Founded in 1927 by Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi, La Marzocco had its beginnings in Florence, Italy, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and home to such geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Brunelleschi who created some of the most celebrated works of art in the world.
It seems only fitting that La Marzocco would earn a world renown reputation for making beautiful, high quality, superbly crafted and uniquely designed espresso machines, with great attention to detail.
In 1939, it was La Marzocco that developed and patented the first coffee machine with a horizontal boiler, now an industry standard.
This was the first of a series of important innovations, later to include the dual-boiler system with saturated brewing groups. Tradition and a passion in the search for quality and superior reliability are factors which have always distinguished and interested the entire company.
The 1950s were characterised by lever machines, which, through a spring activating a piston, pressed water through coffee at approximately 14 atmospheres. This technology not only modified the traditional method of percolating coffee, it transformed the taste.
“Crema” entered the picture, becoming a standard in espresso coffee extraction overnight. To reduce the physical effort required by the barista, an electrically operated gear motor was added. This lead to the first machine with automatic water pressure and an electric motor.
In 1961, the company’s new headquarters were built in the hills overlooking Florence.
Following the flood that swept Florence in 1966, La Marzocco, although not directly affected, faced a complex economic situation since clients in the flooded areas were legally permitted to postpone payments, while the company had to continue to make its own. Patience and perseverance made it possible to move forward and in 1970, La Marzocco introduced the GS series.
The GS series proved to be revolutionary in light of the introduction of two, independent boilers, one for hot water and steam and the other for extracting coffee, the first machine of its kind in Italy and abroad.
Independent boilers, which is standard technology in La Marzocco equipment still today, provides readily available steam or hot water without interfering with the temperature of the water used for coffee extraction. GS, in Italian, means “gruppo saturo” or saturated group.
The brew groups were attached directly to the boiler and their shape was designed to create a chamber so that water circulates continuously, thereby maintaining constant temperature, a key factor in making top quality coffee.
On La Marzocco’s 90th anniversary in 2017 the highly anticipated Leva makes its debut, first with an eye catching 90th edition, later with the Leva X and Leva S models. This cutting-edge model re-imagines what a lever-actuated espresso machine can be by using iconic lever machine design with integrated electronics and unparalleled thermal stability.
Even today, highly specialized personnel supervise each stage in the production of every single machine, hand-crafted to order for each and every client. In this way, Giuseppe Bambi’s great experience and professional pride live on after over eighty-five years.
