If you've been to an establishment that serves specialty coffee, you've probably seen the espresso machines that the baristas use, with the La Marzocco logo in plain sight.
As the brand builds its profile in the UAE, we sat down for a meeting with the La Marzocco management team to brainstorm ideas for a collaborative event. We wanted to highlight our partnership with La Marzocco, while they wanted to call attention to their line of beautiful home espresso machines, allowing home users to recreate superior espresso-based drinks within the comfort of their home.
It didn't take us long to settle upon a theme - form and function. The espresso machines are aesthetically pleasing and yet, incredibly functional and purposeful. The immediate parallel that came to mind was classic cars, specifically something vintage and Italian. As luck would have it, we asked Tomini Classics if we could borrow something that would fit these parameters and they said yes!
May 31st was a Wednesday, but it wasn't an ordinary one. Preparation began in earnest at 4pm with the La Marzocco and Cafe Rider teams working together to sort out the Cafe space and ensure everything was where it needed to be. Our "special guest" arrived promptly at 5pm - a stunning 1970 Ferrari 365 GT, which was placed in the middle of the event space.
As the clock struck 7pm, the doors opened and our guests trickled in for "Form and Function." We were pleased to see that the crowd was an eclectic one. Members of the automotive community rubbed shoulders with coffee aficionados, influencers and baristas.
La Marzocco's Paolo Jacinto even hosted a short information session on the machines to highlight why they remain the discerning home brewer's first choice.
All in all, it was a very pleasant evening celebrating La Marzocco, while also admiring two very different machines that have one major commonality - they're both beautiful and functional. We got to catch up old friends, while also making new ones, which is par for the course for an event at Cafe Rider.
Watch this space because we've got a few ideas up our sleeves that we'll be rolling out in collaboration with La Marzocco before the year is out!
A big thank you to the team at Tomini Classics for lending us their gorgeous Ferrari for the evening. It was just what we had in mind and tied the event together beautifully.
