Seventy brand guides to the machines and tools of coffee — espresso machines, levers, grinders, drippers and scales — and who really makes them.
Coffee equipment is a trade of Italian family factories, international groups and small workshops. These guides set out who owns each brand and where it is made.
The groups
Cimbali Group, which grew out of La Cimbali, owns Faema (whose 1961 E61 group head became an industry standard), Casadio and Slayer. Simonelli Group owns Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino. Ali Group owns Rancilio and, through Crem International, Expobar; Middleby owns Synesso; Breville Group owns Lelit; Smeg Group owns La Pavoni; and the Swiss Hemro Group owns Mahlkönig.
Family factories and workshops
Others are still family-run. Mazzer says its grinders are 100% made in Scorzè by the Mazzer family, Eureka’s grinders are hand-assembled near Florence by the Conti family, Bezzera is still family-run and made in Italy, and Quick Mill has handmade its own machines near Milan since 1945. At the smallest end, Strietman and Kees van der Westen hand-build machines in the Netherlands, and Olympia Express’s Cremina is built in Switzerland.
Brewing and tools
Melitta’s founder invented the paper coffee filter in 1908; Kalita has made equipment in Japan since 1958; and Origami’s drippers are Mino-ware ceramic from Gifu. Several tool brands are designed in one place and made in another, and their guides say which.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers who owns the name today, where the products are made — by the maker’s own account and, where it differs, by other sources — and the brand’s visual identity. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Machines, grinders and drippers
Rancilio, Slayer, Comandante, Kalita, 1Zpresso, Ascaso and Wacaco.
- Rancilio — The Milanese espresso-machine house of 1927, maker of the Silvia and now part of Ali Group, made in Parabiago, Italy.
- Slayer — The Seattle espresso-machine maker known for flow profiling, made in Washington and majority-owned by Gruppo Cimbali.
- Comandante — The independent, family-run German maker of the C40 hand grinder, manufactured and assembled near Munich.
- Kalita — The independent Japanese coffee-equipment maker behind the flat-bottom Wave dripper, made in Japan since 1958.
- 1Zpresso — The Taiwanese hand-grinder specialist known for precise external grind dials and value-premium build.
- Ascaso — The family-owned Spanish maker of design-forward home espresso machines and grinders, handcrafted in Barcelona.
- Wacaco — The Hong Kong brand that pioneered portable hand-pump espresso with the Nanopresso, made in mainland China.
Grinders
Eureka, Mazzer, Mahlkönig, Weber Workshops, Niche, Timemore and Option-O.
- Eureka — The Florentine grinder house of 1920, maker of the Mignon, hand-assembled in the Florence area by the Conti family.
- Mazzer — The Venetian grinder house of 1948, the café-standard workhorse, 100% made in Scorzè by the Mazzer family.
- Mahlkönig — The Hamburg grinder house behind the EK43, made in Germany and owned by the Swiss Hemro Group.
- Weber Workshops — The premium grinder house behind the EG-1, a US-facing brand designed and made in Taipei, Taiwan.
- Niche — The British brand behind the Niche Zero, the single-dose grinder that went mainstream, made in China.
- Timemore — The Chinese coffee-gear design house behind the Chestnut grinders and Black Mirror scale, designed and made in China.
- Option-O — The Australian brand behind the Lagom single-dose grinders, built in its own workshop in Shenzhen, China.
Prosumer espresso machines
Bezzera, La Pavoni, Rocket, Lelit, ECM, Synesso and Decent.
- Bezzera — The Milanese house of Luigi Bezzera’s 1901 espresso patent, still family-run and 100% made in Italy.
- La Pavoni — The Milanese house of 1905 behind the Europiccola lever machine, made in Italy and part of the Smeg Group.
- Rocket Espresso — The independent Milanese maker of premium prosumer espresso machines, handcrafted in Milan since 2007.
- Lelit — The Brescia maker of enthusiast prosumer espresso machines like the Bianca, made in Italy and owned by Australia’s Breville Group.
- ECM — The German espresso-machine brand of the Hauck family whose prosumer machines are built in Milan, Italy.
- Synesso — The Seattle-built commercial espresso machine maker known for temperature stability, now part of Middleby.
