Rancilio facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Domestic & Professional Espresso machines |
| Founded | Parabiago, Italy, 1927 |
| Founder | Roberto Rancilio |
| Headquarters | Parabiago, |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Espresso Machines |
Rancilio is a company that makes espresso machines. It was started in 1927 by Roberto Rancilio in Parabiago, Italy. For nearly 100 years, Rancilio has been known for creating machines that help people make delicious coffee. They make machines for both homes and coffee shops around the world.
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The Early Days of Rancilio
Rancilio's very first espresso machine was called 'La Regina', which means 'The Queen'. This machine had a tall, vertical boiler. It worked in a similar way to other early espresso machines from companies like Bezzera and Victoria Arduino. 'La Regina' also had a fancy, decorated look, typical of the 'Beautiful Era' style.
New Designs and Technology
In 1950, Rancilio introduced a new machine called the Invicta Horizzontal. This machine had a horizontal boiler, which was a more modern design for the time. Even with the new look, it still used the same method of brewing coffee with forced steam, which was common in the early 1900s.
A few years later, in 1953, Rancilio started using a new technology called "lever piston" brewing. This method was first introduced by another company, Gaggia. It helped make better espresso. By 1957, Rancilio made this process even easier with their H/L Automatica model, which automated the lever system.
The company continued to follow new trends. In 1961, Faema introduced a way to brew coffee continuously, and Rancilio adopted this idea too.
Working with Famous Designers
In 1965, Rancilio began working with a famous industrial designer named Marco Zanuso. He helped design many of their machines, starting with the Rancilio Z8. He also designed the Z9 in 1974. Rancilio continued to make several machines in the Z-series, with the Z11 being the last one. Later, in the 1990s, their S-series machines became very popular, especially in North America.
Rancilio for Your Home
In 1997, Rancilio decided to make a smaller espresso machine for home kitchens. This machine was based on their larger, commercial models used in coffee shops. At first, it was only given as a special thank-you gift to people who imported and sold Rancilio's big coffee machines.
Later, this home machine was sold to everyone and became known as the Rancilio Silvia. The Silvia is a popular machine for home coffee lovers. It uses a special pump and a single brass boiler to make both steam and hot water for espresso. It is often sold with a matching coffee grinder called the Rocky.
Modern Innovations
In 2001, Rancilio updated their entire product line. They introduced the basic Epoca series and the more advanced Classe series. In 2011, they added a new brewing system called Xcelsius to their Classe 9 machines. This system allows for very precise control over the water temperature while coffee is brewing, which helps make perfect espresso.
Rancilio also tried to make a "super-automatic" machine, which does almost everything for you. This machine, called the Classe 12, was tested in some cafes but was not successful. After that, Rancilio bought a Swiss company called Egro, which specializes in super-automatic machines. Now, Rancilio has a strong presence in that market with their Egro One machine.
In October 2013, Rancilio became part of the Ali Group, a large company that owns many businesses in the food service industry.
See also
- Bialetti
- Cimbali
- De'Longhi
- Elektra (espresso machines)
- Faema
- FrancisFrancis
- Gaggia
- La Marzocco
- Saeco
- List of Italian companies
