Meet the Seattle man behind the world’s most prestigious espresso machines.

The handmade espresso machines produced by La Marzocco have received worldwide praise since the Florentine company was founded in 1927. More than 30 years ago, a Seattle entrepreneur named Kent Bakke traveled to Italy to glean a little firsthand wisdom about espresso machine production and distribution. Today he is the CEO of La Marzocco, a position that allows him to share his company’s sophisticated products with espresso connoisseurs around the world.