MILAN – Gruppo Cimbali, an Italian company that is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional espresso machines, is featured, with its iconic Faema E61, in Le Café V, the first Louis Vuitton café and restaurant opened in Osaka, Japan. Inspired by and named after the first ‘total’ solar eclipse in 1961, the E61 changed the history of coffee machines, contributing to the emergence of the modern coffee bar we know today.
Le Café V, the first Louis Vuitton
It was a product that managed to find its place in the collective identity of the 1960s, in an Italy which – during the post-war period – was proudly turning to face the world once again, rebuilding itself at a time of great enthusiasm, economic boom and revival. Today, the Faema E61 is still the symbol of socialising around a bar counter, which is exactly what Le Café V is aiming for.
Le Café V marked the French brand’s debut in the food and beverage world, a successful experience that also led to the recent opening of the Louis Vuitton pop-up restaurant in Seoul, South Korea.
The interest in new formats, experimentation, and interplay between brands and market sectors, in this case fashion & food, is a fundamental drive for Gruppo Cimbali, which has embarked on a journey of exploration and research into the new forms of hospitality that are emerging around the world.
The Japanese chef at Le Café V, Yosuke Suga, renowned for his successful restaurant in Tokyo, offers cuisine that is based on tradition, but incorporates highly innovative elements.
This approach, blending innovation and tradition, is typical of Gruppo Cimbali, especially the Faema brand, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of the legendary E61 last year and is entering the e-commerce market this year with a new machine, Faemina, a luxury design product targeting the home and small business segment. For more informations click here.
About Gruppo Cimbali
Gruppo Cimbali is one of the leading manufacturers of professional machines for coffee and milk-based drinks, as well as coffee shop equipment.
The Group, which includes the La Cimbali, Faema, Slayer and Casadio brands, operates through three production plants in Italy and one in the United States (in Seattle, where the machines are produced under the Slayer brand), employing a total of around 700 employees.
The Group’s commitment to promoting espresso culture and the local area led to the foundation of MUMAC (Coffee Machine Museum) in 2012, the first and largest permanent exhibition dedicated to the history, world and culture of espresso machines, located at the Gruppo Cimbali headquarters in Binasco.
MUMAC is home to MUMAC Academy, Gruppo Cimbali’s coffee machine academy, a training, promotion and research centre.
