La Marzocco is an Italian espresso machine maker. They have been based in Florence Italy since, I think, the 1920s. Most people know who Starbucks is. They know they are a Seattle company. They make coffee and the espresso they made, past tense, was made in a La Marzocco machine.
There was a distributor here in Seattle of the la Mazocco machines who were happy to sell the first few hundred machines to Starbucks. As Starbucks expanded so did the distributorship. When Starbucks went International the Seattle distributors bought the Florence factory, and added a plant here in Seattle, in Ballard exclusively for Starbucks.
As the Starbucks expansion continued the two factories couldn’t keep up with the demand. Another division was formed to make automatic espresso machines. They combined three other machine manufacturers to make faster espresso machines. Then there was McDonald’s who wanted to sell espresso drinks.
Once McDonald’s entered the espresso business all artistry went out the window. La marzocco severed ties with Starbucks, and went back to making the world’s contender for best espresso machine. The factory in Ballard closed, leaving a new parts distribution center in the older part of Ballard.
Future articles will talk about the art of coffee, and I started a www.rumblefishespresso.com blog.
About David Losh
In 1984 I got my Real Estate license and worked in a small company called Advance Properties. The owner was extremely interested in Real Estate, building, and land development. Most of his work was concentrated North of Seattle. Since the 1970s I had worked for Real Estate agents in Seattle as a contractor, mostly preparing properties for rent, and sale.
After a few years my skill level increased considerably concerning land use, building code, and development practices. Escrow, and lending offices were housed at the Advance Properties building so it was easy to get involved in all aspects of Real Estate. It was very much a family owned, and operated business.
Over the years my Real Estate license has been at a variety of Real Estate companies, and offices. Nothing compares to those early years, or that sense of family. Real Estate has gotten to be corporate owned.
My hope with this blog is to share with you some of the things I've learned. If you have Real Estate needs, or want contractor help, I refer freely to what best suits you. If you should choose to work with me you'll find a great resource.
My Real Estate license is at Skyline Properties in Northgate. Skyline is a locally owned company that is a desk fee office. There is a wide variety of diverse agents. It helps me with some of the other projects that I have, and mentoring that I do, to be able to work with people from other cultures.
Here in Seattle we are close to Vancouver BC and are the gateway to China. Boeing has a great trade relationship with China, as does Microsoft have with all of Asia. We are a culturally diverse community, and it helps me to be invlolved.
