If you're a home barista and coffee machine enthusiast you'll be well familiar with manufacturers like Rancilio, Bezzera, Rocket, ECM, Profitec, Isomac, Lelit, and maybe to a lesser extent La Pavoni, Gaggia and Vibiemme.
Names like La Marzocco and Slayer are held in high regard as the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the espresso machine world, with La Marzocco dominating the Australian commercial espresso machine market (I'd guess that 95% of cafes I go to have a La Marzocco), and Slayer the newer and more flamboyant American challenger to the throne available in cafes with high hipster and Instagram appeal.
But Sanremo, Faema and La San Marco?
I've caught glimpses of these machines, usually in restaurants where they sit in a corner next to the bar, or in cafes that are well behind the trend in their decor and quality of coffee, or even in BBQ chicken shops where they probably never get cleaned, as evidenced by a thick caked on layer of solidified milk on the steam wands.
The machines often had a retro look to them, but more uncool 1980s retro than the modern hip retro design (in truth these machines were probably 30+ years old).
Like this one for example:

I thought they must be cheaper machines bought by businesses that didn't take their coffee seriously and didn't want to shell out for a La Marzocco, and in any case they'd probably be used by bar staff with barely any knowledge of coffee, to make coffee for customers who'd struggle to tell you the difference between a cappuccino and a flat white.
But doing some more digging, it turns out they all have long histories on par or longer than the likes of La Marzocco.
Faema actually introduced the legendary E61 group head which is now industry standard.
And La San Marco? Established 100 years ago in Udine, Italy.
My assumption that they were significantly cheaper alternatives to the La Marzocco with less history were thus shattered, and they produce espresso machines like these:



So the question is, who buys these machines to keep them in business? I've never seen new or modern examples of these machines anywhere, either in businesses or for sale in espresso machine suppliers.
Perhaps they are big in Europe or USA and we are a small market here in Australia?
Anyone know more about these machines?
Thanks in advance.
Names like La Marzocco and Slayer are held in high regard as the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the espresso machine world, with La Marzocco dominating the Australian commercial espresso machine market (I'd guess that 95% of cafes I go to have a La Marzocco), and Slayer the newer and more flamboyant American challenger to the throne available in cafes with high hipster and Instagram appeal.
But Sanremo, Faema and La San Marco?
I've caught glimpses of these machines, usually in restaurants where they sit in a corner next to the bar, or in cafes that are well behind the trend in their decor and quality of coffee, or even in BBQ chicken shops where they probably never get cleaned, as evidenced by a thick caked on layer of solidified milk on the steam wands.
The machines often had a retro look to them, but more uncool 1980s retro than the modern hip retro design (in truth these machines were probably 30+ years old).
Like this one for example:

I thought they must be cheaper machines bought by businesses that didn't take their coffee seriously and didn't want to shell out for a La Marzocco, and in any case they'd probably be used by bar staff with barely any knowledge of coffee, to make coffee for customers who'd struggle to tell you the difference between a cappuccino and a flat white.
But doing some more digging, it turns out they all have long histories on par or longer than the likes of La Marzocco.
Faema actually introduced the legendary E61 group head which is now industry standard.
And La San Marco? Established 100 years ago in Udine, Italy.
My assumption that they were significantly cheaper alternatives to the La Marzocco with less history were thus shattered, and they produce espresso machines like these:



So the question is, who buys these machines to keep them in business? I've never seen new or modern examples of these machines anywhere, either in businesses or for sale in espresso machine suppliers.
Perhaps they are big in Europe or USA and we are a small market here in Australia?
Anyone know more about these machines?
Thanks in advance.

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