Out of the Box and Into a Castle
With a firm focus on community & conversation, La Marzocco’s annual summer event succeeded in creating a space to create, celebrate and counsel
words by Thomas SUMNER
Last week, we were lucky enough to join La Marzocco for the summer edition of their Out of the Box event. Taking place at the one-and-only Tonbridge Castle, Kent, Out of the box played host to a selection of live workshops, panel discussions, music, coffee competitions, roasters villages and premium food and drink stalls – not to mention a spot of VR racing courtesy of sponsors, Roborace. And you know what? The coffee wasn’t half bad either.
In retrospect, Out of the Box is the kind of event that could have only been put together with the conversational, community-building credentials that La Marzocco have carefully built over the last
nine decades.
For all the great food, music, and discussion on offer, Out of the Box truly excelled at simply providing a time and a place for people to meet and for events to unfold. As good as the coffee is (and it really is that good), it almost plays second fiddle to the conversations and displays of conviviality that really set the event off. It’s easy to see why industry movers-and-shakers like Falcon Coffees, Grey Goose and Espresso Solutions were happy to get on board as additional sponsors.
In Out of the Box, La Marzocco have created a platform for engaging and open dialogue, and this summer’s edition was no exception. With a series of panels dedicated to both design & innovation and the evolution of specialty drinks, Out of the Box provided food for thought and plenty of opportunity to debate and discuss.
More than anything, Out of the Box was a solid reminder that a cup of coffee is about more than the caffeine within, it’s about the conversation that it facilitates and nourishes. For a heritage company like La Marzocco, it’s a conversation that has lasted almost a century. And long may it continue. EJ
La Marzocco would like to send a massive thanks to all the sponsors and supporters of this years Out of the Box: Grey Goose, Espresso Solutions, Roborace, Falcon Coffees, BWT, Northiam Dairy, Minor Figures, Clockwork Espresso. Money raised at Out of the Box went towards Reverse Rett and Project Waterfall.
For more information on Out of the Box and future La Marzocco events,
head to www.uk.lamarzocco.com or following along @lamarzoccouk
