La Marzocco Café

The espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco recently opened a café near my apartment in Seattle. They formed two partnerships two make it happen: one permanent and another dynamic (I’ll explain in a minute). It’s been a great example of how businesses can flourish when they come together and play to each other’s strengths.

The first partnership was made with a local radio station, KEXP. KEXP recently acquired a beautiful, cavernous space right on the western edge of Seattle Center, with more than enough space for a café. La Marzocco stepped up to make that happen.

But given that La Marzocco itself does not roast coffee, they still needed a roaster partner. And that’s where things get really fun. Every month, La Marzocco invites a new roaster to take up residency and serve its coffee. The inaugural roaster was Stumptown, and so far we’ve had G&B, Buna, and now Campos come as residents.

Each roaster does something a little different with the process of the café and its menu. G&B, for example, brought its pre-grinding process, and Buna gave out gorgeous prints (one of which I have framed):

It almost feels as though we’re in a bit of a coffee shop bubble here in Seattle, but what La Marzocco has made is genuinely something unique wonderful for the community. KEXP also has a gallery in the back of space showcasing local work, and music is playing every moment the doors are open to the public. You can read more about it here.