Lelit

Italian espresso machines from Brescia, acquired by Breville Group in 2022. Prosumer segment: serious build, accessible price vs Rocket or ECM. Production in Castegnato.

Brescia, Lombardy, mid-1980s. A couple founded L'Elettrodomestico Italiano in the attic of a hardware store. The product: steam generators for ironing. The name was shortened to Lelit.

The expertise acquired in boilers and steam proved directly transferable to coffee. In 2001, Lelit pivoted to espresso machines. The positioning was clear from the start: serious prosumer machines, handmade in Brescia, at a price that didn't require mortgaging the apartment.

The strategy works because the machines are good. The Bianca, a dual boiler with paddle flow control and rotary pump, became the flagship. The MaraX, a compact heat exchanger that simulates the stability of a dual boiler, became the default recommendation among enthusiasts for mid-range budgets. "BIFL material." "80% of La Spaziale performance at 40% cost."

On Home-Barista.com: "tank-like construction," 4.5/5 on average. On Whole Latte Love: 4.7/5 from over a thousand reviews. Testimonials of 5 to 10 years of daily use without major repair. The only recurring drawback: after-sales service, especially in the United States. Italian support is "slow to nonexistent" for American buyers.

In March 2022, Breville Group acquired Lelit for $124 million. Breville is the Australian group that owns Sage (the same brand under a different name in Europe). Production remains in Castegnato, near Brescia. For now. The classic question: will quality survive the group?