FAEMA - Where I Discovered the Soul of Espresso
I wanted to work at FAEMA. All that remained was to convince FAEMA. That proved harder than I had imagined. FAEMA was a renowned Italian company that manufactured professional espresso machines. Its name commanded respect. But enthusiasm alone was not enough to enter. On paper, I had no experience with professional coffee machines. What I did have was technical curiosity. I knew how to work with my hands. I listened. And when there was something I did not yet know, I wanted to learn it.
I kept insisting. Not arrogantly. But with determination. Eventually, I was given my chance. From that moment, a new world opened to me. I learned the machines inside and out. Pressure. Temperature. The grind. The amount of coffee. The barista's gesture. I discovered that a good espresso is never the result of a single element. Everything has to work together.
But above all, I discovered that behind every machine was a human being. That became clear to me during a visit to a small café in West Flanders. The establishment may have had six tables. Yellowed photographs of racing cyclists hung on the wall. Behind the counter, old beer glasses stood beside a row of cups that had been used for many years. The owner was an elderly Flemish man. Short. Thin. He wore a checked shirt and suspenders. His hands trembled slightly when he greeted me.
"The coffee isn't what it used to be," he told me.
I expected a technical problem. But the FAEMA machine was not broken. The pressure was correct and it was well maintained. So I began by observing the way he worked. How he filled the portafilter. How he tamped the coffee. How the espresso flowed. I tasted it. Then I made the grind slightly finer. Not a major intervention. Only a small, precise adjustment. We prepared another espresso. The man took a sip. His face changed.
"Now it's good," he said.
"Exactly as it should be."
I never forgot that encounter. Not because I had performed a complicated repair. But because it taught me a simple truth. Many problems appear larger than they truly are. Those who look more carefully, listen more attentively, and try to understand the real cause can sometimes find the right solution through one small adjustment. That was true of coffee.
Later, I discovered it was just as true of people and businesses. At FAEMA, therefore, I learned far more than how to install machines. I learned that quality begins before the first sip. In the attention given to every detail. In respect for the customer. In the willingness to remain until everything is truly right. I discovered the soul of espresso. And that soul was not found only in the machine or the coffee bean. It lived in the encounter between people.