La Marzocco just became the first espresso machine manufacturer in the world to earn B Corp certification, scoring 84.4 on the B Impact Assessment. 

We smiled when we read the article in Sprudge this week, it brings a certain calm to your day when you know partners and business relations are on the same path as you are.

We are partners with La Marzocco in bringing their machines and coffee tech into the Irish specialty coffee market. The equipment behind your espresso isn't a trivial choice, and neither is who you align with as a brand. When we pursued B Corp certification ourselves, one of the things it forced us to look at was the full picture: not just our own practices, but the partners and systems we're embedded in - upstream and downstream.

La Marzocco CEO Lorenzo Carboni framed it well and in similar vein to us: "We have always pursued excellence, and the B Corp framework is the environment in which we want to operate."

(Image: courtesy of lamarzocco.com)

That statement says something most certification announcements don't. It says the framework came second and the commitment came first - they aways have operated in this manner, B Corp just gave them the official stamp to prove it. We feel the same. 

That's the version of B Corp worth paying attention to. Not companies who run the numbers and decide the certification is good for marketing. The ones who were already doing it, and then formalised why.

It's also why we're deliberate about who we work with. B Corp isn't a supplier filter, we're not crossing anyone off a list who doesn't have the badge. But when a partner is actively trying to account for workers, environment, and governance in how they operate, it changes the nature of the relationship. You're not just buying machines - you're sharing a view of what responsible business actually looks like in practice.

La Marzocco is the 261st coffee company to achieve certification. For a company making precision equipment in Florence since 1927, this clearly isn't a rebrand, it's simply an added layer to their impressive business portfolio and offering in the coffee market - providing clarity and surety to those who engage with them. 

Interested in adding a La Marzocco branded machine to your cafe, bar, or home brew set up? Reach out to hello@cloudpickercoffee.ie for more information. 

(Images: courtesy of lamarzocco.com)