Win the new 1 group La Marzocco machine at this year's SCAA Conference in Charlotte.

Raffle of Serial #000001 La Marzocco GS/3 benefits the U.S. Barista Championships

SEATTLE - March 24, 2006. Attendees at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Show in Charlotte will have an opportunity to win the first production-model La Marzocco GS/3, by purchasing a $5 raffle ticket. Sponsored by La Marzocco S.r.l. of Italy and its long-time U.S. partner, Espresso Specialists, Inc., the raffle will benefit the United States Barista Championships (USBC), with 100% of the proceeds going towards the championship's coffers for use in future events. The winner will be announced at approximately 1:35 p.m. on Monday, April 10, 2006 at the USBC Finals.

In testing by third-party experts, La Marzocco’s GS/3 dramatically reset standards for performance among home and light commercial categories. In fact, it compared favorably to the finest high volume machines on the market today. It was called “…a historical machine” (Chris Tacy, home-barista.com) for its advancements. Mark Prince of CoffeeGeek.com described the GS/3 as "having unprecedented control over many variables in producing superior espresso. It is truly a landmark machine."

In a tiny footprint (16”W x 14”H x 21”D), the 1-group GS/3 works on 110 volts and only 15 amps (10 amps in Power Save Mode). With water reservoir or plumb-in options, GS/3 suits home use and has sufficient steam power and performance recovery for many commercial applications, including restaurants, catering and professional offices.

GS/3 goes into production this fall with scheduled arrival in the U.S. late 2006 or early 2007. The raffle winner will be able to use a prototype machine if they choose until their machine arrives.

Raffle tickets can be purchased, cash only, in the USBC competition area or at Espresso Specialists’ booth #1457 at the SCAA Show.

• $5 per ticket
  
• $20 = 5 tickets
  
• $50 = 12 tickets and a complimentary GS/3 t-shirt
  
  

Winner need not be present at the drawing to win.

Espresso Specialists, Inc. is the Seattle-based office of Franke Coffee Systems, one of four business units of Franke Holding AG.  The combined $1.3 billion company has diverse capabilities in kitchen equipment, sanitary systems and foodservice contracting and consulting.  Espresso Specialists sells Franke superautomatic espresso machines directly in the U.S. and exclusively imports La Marzocco and Rio traditional espresso equipment.  For more information, visit www.esiespresso.com or www.franke-cs.com.