- Decent Espresso — The Hong Kong maker of the tablet-controlled DE1 espresso machine, independent and radically transparent.
Pour-over and brewers
Melitta, Origami, Ratio, Orea, Espro, Goat Story and Cafelat.
- Melitta — The German family house whose founder invented the paper coffee filter in 1908, the birth of clean pour-over.
- Origami — The Japanese dripper made in Mino-ware ceramic in Gifu, a colourful specialty-coffee favourite made in Japan.
- Ratio — The Portland maker of design-led premium drip coffee brewers, designed in Oregon and manufactured overseas.
- Orea — The independent East London maker of flat-bottom pour-over brewers, openly made in Taiwan, the EU and Indonesia.
- Espro — The Vancouver-designed coffee press with a double micro-filter for clean, sediment-free coffee, made overseas.
- Goat Story — The Slovenian coffee-gear brand behind the GINA smart brewer, designed in Ljubljana from Kickstarter roots.
- Cafelat — The Hong Kong maker of barista silicone tools and the manual, no-electricity Cafelat Robot espresso maker.
Scales, grinders and tools
Acaia, Kinu, Fiorenzato, Rok, MHW-3BOMBER, Cafec and Normcore.
- Acaia — The US brand whose Pearl and Lunar scales became the specialty-coffee standard, reported made in Taiwan.
- Kinu — The German maker of the M47 precision hand grinder, genuinely engineered and made near Frankfurt.
- Fiorenzato — The family-owned Italian grinder house of 1936, making its coffee grinders in the Veneto since Mestre.
- Rok — The British-designed maker of manual, no-electricity espresso gear like the EspressoGC, made overseas.
- MHW-3BOMBER — The design-forward Chinese maker of coffee kettles, scales, tampers and brewing tools.
- Cafec — The Japanese specialty-filter brand of Sanyo Sangyo, maker of the ABACA and roast-specific filters, made in Japan.
- Normcore — The value barista-tool brand behind the calibrated tamper and WDT tools, made in China with an undisclosed origin.
The espresso groups
La Cimbali, Faema, Slayer, Nuova Simonelli, Victoria Arduino, ECM and Profitec.
- La Cimbali — The Milan espresso-machine maker, from 1912, that grew into the parent of Cimbali Group, owning Faema, Casadio and Slayer.
- Faema — The Milan espresso-machine maker, from 1945, whose 1961 E61 group head became an industry standard; part of Cimbali Group since 1995.
- Slayer — The Seattle-area espresso-machine maker known for flow profiling, an American craft brand acquired by Italy’s Cimbali Group in 2017.
- Nuova Simonelli — The Marche espresso-machine maker in Simonelli Group, whose Aurelia long served as the official World Barista Championship machine.
- Victoria Arduino — The Italian espresso marque founded in 1905 by Pier Teresio Arduino, now a heritage brand within Simonelli Group.
- ECM — The espresso-machine maker owned by Germany’s Hauck family, with production split between Germany and Milan, and Profitec as its sister brand.
- Profitec — The German espresso-machine maker near Heidelberg, ECM’s sister brand, building precise prosumer machines in Bammental.
Italian prosumer makers
Quick Mill, Vibiemme, Bellezza, Isomac, Izzo, Expobar and Lucca.
- Quick Mill — The family-run Senago maker, near Milan, that has handmade its own espresso machines in Italy since 1945.
- Vibiemme — The Milan maker, trading as VBM, that has built its own espresso machines, including the Domobar, since 1976.
- Bellezza — The Bergamo espresso brand owned by VEA Group, the domestic and prosumer line of an Italian coffee-equipment group.
- Isomac — The heritage Italian prosumer espresso brand now owned and operated by La Pavoni S.p.A., with its site being relaunched.
- Izzo — The Italian prosumer espresso brand behind the Alex and Duetto machines, sold largely through importers, with a thin public paper trail.
- Expobar — The Spanish espresso-machine brand, now a Crem International brand under the Italian Ali Group’s coffee division.
- Lucca — Clive Coffee’s Portland house brand, designed in the USA and built by Italian factories including La Spaziale, Quick Mill and Eureka.
Lever machines
Olympia Express, Ponte Vecchio, Londinium, Strietman, Flair, ROK and Odyssey.
