If you are a coffee aficionado, you've heard of La Marzocco. A hands-down favorite among baristas, these high-end espresso machines can be found in cafés and restaurants worldwide. The venerable company, founded in Florence in 1927 by Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi, still manufactures its machines in Italy but its headquarters are in Seattle, thanks to the foresight of CEO Kent Bakke.

In the mid-1970s, fresh out of college, Bakke and a few friends began importing La Marzocco machines to the U.S. When the specialty coffee industry boomed in the mid-1990s, much of it fueled by another Seattle company known as Starbucks, Bakke was well-positioned. He and a group of investors acquired 90 percent of La Marzocco in 1994. Last year, the company built 12,000 machines, selling them in 80 countries. Recently, we took a tour of the Seattle showroom with Bakke, who shared more about the company's history with us.

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Fonte: L'italo-Americano