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70 YEARS OF THE MOKA EXPRESS
Rome - (Adnkronos Multimedia) - Not many industrial products in the world keep the same shape and the same nature and structure for over 70 years and still sell over 200 million items. This is a result for the Guinness World Record Book and in fact, the Moka Express is registered in the famous record book. The Moka Express is the most famous coffeemaker in the world and it is also one of the most recognized symbols of Made in Italy products.
The history of the Moka begins in 1933 in Crusinallo, then a small village along the Strona torrent on the Piedmont side of Lago Maggiore. Alfonso Bialetti, a craftsman with the passion of invention and experimentation, came up with an apparently abstruse idea: observing a rudimentary washing machine made from a hermetically sealed boiler and a simple metal basket to contain the clothes, he imagined reproducing this object in scale. Instead of the basket he inserted a filter and instead of the clothes, he put ground coffee. This is the birth of the Moka Express and with it the all and only Italian way to make and drink coffee, previously a pleasure reserved to public places, and now one to be enjoyed between the domestic walls, first thing in the morning and after meals, with guests at all hours and every time one wants to give gusto to a break from routine.
Alfonso Bialetti's workshop becomes a company. From 1934 to 1939 it produces 70,000 Moka coffeemakers. And the Moka Express becomes the product-leader in the sector in Italy, surpassing in sales the traditional "Neapolitan" coffeemaker, in which brewing occurs without pressure, following the rules of gravity so slower and without gathering the entire aroma of the coffee. Determining the excellent quality of the coffee make with the Moka is not only its operating principle but also the material with which it is produced. In fact, it is the aluminium that allows the Moka to produce coffee which is better as time goes on, thanks to the calcium deposits in the lower boiler and the coffee deposits in the upper pot. This is a unique characteristic imposed by Italian history; yes because Alfonso Bialetti was forced to utilize aluminium due to embargos in Fascist Italy which caused stainless steel importation to fall sharply. Italy, which had significant bauxite sources, used aluminium more and more, which during the period became the leading metal used guaranteeing self-sufficiency.
At the conclusion of WWII, Bialetti changed nothing in his invention: he kept the octagonal shape and he continued using aluminium, which had become the perfect partner for a perfect cup of coffee. The only thing that did change was the industrial dimension of his company. From a small factory producing not more than 10,000 items a year, Bialetti transforms into a great industry. Alfonso's son, Renato, first realizes the great potential of the product and in the 1950s the company changes and a significant advertising campaign is launched first in Italy and then in Europe and the United States. The logo of the Moka Express is created, the famous "small man with a moustache", which is actually the caricature of Alfonso Bialetti. Production increases to 1000 items a day, the sales network is strengthened in the world and the Moka conquers the world markets. Today, about 100 million Moka Express coffeemakers brew piping hot coffee in every corner of the world daily and 90% of the Italian families own at least one. And only recently, 71 years after its invention, the Moka has undergone some small restyling interventions, a new cover and a new handle that is longer and more ergonomic. In other words, a Moka that has a softer and modern shape but that maintains all of the unmistakable lines of this legendary coffeemaker.
Contact:
BIALETTI INDUSTRIE - Coffeemaker Division
P.za Siro Collini - 28887 Omegna (VB)
tel. 0323-6531 fax 0323/641742
www.bialetti.it
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