La Marzocco inaugurated its very first OUT OF THE BOX in Australia on Tuesday, March 28th, at Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne: 1 Saint Heliers Street. This was a unique occasion to experience La Marzocco’s ultimate designs in espresso machine technology such as the Strada AV with Auto Brew Ratio, thought-provoking panel discussions, machine-building and tech competitions, a True Artisan Café and an inspiring pop-up 90th Anniversary exhibition. Out of the Box is a destination event rich in content and dedicated to La Marzocco’s partners and coffee enthusiasts from around the globe. It is a cultural celebration, bringing together the local community through La Marzocco’s passion for amazing coffee. Visitors were invited to engage in a full-day agenda (12 pm – 6 pm) of interactive workshops: from water solution demos and customizations to brewing sessions and curated coffee tastings; from Q&As with La Marzocco and industry leaders to the DIY Linea Mini La Marzocco Home display or the “create-a-café” Modbar space. Last but not least, the event showcased ORIGIN, the fine arts photo exposé by Jakob de Boer.

PANELS & SPEAKERS:
1.00 pm – 1.45 pm | R&D, Innovation and Investing in the Next Generation
Roberto Bianchi, La Marzocco COO, lead the debate on “What it takes to make a La Marzocco machine a reality.”
2.00 pm – 2.30 pm | Business Consultancy & Education
Alvin Lee, professor and entrepreneur at Deakin University, lead the debate on “Experiences in brand development and international expansion.”
2.45 pm – 3.15 pm | Service culture, Team Building and The Futue of Specialty Coffee
Chris Baca and Jared Truby, co-owners of Cat & Cloud, Santa Barbara, California, lead the debate on “Where the future of specialty coffee will take us.”
15.30 pm – 16.00 pm | Water Research & Studies for a Superior Brew
Enrico Wurm, La Marzocco Product Improvement Manager, illustrated the reason why “Coffee will only taste as good as the water you start with.”
15.30 pm – 16.00 pm | Industry Discussion – What is the Future of Specialty Coffee
Roberto Bianchi, Chris Baca & Jared Truby were eventually joined by Anne Cooper of Melbourne-based Equilibrium Master Roasters and Joe Tynan of Café Imports to discuss the future of specialty coffee and what it could become and mean to future generations.

TRUE ARTISAN CAFÉ:
Within the multi roaster format, the selection of coffee served at Out of the Box was curated by local, high-quality roastery institutions including Allpress, Campos, Industry Beans, Padre, Redbrick, St Ali and Villino.

EDUTAINMENT:
Additionally, as part of the sensorial educational program and entertainment, the team at La Marzocco Australia involved Noah from Café Imports and Fleur from Melbourne Coffee Merchants for coffee tastings and demos.
#ootbmelbourne