Bora Lüftungstechnik
German premium kitchen-appliance brand best known for cooktop-integrated downward extraction systems.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Bora Lüftungstechnik GmbH, styled as BORA, is a German manufacturer of built-in kitchen appliances headquartered in Raubling, Bavaria. The company is best known for cooktop extractor systems that remove cooking vapour downward through an extraction unit integrated into the cooking surface, rather than relying primarily on a conventional overhead hood. This product concept established BORA as a specialist in premium kitchen ventilation and became the foundation of its wider appliance business. The company originated with an engineering idea developed by Willi Bruckbauer. In 2005, he created a prototype for a cooktop extractor designed to draw steam downwards from the cooking area. A patent application for the BORA Professional system followed in 2006, and Bruckbauer founded Bora Lüftungstechnik GmbH in 2007. The first commercial BORA Professional system was introduced in 2008 together with a gas cooktop and a Tepan stainless-steel grill. At that stage the business had only two employees, but it began exporting to the Benelux, Austria and South Tyrol. Induction and ceramic cooktop development also began during this early period. BORA's core systems combine a cooktop with an integrated extractor. Their operation uses cross-flow fans and downward airflow, supported by secondary airflow patterns, to capture vapour close to the cooking surface. Cooktop extraction remains the company's principal product category and the main contributor to its turnover. The brand's proposition is based on combining ventilation, cooking technology and kitchen design in a single built-in installation, allowing kitchens to avoid or reduce the visual presence of a traditional hood. Over time, BORA expanded beyond extraction systems. Its portfolio includes cooktops, flex ovens combining steaming and baking functions, refrigeration and freezing systems, and kitchen lighting. Since 2021, the company has offered flex ovens. In September 2023, it introduced ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing products developed in cooperation with Liebherr and manufactured by Liebherr. The business therefore moved from a focused ventilation specialist toward a broader built-in kitchen-appliance brand while retaining cooktop extraction as its defining category. BORA sells through a large specialist distribution network of approximately 8,000 retailers in around 60 countries. Its products are aimed primarily at the premium residential kitchen market and are typically presented through kitchen studios, appliance retailers and integrated kitchen-furniture showrooms. The company also maintains a branch in Niederndorf, Austria. Werkhaus GmbH & Co. KG, based in Raubling, is identified as the centralising company associated with the business. The brand has received German Design Award, iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award recognition. In 2010 it won the German Founder’s Prize in the Startup category, and in 2018 its cooktop extractor system received WirtschaftKurier’s Mittelpreis der Medien in the Entrepreneurship category. BORA has also pursued brand visibility through cycling sponsorship. Since 2015 it has sponsored its own cycling team, which has competed with Hansgrohe as the BORA-hansgrohe UCI WorldTeam since 2017. In September 2023, BORA opened a flagship store in Herford. The building presents BORA products, provides exhibition areas for kitchen-furniture manufacturers and includes a restaurant. The company has also announced plans for an Austrian factory, with construction planned for 2025 and an expected creation of approximately 100 jobs at the existing site. BORA is consequently an active, internationally distributed German appliance brand whose identity remains closely tied to integrated kitchen ventilation and design-led built-in appliances.
