2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the La Marzocco UK & Ireland branch. To mark the occasion, La Marzocco went on a roadshow, stopping at some incredible cities around the UK & Ireland.
Throughout the roadshow tour, we are stopping at coffee festivals around the UK and bringing stand-alone roadshow events to cities around the country. The roadshow concept is all about bringing La Marzocco to existing partners, celebrating them and their local communities. Also, we look forward to expanding our network, and introducing the brand, and our evolving technology, to new friends.
Photo credit: Mátyás Mészáros
Glasgow
The tour’s first stop was in May at the after-party of the Glasgow Coffee Festival. We held our roadshow on a Saturday evening in partnership with Bare Bones Chocolate.
Bare Bones is an award-winning bean-to-bar chocolate company in Glasgow. They launched their brand new chocolate m*lk product with Oatly at the event. Partnering with Bare Bones allowed us to celebrate the local community in Glasgow, bringing everyone together for an evening of connection and community.
The night was topped off with chocolate-based cocktails by our friends at Discarded Spirits, pizza and beer from local independent businesses in Glasgow, and a DJ set from 7 pm. You can be sure that the competition at the Oatly latte art throwdown was intense, as the incredible prize of a trip to Accademia del Caffe Espresso was up for grabs!
Birmingham
In June, we took the roadshow to Birmingham. We were joined by our good friends Quarter Horse Coffee at their fantastic roastery and coffee shop space in the city. As guests arrived, they were greeted with cocktails by Bristol Syrup Company and ice-cold beers from a local independent brewery.
Photo credit: Mátyás Mészáros
Crowds gathered around the Wally – which was on display on the bar and available for demos throughout the night. Minor Figures brought some serious fun with their video game, Lenny, which caused some healthy competition amongst guests.
Photo credit: Mátyás Mészáros
Rosie from La Marzocco UK hosted a panel talk on independent business in Birmingham, joined by some fantastic panelists. The talk included subjects like the ups and downs of running your own independent business, how and why the indie scene has grown and changed in Birmingham, and why Birmingham is such a great city to grow your business in.
The crowd buzzed for the Minor Figures Latte Art Throwdown. As the dice rolled, 16 competitors from around the Midlands tried their hand on the KB90.
As we headed into July, we had a whopping TWO roadshow dates to hit – one in the south and one in the north.
Brighton
First up was in Brighton, which took place at the truly stunning location of The Flour Pot Bakery – right on Brighton Beach. This indoor and outdoor location was perfect for the occasion, and the weather held out for a magical night of conversation, fun, and great vibes.
We were treated to a cocktail masterclass by Discarded Spirits and a coffee cupping and talk by green bean supplier Falcon Coffee.
photo credit: Essential Journal
We threw it down in the Oatly latte art throwdown outside the venue on two Linea Minis, with incredible ocean and sunset views. The night carried on the night with pizza and beer from The Flour Pot Bakery.
photo credit: Essential Journal
Liverpool
At the end of July, the tour came to Liverpool, on the iconic Lark Lane. At the incredible venue of Press Bros – a charming coffee shop run by two brothers – Oli and Tito, whose joyous spirit bounces off the walls infectiously.
On arrival, guests were greeted with cocktails by Bristol Syrups Company, which included their classic English Garden, as well as a delicious Oatly milk-based beverage! Guests could try their luck at the Oatly carton toss game outside the shop.
Green bean supplier Olam kicked off the night with a viral talk and coffee cupping, shortly followed by a fascinating panel talk hosted by Megan of La Marzocco UK on independent business in Liverpool. Our local panelists included Oli (owner of Press Bros), Chris (founder of Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters), Steph (manager of The Bagelry), and Tian (from independent chocolatiers Table Chocolate).
Table Chocolate brought with them a life-size Linea Mini, constructed entirely out of edible chocolate – complete with a gold steam wand and drip tray! You’ve got to see it to believe it. This awe-inspiring construction was displayed on the bar at Press Bros on a rotating plinth and was, without a doubt, the talking point of the night.
Shortly after, the Oatly latte art throwdown commenced on two Linea Minis, which had some fierce competition and brought the crowds to spectate. The night was topped off with a slice of pizza in one hand and a cold beer in the other.
Last week we came to Dublin!
Hold on tight because we’ve still got some incredible stops on the roadshow, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Kent, and finally, London!
As the roadshows continue, we hope to inspire the next generation of coffee and hospitality leaders and game changers to keep paving the way to a thriving industry. We want to keep present, and future baristas engaged and show them how incredible the coffee community truly is.
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Thanks to the entire La Marzocco UK team, including Rosie Lowery, for the content and photography.
Keep up with the roadshow by following La Marzocco UK on Instagram.