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Who buys these Sanremo, Faema and La San Marco machines?

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  • Who buys these Sanremo, Faema and La San Marco machines?

    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.

  • #2
    I just bought a machine with the well respected San Marco lever in it, the Valexia Leva - https://coffeesnobs.com.au/forum/equ...izzo-alex-leva

    LSM also make some interesting machines, probably for show like the V6

    Click image for larger version

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    • #3
      The San Remo cafe racer is in the ONA cafes in Sydney and Canberra (Fyshwick). My church has a 2gr LSM 85E which we bought second hand. From what I've read of the specs LSM machines are typically smaller and rated for fewer coffees per hour per group than LM. They also have a unique ~55mm group head size that makes their accessories not interchangeable with other brands, and it also means that a basket of 19g is significantly deeper then it would be in a standard 58mm basket. This lends it better to shorter ratios and chocolate/caramel type coffees rather than more fruity/hipster stuff. Good to see LSM have improved the temperature regulation with the 100E, the 85E is a typical old school Hx that loves to overheat the group if you pause for more than 20s.

      I suggest taking note of the machines at cafes with less turnover, who don't specialise in coffee and who are out of the way, the sort of place that probably don't have fresh beans. These lower turnover places will have the smaller cheaper machines you've never heard of.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
        The San Remo cafe racer is in the ONA cafes in Sydney and Canberra (Fyshwick).
        I've never been to ONA but heard great its about it, including the owner who I think was a world barista champion a while ago.

        So it looks like I was narrow minded in thinking you had to have a La Marzocco if you're a serious cafe. But seriously, LM must have a 90%+ market share in the commercial espresso machine market. Remarkable.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Covalatt View Post
          I've never been to ONA but heard great its about it, including the owner who I think was a world barista champion a while ago.

          So it looks like I was narrow minded in thinking you had to have a La Marzocco if you're a serious cafe. But seriously, LM must have a 90%+ market share in the commercial espresso machine market. Remarkable.
          Yeah Sasa Sestic in 2015, highly recommend trying anything they make.

          My understanding is that the LM market share is due largely to the original Linea. Before that came around there was very little in the way of reliable high volume machines. The LM Linea is a beast of a workhorse that week pump out hundreds of very consistent coffees hour after hour. Most others were either unreliable as in would break down when pushed hard, or unreliable as in inconsistent when pushed hard. LM then followed that up with the Linea PB, which added some creature comforts, bling, and extra features. This only cemented and increased their market share.

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          • #6
            Well picked on recognising the Cafe Racer, Ninja. I would imagine they aren't very common.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by 338 View Post
              Well picked on recognising the Cafe Racer, Ninja. I would imagine they aren't very common.
              I was in the Fishwick cafe one day when they must have just received them, they were in wooden boxes with the name printed on the side somewhere in their receiving door.

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              • #8
                We see a few Cafe Racers here on the Gold Coast, nice looking machine, I think they may be supplied by Supreme Roasters to their high volume customers. Also spot the odd Slayer or Synesso machine, but then the other 95% are La Marzoccos with a few other models sprinkled in.

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                • #9
                  We have a cafe racer here in tas at one of the roasters, lots of gaggia and expobars around too bu t are starting to see more lineas etc having said that been to plenty of places with nice machinery including one with a kvdw lever and still made dreadful coffee

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                  • #10
                    The worst coffee I have ever had was made on a 3gr Synesso MVP Hydra, in a petrol station between Perth and Margaret River. They had Seven Seeds coffee, and I saw a few others around with SS coffee so I assume it was supplied as part of the deal.

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                    • #11
                      I was wondering if that was the reason for the prevelance- a coffee bean contract with a free machine included

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                      • #12
                        Plenty of e-61 legends (and jubilees) as well as cafe racers in Melbourne. Heaps which are more exotic as well.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Covalatt View Post

                          I've never been to ONA but heard great its about it, including the owner who I think was a world barista champion a while ago.

                          So it looks like I was narrow minded in thinking you had to have a La Marzocco if you're a serious cafe. But seriously, LM must have a 90%+ market share in the commercial espresso machine market. Remarkable.
                          Most of the cafes I go to are using either Synesso or Slayer; or perhaps KVDW. LM less so. I doubt LM are anywhere near 90%; in fact I suspect brands like Wega etc have a much bigger share than you suspect.

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                          • #14
                            Covalatt...you should get out more! ;-) The big roasters with heaps of small accounts have pallets of these cheaper machines that they dish out as part of the 'free stuff' contracts/supply agreements they have with cafes, some of whom may only do 5 or 6 kgs per week. No-one is getting a high end machine for that sort of turnover. Other more middle sized roasters have a tiered machine supply contract/agreement where you either pay higher prices for increasing quality of machine or you are a bulk consumer doing 50/70/100kgs per week. ( hence the road house with a Slayer).

                            The presence of any particular brand of machine (and grinder) in a coffee outlet will tell you a multitude of possibilities. 1) the cafe owns it and it was their choice. 2) the cafe owns it and it was the best for their budget 3) the cafe owns it and bought it second hand ( so, because it was available) 4) the cafe owns it and made a choice based on who they know 5) the cafe owns it and made a choice on after market parts and service options for a particular machine 6) the roaster supplying the cafe has a particular like for a machine/brand 7) the roaster supplying the cafe was able to strike a volume deal with machine distributor 8) the roaster supplying the cafe decided on after market parts and service options for a particular machine. And there's probably more.... like the cafe owner who has no idea, other than thinking that opening a cafe is good idea.. who then looks at machines on eBay and thinks that a $1k 25 year old machine is as good as it gets and it'll make the best coffee because it 'cost a fortune' !! ;-)
                            Last edited by chokkidog; 24 July 2020, 01:11 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Morgz View Post

                              Most of the cafes I go to are using either Synesso or Slayer; or perhaps KVDW. LM less so. I doubt LM are anywhere near 90%; in fact I suspect brands like Wega etc have a much bigger share than you suspect.
                              I'm probably speaking from a small sample, of mostly Inner West Sydney and Sydney CBD cafes. 90% is probably an exaggeration but 75% easy, in my estimation.

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