History
BORA's history began with an attempt to rethink the conventional kitchen hood. In 2005, Willi Bruckbauer developed a prototype for a system that would draw cooking vapour downward through an extractor integrated into the cooktop. This concept addressed both the technical problem of capturing vapour close to the cooking surface and the design preference for open kitchens without a dominant overhead hood. A patent application for the BORA Professional cooktop extractor system was submitted in 2006. Bruckbauer established Bora Lüftungstechnik GmbH in 2007. The company brought its first BORA Professional cooktop extractor system to market in 2008, initially offering it alongside a gas cooktop and a Tepan stainless-steel grill. Development work also began on induction and ceramic cooktops. The business started with two employees and began exporting to the Benelux, Austria and South Tyrol, giving the new company an international orientation from its early commercial phase. The central product principle was the integration of ventilation and cooking into one built-in appliance system. BORA extractors use cross-flow fans to create a downward airflow and exploit secondary airflow patterns to capture steam and cooking vapour. The company subsequently made air-circulation and extraction systems available for private kitchens and expanded its distribution network to approximately 8,000 retailers across around 60 countries. Cooktop extractor systems remained the centre of the business and its dominant product category. BORA's development was accompanied by design and entrepreneurship recognition. The company received the German Founder’s Prize in the Startup category in 2010. It later received German Design Award, iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award recognition. In 2018, the BORA cooktop extractor system won WirtschaftKurier’s Mittelpreis der Medien in the Entrepreneurship category. These awards reinforced the brand's positioning at the intersection of appliance engineering, kitchen architecture and industrial design. The company gradually broadened its product scope. From 2021, BORA offered flex ovens, which combine steaming and baking functions in one appliance format. In September 2023 it introduced ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing systems. These products were developed in cooperation with Liebherr and manufactured by Liebherr, extending BORA's range into additional built-in kitchen categories without abandoning its core ventilation identity. BORA also developed physical brand spaces. In September 2023 it opened a flagship store in Herford. The site presents BORA products, accommodates exhibition areas for several kitchen-furniture manufacturers and includes a restaurant on the upper floor. Its architecture, described as resembling a plane wing from a distance, was intended to give the location a distinctive presence near Bundesstrasse 239. Sports sponsorship became another part of the company's public profile. BORA has sponsored its own cycling team since 2015. From 2017, the team competed internationally with Hansgrohe as the BORA-hansgrohe UCI WorldTeam. Notable sporting results associated with the team include Peter Sagan's Paris-Roubaix victory in 2018 and Jai Hindley's Giro d'Italia victory in 2022. Bora Lüftungstechnik remains headquartered in Raubling, Bavaria, with a branch in Niederndorf, Austria. Werkhaus GmbH & Co. KG, also based in Raubling, serves as the company's centralising entity. The company has planned an Austrian factory for 2025, with an expectation of approximately 100 new jobs at the existing site. Its historical trajectory is therefore one of expansion from a narrowly defined cooktop-extraction invention into a broader premium built-in kitchen-appliance brand distributed internationally.
- 2025
Planned Austrian factory
[1]The company planned to build a factory in Austria, with approximately 100 new jobs expected at the existing site.
- 2023
Herford flagship store opens
[1]BORA opened a flagship store in Herford with product displays, partner exhibition space and a restaurant.
- 2023
Refrigeration and freezing systems introduced
[1]BORA introduced ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing systems developed with and manufactured by Liebherr.
- 2021
Flex ovens added to portfolio
[1]BORA began offering flex ovens combining steaming and baking functions.
- 2018
Entrepreneurship award for cooktop extractor system
[1]BORA won WirtschaftKurier’s Mittelpreis der Medien in the Entrepreneurship category for its cooktop extractor system.
- 2017
BORA-hansgrohe WorldTeam established
[1]The sponsored cycling team began competing with Hansgrohe as the BORA-hansgrohe UCI WorldTeam.
- 2015
Cycling sponsorship begins
[1]BORA began sponsoring its own cycling team.
- 2010
German Founder’s Prize recognition
[1]The company received the German Founder’s Prize in the Startup category.
- 2008
First BORA Professional system launched
[1]BORA launched its first Professional cooktop extractor system together with a gas cooktop and a Tepan stainless-steel grill.
- 2007
Bora Lüftungstechnik founded
[1]Willi Bruckbauer founded Bora Lüftungstechnik GmbH in Germany.
Products and positioning
Premium, design-led built-in kitchen appliances centred on integrated cooktop ventilation and open kitchen layouts.
Cooktop extractor system · 2008
BORA Professional
BORA Professional was the company's first commercial cooktop extractor system. It integrates extraction into the cooking surface and draws vapour downward rather than depending on an overhead hood. The system was launched in 2008 together with compatible cooking appliances and helped establish BORA's premium kitchen-ventilation identity.
