Photos: @accademiadelcaffeespresso
[O]utside of Florence, Italy, an educational haven for specialty coffee has opened its doors in the original La Marzocco workshop headquarters.
La Marzocco, founded in the city by Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi in 1927, is known globally for its high-quality espresso machines. Today, the company is paving its way into its next chapter, opening an innovation center, the Accademia del Caffè Espresso, earlier this month.
In its manifesto, the company states, “The space at the Accademia…desires to unite every generation to experience coffee culture and its element, to share experiences and, through ideas, generate an active debate on the contemporaneity and sustainable future of this precious plant. Through a playful and experiential approach, visitors will enter the coffee universe, and become contemporary explorers in its research, education and technology.”
The Accademia del Caffè Espresso team held a preview of the space to international press, local media, and partners after the HOST 2019 conference in Milan. The interior, while modern, celebrates the original production factory with historical touches.
A humidity-, temperature-, and irrigation-controlled greenhouse, created to mimic a coffee farm, fills the center of the building. An interactive timeline stretches along the walls, and found at the end is a van, once serving as an on-the-go showroom for Giuseppe Bambi, outfitted with its classic equipment from the 1960s.
By spring 2020, the public can begin reserving time to visit. To learn more, visit accademiaespresso.com.
