BeanScene Magazine

The year was 2007 and ECM an Italian company specialising in commercial espresso machines had largely lost interest in their domestic espresso machine line.

Andrew Meo and Jeff Kennedy, both from restaurant and coffee roasting backgrounds in New Zealand, caught wind of the company’s interest in selling the domestic machine portfolios.

Always looking for new opportunities, Andrew made the move to Italy where he and Jeff along with Italian Daniele Berenbruch purchased the domestic model range and set about re-launching the brand under the Rocket Espresso name.

Four years on one of those models, known in Australia as the Giotto, has emerged as a leading domestic espresso machine preferred by many of the country’s top baristas, and at-home espresso enthusiasts, looking to recreate the café experience and quality coffee at home.

So how did all this success come from a neglected machine? With a strong technical background, Andrew explains that fundamentally the machine was brilliant. His ideas to improve the machine came from his experience at HOST, one of the world’s largest espresso machine expositions.

“After having a look around the show, we realised our machine was only as good as our competitors, but we needed it to be better,” he recounts. “We had to overhaul the machine to be competitive.”

Technically they knew they had an advantage as the machine design by Ennio Berti, had a very efficient and proven thermo syphon system. As Andrew explains: “The heat exchange system used in the machine allows the machine to operate at very stable temperatures which is fundamental when producing excellent espresso.

“What we had to do was lift our build quality,” he says, recounting the improvements in the machines. “By and large at such retail price points, people are fairly discerning when they are paying $3000 plus for an espresso machine, they want it to have a high quality finish. Despite our machines being handmade, we strive to achieve this.”

In addition to the finish, Andrew put a lot of work into improving the packaging. He notes that even though people say you don’t judge a book by its cover, it is a large part of the purchase process and the brand experience.

Creating an impressive web site was also an important part of the Rocket Espresso brand philosophy. The machine, Andrew explains, is not just a product but an entire experience, and as such they wanted to ensure that when a customer started inquiring into the machines, the brand stood out from the beginning.

The strategy has so far brought about mass success, as Rocket Espresso has seen growth in 99 per cent of the markets they operate in, with an astounding overall 60 per cent growth.

“We have worked very hard at producing a good product,” says Andrew. “We have tried to anticipate what the market wants and enhance that experience and combined that with a very high level of customer service.”

Andrew also gives some credit to the increasing demand for specialty espresso for helping to increase their sales.

“That part of the market is growing, with events like the World Barista Championships,” he says. Andrew is particularly impressed with Australia’s growing barista scene, where strong skills are being increasingly sought after and rewarded. 

“If you are a barista in Australia, and you go to the finals or you go to the [WBC], all of a sudden you become more marketable behind a machine,” he says. “It is becoming like celebrity chefs, a highly skilled labour force is emerging… and this lifts the public’s perception of what good coffee is.”

Charles Stephens from Espresso Company has been the exclusive dealer of the Giotto in Australia for the last decade, since before Andrew took the reigns. He credits much of the machine’s success to the strong alliance the Giotto has had in the barista competition scene. That allegiance, he notes, could never have come about if the Giotto hadn’t continued to prove itself as such a strong machine.

“The quality has continued to prevail. Where other brands have tried to cheapen the retail price point, Rocket has worked to improve its design,” he says. “There’s no real secret to the success, I suppose, it just remains strong with its commitment to quality.”

In the decade that Charles has helped promote the Giotto in the Australian market, he’s seen three models released, although each has maintained its original shape.

“Every time it’s become a better machine because it hasn’t tried to cut corners,” he notes. With each machine he’s brought into the market, Charles has seen the company’s share continue to grow, an impressive achievement as the machine sits in the top price range.

What he’s noticed, is that when people make the choice to try and recreate the café experience at home, they usually start out with a less expensive machine. Over time, however, most end up upgrading, because the less expensive machines, “don’t provide what they’re trying to achieve.”

Coffee, Charles notes, has increasingly become a social experience. Where people used to talk about going out for a drink, these days going out for a coffee is becoming increasingly popular. In looking to do the same at home, that is having someone over for a coffee, an increasingly discerning Australian coffee drinker is no longer willing to settle for a sub-quality cup. This is where the superiority of the Giotto steps in.

With a market leading machine, the question now comes from what further advancements could we expect on the Giotto?

For Andrew, he has his eyes on the commercial market, although he wouldn’t divulge too many details he notes: “Like everything Rock does, it’s pretty low-key, but we’ll certainly make a good-looking machine that delivers a superior cup.”