Why Handmade in Italy?

For our inaugural blog post, we thought we'd write about a topic that's near and dear to our hearts — and to those of our clients and customers:

WHY "HANDMADE IN ITALY?"

Many of our espresso machines come directly from the manufacturers abroad, which inevitably adds to the cost of shipping, transit time, environmental impact, etc. It requires a much greater degree of organization around inventory management, purchasing, maintenance, warranties, and communication. Even in today's globalized world, it means certain aspects of the retail and service side take an extra few steps and a bit more time.

And yet, we think it's worth it. (And many of our satisfied customers would agree!)

Why?

It comes down to what we'll call pride and practicality.

Photo credit: Rocket Espresso.

In 1884, Angelo Moriando of Turin, Italy first conceptualized the beverage we now know of as espresso with a patent for an “instantly prepared coffee beverage”. An espresso revolution was born. Companies like La Marzocco, Rancilio, la Pavoni and others grew and flourished from a single-minded foucs on perfecting the espresso-making process. No drip coffee distractions for these Italians!

Photo credit: Tyler Nix.

More than a century since that first espresso, the contributions made by La Marzocco, Rocket, Rancilio, and so on to espresso machine technology (such as the revolutionary E61 group head) continue to hold up, even as the coffee industry evolves. Many of their machines, crafted from the finest metals, are made by hand, with every stage of production closely supervised. The attention to detail is far beyond the capacities of larger-scale manufacturers located closer to home.

Photo credit: La Marzocco USA.

The result is a product ( many products, actually) that's immensely satisfying to use and suited to its pride of place on the espresso connoisseur's countertop. The enduring technology makes for a highly serviceable machine with a straightforward maintenance routine — designed to impress even after years of use. Furthermore, espresso is the sole focus for brands like Rocket, La Marzocco, Macap, Rancilio — none of their resources are diverted into the production of appliances like juicers, stand-up mixers, or air conditioners. True, some of them are deeply devoted to passions like cycling… but those endeavours seem only to reinforce their dedication to crafting a winning machine.

Grinding espresso with a Rocket Fausto.

Ultimately, we stand behind the high-end espresso equipment imported from Italy — or from Germany (ECM), Switzerland (Jura), the Netherlands (Kees van der Westen) — because their uncompromising values when it comes to quality, precision and performance align so closely with our own. Because we know our customers are looking for an espresso experience beyond the ordinary. And because this is the caliber of machine that should set the bar for development and push our local coffee industry forward.