The History of the Moka Pot

1919

The birth of Bialetti

In a small hamlet of Omegna (Verbania), Crusinallo, Alfonso Bialetti opened a workshop for the manufacture of aluminum semi-finished products. The company grew quickly to become Alfonso Bialetti & Co. A foundry in Conchiglia: a workshop for the study, design and creation of finished, ready-to-sell products.

1933

The Moka is launched

Alfonso Bialetti comes up with the brilliant idea of Moka Express: this would revolutionize the way of making coffee at home, staying with generations of Italians as they wake up, leading to the company becoming one of the main Italian producers, thanks also to the ambitious determination of his son Renato. The name? It comes from the city of Mokha in Yemen, one of the leading and most famous production areas of coffee worldwide.

1958

The mustachioed Man first appears

The reputation of the Bialetti brand was becoming established. This was also thanks to advertising during the breaks of TV program Carosello, and communication campaigns based on the image of, l’Omino con i baffi, the Mustachioed Man. A pencil drawing by Paul Campani, this was to become the symbol of the company and is still today featured on the brand logo of Gruppo Bialetti Industrie, as well as being used on Bialetti brand products. The slogan “Oh, yes, yes... it seems easy (to make good coffee)!” became a catchphrase.