORA building in Raubling opposite BORA’s birthplace – the werkhaus

Further investments in research and development

Contract with BORA – hansgrohe is extended early until 2024. The team clinches stage wins again at all three Grand Tours

Inspiration Days event in Raubling

Launch of the BORA X BO steam oven

Launch of the new BORA S Pure

The BORA Flagship Store opens in Munich

Peter Sagan wins the Maglia Ciclamino (points jersey) at the Giro d’Italia.

Jai Hindley triumphs at the Giro d’Italia. Not only did BORA - hansgrohe snatch its first Grand Tour podium, but also its first overall win. 

Awards received for the BORA X BO (including the Red Dot Award, iF Design Award, Plus X Award & German Design Award Gold)

Other awards: Red Dot Award for BORA S Pure, “Best Brand of the Year” in the “Ovens” product category, German Design Award Special for BORA S Pure

Groundbreaking ceremony for the new BORA Herford site

Majorca trip with over 450 BORA employees

Inauguration of the new company site BORA Herford

Launch of the product categories BORA lighting and BORA refrigeration and freezing systems, as well as the products BORA M Pure and BORA QVac

Experience Days held in Herford

Completion of the new BORA building in Niederndorf

BORA - hansgrohe professional cyclist Jordi Meeus wins the prestigious final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées in Paris

BORA - hansgrohe has signed up Primož Roglič, an international cycling superstar. Since Red Bull joined the team, they have been riding under the name ‘Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’ from the start of the Tour de France 2024.