La Marzocco facts for kids
| Private | |
| Industry | Domestic & Professional Espresso machines |
| Founded | Florence, Italy, 1927 |
| Founder | Giuseppe Bambi Bruno Bambi |
| Headquarters | Scarperia e San Piero, |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
| Products | Espresso Machines |
La Marzocco is an Italian company that makes fancy espresso coffee machines. It was started in Florence, Italy, in 1927 by two brothers, Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi. Today, the company is based in Scarperia and has offices all over the world.
.jpg)
Contents
The Story of La Marzocco
In 1927, the Bambi brothers, Giuseppe and Bruno, made their first coffee machine called Fiorenza. After that, they started their own business. They focused on making espresso machines by hand.
They named their company La Marzocco. This name comes from the Marzocco, which is a lion statue. It's a symbol of victory for the city of Florence. The brothers chose this symbol for their company's brand.
As more people in Italy started drinking coffee, La Marzocco kept inventing new things. They made machines easier to use for baristas (coffee makers). They also created new tools. Many of their ideas became standard for the whole industry.
Early Innovations
In 1939, La Marzocco got a special patent. It was for the first espresso machine with a horizontal boiler. Before this, boilers were vertical. The new horizontal design made it easier for baristas to work. It also helped them talk to customers more.
After 1947, La Marzocco started making its own lever machines. These machines used a lever to make the coffee. The company always thought about how the machines would look and fit into their time.
In the early 1950s, Piero Bambi joined the family business. He was Giuseppe's son.
From 1964 to 1970, La Marzocco made the Poker series. These machines used steam pressure to brew coffee. This was different from the lever machines.
In 1968, Giuseppe Bambi's "Vulcano" coffee grinder won an important design award. It was at the Triennale di Milano exhibition.
New Technologies and Growth
In 1970, La Marzocco got another patent. This was for their first semi-automatic machines called "GS." GS stands for "Gruppo Saturo," meaning "saturated group." These machines had two separate boilers. One boiler made coffee, and the other made steam. This made the coffee taste better and kept the temperature steady.
From the 1970s onwards, all La Marzocco machine boilers were made from stainless steel. In 1982, a new GS model, the GS/2, won an award.
In 1988, an American company called ESF became the main supplier of La Marzocco machines for Starbucks. This lasted for 16 years. Kent Bakke, who ran ESF, had started bringing La Marzocco machines to the United States in 1978.
In 1990, Piero Bambi designed a whole new machine. It was called the "Linea Classic." This machine was easy for technicians to fix.
In 1994, La Marzocco International, LLC. was formed. This was a partnership between the Bambi family and American coffee fans. Kent Bakke led this new group.
Modern Machines and Global Reach
In 1997, the FB/70 coffee machine was launched. FB stands for Fratelli Bambi (Bambi Brothers). It celebrated La Marzocco's 70th birthday.
In 2000, the "Swift" grinder won an award. It was the first grinder to combine grinding, measuring, and tamping coffee automatically.
From 2001, La Marzocco sponsored the World Barista Championship for eight years. They wanted to help baristas and connect with coffee lovers.
In 2005, the GB/5 machine was introduced. It was named after Piero's wife, Giovanna Bambi. This machine had a computer board and better temperature control.
The FB/80 was made for the 2006 World Barista Championship. This marked the company's 80th anniversary. The GS/3 model came out in 2007. That same year, La Marzocco started the "Songwa Estate Project." This project helps people learn about coffee from bean to cup.
In 2009, the company showed off a new technology. It allowed baristas to control the water pressure when making coffee. Soon after, La Marzocco opened a branch in the USA. Their Italian factory moved to Scarperia. It now has a showroom and a training center.
The redesigned Vulcano grinder was also introduced. The new pressure control technology was built into the Strada EP machine.
In 2013, the Linea PB model was launched. It was named after its designer, Piero Bambi. The Linea PB was an updated version of the Linea Classic. It had new software to control brewing time and volume.
In 2015, the company launched the Linea Mini for homes. It looks like a smaller version of their commercial machines. The Linea Mini has two boilers and keeps the temperature steady. It's made for home use with a water tank and standard power. You can connect it to a phone app to change settings. The Linea Mini won awards in 2015.
In November 2022, La Marzocco released a new small espresso machine. It's called the La Marzocco Micra. It's even smaller than the Linea Mini but has a similar design. The Micra also has two boilers. It has a special part that lets you easily switch between different coffee filters. You can also connect the Micra to the La Marzocco home app.
How La Marzocco Machines Are Used
La Marzocco Linea machines were used in almost all Starbucks coffee shops for many years.
From 2000 to 2008, La Marzocco was the official sponsor. They also supplied espresso machines for the "World Barista Championship."
Products You Can Find
Espresso Machines
Commercial Espresso Machines
- FB80
- GB5
- KB90
- Leva
- Linea Classic
- Linea PB
- Strada
Most commercial machines come in 2 or 3 groups. The Linea Classic also comes in 1 and 4 groups. The Linea PB, GB5, and FB80 also have 4 groups. The Strada EP is also available in 1 group.
Home Espresso Machines
- GS3
- Linea Mini
- Linea Micra
Coffee Grinders
- Vulcano
- Swift
- Lux D
- Pico
Historical Models
- Fiorenza
- Marus
- Eureka
- National
- Mondial
- Rondine
- Aurum
- Alba
- Olimpia
- Crema-espress
- Etruria
- Comet
- Poker
- GS
- GS/2
- SMALL
- FB/70
- Mistral
See also
In Spanish: La Marzocco para niños
