In March 2026, members of our UK team travelled to Florence alongside six of our café partners to experience the home of espresso firsthand.
Hosted in collaboration with our long-standing partner La Marzocco, this annual programme is designed to immerse our partners in the craft and innovation that underpin exceptional coffee. It’s an opportunity to deepen relationships across the industry, discuss common roadblocks and creative solutions.
At the heart of the trip was the Accademia del Caffè Espresso, set high in the hills above Florence, alongside the original La Marzocco factory. Here, decades of innovation helped shape the global espresso landscape. Today, Accademia stands as a centre for learning and exploration, here to inspire the next generation of coffee professionals.
Florence, up close
Florence doesn’t need much introduction. It’s a city built on craft; in stone, leather, food, and, of course, coffee.
The morning began roaming the streets of Florence – a quick, Italian espresso, taken standing at a café bar. Just streets away, a new wave of cafés reinterpret that tradition, spaces that feel both deeply local and globally familiar. Immersed in the food, coffee and culture of the city, our group connected over the intersection of the old and the new.
Inside the home of espresso
The next day was dedicated to Accademia. It’s an impressive space, and one that feels truly considered. A greenhouse at its centre, with coffee plants growing beneath tall banana trees.
Below, a workshop where machine parts are still shaped by hand preserving the history of the craft. Throughout, a chance to trace La Marzocco’s story – from early models to the relationships that have defined the brand.
Among the archives, one detail stood out: the original fax between Michael Allpress and Piero Bambi, the beginning of a partnership that continues to shape how we work today.
The team wrapped up their visit with a long lunch. Conversations moved easily from challenges to ideas, from operational hurdles to new ways of thinking. It’s in these moments that the real value emerges: honest discussion between people facing the same pressures, committed to doing things better. The camaraderie built amongst the group has established a lasting bond, one that continues beyond the trip.
Lasting impact
Trips like this stay with you. For us, it’s a chance to invest in the people we work with; to share knowledge, build stronger partnerships, and stay close to the ideas shaping our industry. Because better coffee doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built over time – through shared experience, mutual respect, and a commitment to doing things properly.