- Olympia Express — The Swiss maker of the Cremina, a manual hand-lever espresso machine built by Schätti in Schwanden.
- Ponte Vecchio — The small Italian workshop near Pavia that has handmade brass-and-steel spring-lever espresso machines since 1999.
- Londinium — The England-built spring-lever espresso maker founded by Reiss Gunson, a roaster from 2004 that moved into lever machines in 2012.
- Strietman — The small independent Dutch workshop of Wouter Strietman, hand-building the ES3 and CT2 direct-manual lever machines in the Netherlands.
- Flair Espresso — The California-designed maker of manual, non-electric lever espresso presses, including the Flair 58 and Flair Classic.
- ROK — The manual hand-lever espresso maker, formerly Presso, whose own web presence is now dormant, with units still circulating secondhand.
- Odyssey Espresso — The US maker of the Argos, a modular lever machine that switches between spring and manual lever brewing.
Commercial factories
Sanremo, Dalla Corte, La Spaziale, Wega, Astoria, Conti and Kees van der Westen.
- Sanremo — The Italian family espresso-machine factory near Treviso, known for its design-forward Cube and Opera machines.
- Dalla Corte — The independent Milan family espresso-machine factory, from 2001, known for its multi-boiler temperature stability.
- La Spaziale — The independent Bologna espresso-machine factory, from 1969, that also builds machines sold under other brands.
- Wega — The Italian espresso-machine brand from Susegana, established 1985, now a sister brand under the Ryoma group.
- Astoria — The Italian espresso-machine brand from Susegana, founded 1969, now a Ryoma-group sister brand to Wega and CMA.
- Conti — The espresso-machine maker founded in Paris in 1950 as SACOME, whose Italian-sounding name is French and whose factory is in Monaco.
- Kees van der Westen — The Dutch designer’s hand-built espresso workshop near Eindhoven, known for the Speedster, Mirage and Spirit.
Coffee gear icons
Chemex, AeroPress, Fellow, Hario, Moccamaster, La Marzocco and Baratza.
- Chemex — The 1941 Peter Schlumbohm origin, the hourglass borosilicate carafe, the wood-collar design, MoMA status, and honest caveats.
- AeroPress — The 2005 Alan Adler origin, the Aerobie-frisbee inventor connection, the immersion-press design, the World Championship, and caveats.
- Fellow — The 2013 Jake Miller/Kickstarter origin, the matte-black Stagg kettle and Ode grinder, the design-led aesthetic, and honest caveats.
- Hario — The 1921 Tokyo glass-maker heritage, the ‘Glass King’ name, the V60 pour-over icon, the Shibata family, and honest caveats.
- Moccamaster — The Technivorm company (1964), the hand-built Dutch drip machines, the repairable design, the colourful icon, and honest caveats.
- La Marzocco — The 1927 Florence Bambi-brothers origin, the Marzocco-lion name, the horizontal and dual boilers, the Linea, and honest caveats.
- Baratza — The 1999 Bellevue origin, the Encore grinder, the repairability ethos, the Breville acquisition, and honest caveats.
