In 2018, La Marzocco, an Italian company specializing in high-end espresso coffee machines and equipment, released the Linea Mini in the Italian market, a kitchen-version of La Marzocco Linea Classic. Redesigned for individual consumers, it allows them to brew and drink an excellent espresso like the bar.
To celebrate the launch, La Marzocco opened a temporary café in Milan’s artsy Brera district in April. A coincidence? Probably not. April in Milan means only one thing: Salone del Mobile, the famous furniture fair. It’s when the whole city abounds with events, presentations, exhibitions, and special projects about design, furniture, and innovations in living solutions.
That’s when Giada Biondi, La Marzocco’s global communications manager, called me to rack our brains. Giada and I had first connected a few years earlier when I had presented her company as a case study to my students at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the master’s program in food design at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan.
So, not only did I know the company inside out, but I was also fond of their almost century-old story, mission, values, and community initiatives for baristas and coffee lovers. Later, Giada admitted that she immediately thought about me when the plan for the café started to shape.
Giada and I also share a mutual respect for the finest materials and ingredients. This passion, along with a common interest in opening up the conversation about coffee culture beyond its close community of coffee aficionados, left me no choice but to say, “sì!”