Where Craftsmanship Takes Shape: Officine Fratelli Bambi
Visiting Accademia offers the opportunity to witness the transformation of a former production plant into a cultural hub, to explore La Marzocco’s history through a corporate museum, and above all, to experience it firsthand by discovering the work of OFB, Officine Fratelli Bambi.
In this small workshop, hidden on the lower floor as if seeking a more intimate and timeless dimension, espresso machines are created in collaboration with the client. Each project is designed to meet different needs, always with the goal of expressing the customer’s unique identity.
Officine Fratelli Bambi originated in 1927, when Giuseppe Bambi, determined to build his own espresso machines, involved his brother Bruno in producing and marketing the first La Marzocco machine. Both Giuseppe and Bruno had learned the art of sheet metal working from their grandfather, Ettore Bambi. Ettore repaired carriage lanterns in a workshop in the center of Florence, shaping metal sheets with hammers and tools often crafted by the artisans themselves. Giuseppe later pursued formal studies and became a designer, but his practical knowledge gave him an edge that led him to open his own mechanical workshop.
Although most of the bodies of the models developed over the years were made using molds to standardize production, Giuseppe and Bruno’s mastery of this craft is evident in several works. One example is the advertising van built in the 1950s, now reproduced in the museum, as well as the hand-hammered polished brass bodies crafted by Bruno in the 1980s.
Today, La Marzocco’s production is shaped by the constraints of growing market demand, which require customization to be limited to details that do not affect assembly processes. Alongside the factory—designed to produce a high number of machines through highly structured processes that ensure excellent quality—an additional workshop was created.
This workshop revives the craftsmanship and manual expertise of the past, allowing the creation of unique, tailor-made bodies for each client. Thanks to Officine Fratelli Bambi, it is now possible to work closely with designers to choose the style and materials that will define a one-of-a-kind machine, built piece by piece by three specialized craftsmen.
It is a craft rooted in another era, with rhythms far removed from those of a factory, using machines and tools that demand experience. Every gesture is guided by deep knowledge of the material, and every solution is the result of time spent at the workbench.