At a glance: who owns the name and where it is made
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Ownership and production change; follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Founded | Owner | Where made |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Zpresso | ~2016 (reported) (Taiwan) | Independent | Made in Taiwan |
| Acaia | 2014 (California, USA) | Independent | Made in Taiwan (reported) |
| AeroPress | 2005 | See guide | See guide |
| Ascaso | 1962 (Barcelona, Spain) | Family-owned | Made in Spain |
| Astoria | 1969 (Nello Dal Tio) | Ryoma group | Italy |
| Baratza | 1999 (Bellevue) | See guide | See guide |
| Bellezza | See guide | VEA Group S.p.A. | Italy |
| Bezzera | 1901 (Milan, Italy) | Family-owned | Made in Italy |
| Cafec | 1973 (reported) (Nagoya, Japan) | Sanyo Sangyo | Made in Japan |
| Cafelat | 2008 (reported) (Hong Kong) | Independent | Made in China (reported) |
| Chemex | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Comandante | ~2015 (reported) (Bavaria, Germany) | Independent | Made in Germany |
| Conti | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Dalla Corte | 2001 | Dalla Corte family | Italy |
| Decent Espresso | 2015 (Hong Kong) | Independent | Made in Hong Kong |
| ECM | 1996 (Heidelberg, Germany) | Hauck family | Made in Italy |
| ECM | 1996 | Hauck family | See guide |
| Espro | ~2007 (reported) (Vancouver, Canada) | Independent | Made overseas |
| Eureka | 1920 (Florence, Italy) | Conti family | Italy + China plant |
| Expobar | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Faema | 1945 | Cimbali Group | Italy |
| Fellow | 2013 (San Francisco) | See guide | See guide |
| Fiorenzato | 1936 (Venice, Italy) | Family-owned | Made in Italy |
| Flair Espresso | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Goat Story | 2014 (Ljubljana, Slovenia) | Independent | Designed in Slovenia |
| Hario | 1921 (Tokyo) | See guide | See guide |
| Isomac | See guide | See guide | Italy |
| Izzo | See guide | See guide | Italy |
| Kalita | 1958 (Tokyo → Yokohama) | Independent | Made in Japan |
| Kees van der Westen | See guide | See guide | Netherlands |
| Kinu | 2016 · est. 1991 (Rodgau, Germany) | Independent | Made in Germany |
| La Cimbali | 1912 | See guide | Italy |
| La Marzocco | 1927 (Florence) | See guide | See guide |
| La Pavoni | 1905 (Milan, Italy) | Smeg Group | Made in Italy |
| La Spaziale | 1969 | Independent, family | Italy |
| Lelit | 1986 (Brescia, Italy) | Breville Group | Made in Italy |
| Londinium | 2012 (machines) | See guide | See guide |
| Lucca | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Mahlkönig | 1924 (Hamburg, Germany) | Hemro Group | Made in Germany |
| Mazzer | 1948 (Scorzè, Italy) | Family-owned | Made in Italy |
| Melitta | 1908 (Dresden, Germany) | Bentz family | Made worldwide |
| MHW-3BOMBER | 2010s (reported) (China) | Independent | Made in China |
| Moccamaster | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Niche | 2014 (United Kingdom) | Independent | Made in China |
| Normcore | Undisclosed (Origin undisclosed) | Independent | Made in China |
| Nuova Simonelli | See guide | See guide | Italy |
| Odyssey Espresso | 2020 | See guide | USA |
| Olympia Express | See guide | See guide | Switzerland |
| Option-O | 2016 (Melbourne, Australia) | Independent | Made in China |
| Orea | 2020 (London, UK) | Independent | Taiwan · EU · Indonesia |
| Origami | 2014 (Gifu, Japan) | Koyo Ceramics | Made in Japan |
| Ponte Vecchio | 1999 | See guide | Italy |
| Profitec | See guide | See guide | Germany |
| Quick Mill | 1945 | Family, independent | Italy |
| Rancilio | 1927 (Parabiago, Italy) | Ali Group | Made in Italy |
| Ratio | 2014 (reported) (Portland, USA) | Independent | Designed in Portland |
| Rocket Espresso | 2007 (Milan, Italy) | Independent | Made in Italy |
| Rok | 2002 (United Kingdom) | Independent | Made overseas |
| ROK | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Sanremo | See guide | Italian family | Italy |
| Slayer | 2007 (Seattle, USA) | Gruppo Cimbali | Made in USA |
| Slayer | See guide | Cimbali Group | USA |
| Strietman | See guide | See guide | In-house |
| Synesso | 2004 (Seattle, USA) | Middleby | Made in USA |
| Timemore | ~2012 (reported) (China) | Independent | Made in China |
| Vibiemme | 1976 | See guide | Italy |
| Victoria Arduino | 1905 | See guide | Italy |
| Wacaco | 2013 (Hong Kong) | Independent | Made in China |
| Weber Workshops | 2014 (Taipei, Taiwan) | Independent | Made in Taiwan |
| Wega | See guide | Ryoma group | Italy |
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Slayer espresso machines?
Italy’s Cimbali Group, which acquired Slayer in 2017, according to our guide.
Who invented the paper coffee filter?
Melitta’s founder, in 1908, according to our guide.
See also our coffee roaster and kitchen appliance brand guidelines.
Part of our Home & Kitchen brand guidelines. See also all collections.