Kitchen ventilation and cooking appliance · 2008
BORA cooktop extractor systems
BORA's principal product family combines cooktops with integrated extraction. Cross-flow fans generate a downward airflow that uses secondary flow patterns to capture cooking vapour close to the source. The systems are designed for built-in premium kitchens and are available across multiple cooking technologies, including induction and ceramic formats.
Steam oven and baking oven · 2021
BORA flex ovens
BORA flex ovens are combination appliances that bring steaming and conventional baking functions together in one built-in format. They represent the company's expansion from cooktop ventilation into a wider range of integrated kitchen appliances.
Refrigeration appliance · 2023
BORA refrigeration and freezing systems
Introduced in 2023, these ready-to-install built-in refrigeration and freezing systems broadened BORA's appliance range. The products were developed in cooperation with Liebherr and manufactured by Liebherr.
Kitchen lighting
BORA lighting
Kitchen lighting is part of BORA's built-in appliance portfolio, supporting the company's broader approach to coordinated, design-led kitchen equipment.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015BORA cycling sponsorship
International
BORA began sponsoring its own cycling team as a means of building international brand visibility beyond the kitchen-appliance sector.
Outcome. The team later competed as the BORA-hansgrohe UCI WorldTeam from 2017 and achieved notable results including Peter Sagan's 2018 Paris-Roubaix victory and Jai Hindley's 2022 Giro d'Italia victory.
Brand decisions
2025
Planned Austrian manufacturing investmentStrategyBackground
BORA planned to strengthen its production footprint in Austria.
Action taken
The company planned construction of an Austrian factory and expected approximately 100 new jobs at the existing site.
Aftermath
The planned facility would increase BORA's manufacturing capacity, although the available reference does not confirm completion.
2023
Expansion into refrigeration and freezingProduct launchBackground
BORA sought to offer a more comprehensive range of built-in kitchen appliances.
Action taken
The company introduced ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing systems developed in cooperation with Liebherr and manufactured by Liebherr.
Aftermath
BORA's market proposition expanded from specialist kitchen ventilation toward a broader coordinated appliance portfolio.
2021
Expansion into flex ovensProduct launchBackground
BORA began broadening its business beyond ventilation and cooktops into complementary built-in kitchen appliances.
Action taken
The company introduced flex ovens combining steaming and baking functions.
Aftermath
The launch extended BORA's appliance portfolio while maintaining its focus on integrated premium kitchen equipment.
2008
Commercial launch of the BORA Professional systemProduct launchBackground
After developing a downward-extraction prototype and filing a patent application, BORA moved its cooktop ventilation concept into commercial production.
Action taken
The company launched the BORA Professional cooktop extractor together with a gas cooktop and a Tepan stainless-steel grill.
Aftermath
The launch established cooktop-integrated extraction as the company's core category and supported early exports to the Benelux, Austria and South Tyrol.
Recent events
- 2025
BORA plans an Austrian factory[1]
Other
The company planned to build a factory in Austria and expected the project to create approximately 100 new jobs at the existing site.
- 2023
BORA opens flagship store in Herford[1]
Other
BORA opened a flagship store in Herford presenting its own appliances, exhibition areas for kitchen-furniture manufacturers and a restaurant. The building's architecture was designed to resemble a plane wing when viewed from a distance.
- 2023
BORA introduces ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing systems[1]
Product launch
BORA expanded its built-in appliance range with ready-to-install refrigeration and freezing systems developed in cooperation with Liebherr and manufactured by Liebherr.
- 2017
BORA-hansgrohe continues international cycling sponsorship[1]
Campaign
BORA's sponsored cycling team competed with Hansgrohe as the BORA-hansgrohe UCI WorldTeam from 2017, extending the brand's international sports-marketing platform.
Sources1 sources
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