The DeLonghi company is a large multinational corporation, today. It has multiple product lines, one of which is coffee grinding and brewing equipment. It is a testament to the excellent management of the organization when DeLonghi boasts that its design house works not creates the sleek look of some of the world’s premium coffee grinders and brewers, but on space heaters, toasters, air conditioners and grills! Today, DeLonghi operates about 13 large factories and vends its products to over 70 countries. It possesses more than 30 subsidiaries, employs over 5000 people, and in 2003 it brought in more than 1.5 billion dollars. Founded by the Delonghi family in 1902, incorporated since 1950 and still headquartered in its birthplace of Treviso, Italy, DeLonghi is a true success story in manufacturing!

The world of coffee is indebted to the design house of DeLonghi for some incredibly great and modernistic-looking machines. There is also no doubt that DeLonghi engineers have produced some fantastic equipment, including three blade grinders that are reliable and attractive. However, it should be noted that DeLonghi is a relative newcomer in the world of coffee. Its first brewers and espresso machines were offered for sale in 2004. There is also little doubt that long-established companies like La Pavoni, makers of espresso machines since 1905, have earned a certain status and expertise that DeLonghi cannot lay claim to.

As a late arrival in the coffee game, DeLonghi has sensibly pursued the lower end of the pricing spectrum. It’s coffee grinders are all blade types, and all are offered for less than 30 dollars online, though shipping charges will vary. In fact, each of the espresso machines offered at DeLonghi’s online store can be had for less than two hundred dollars! Given DeLonghi’s ability to provide design and durability, the company has some great bargains offered there! The store includes 30 items in its coffe section, including three grinders, 15 espresso makers, and several nifty looking combination machines that can brew both espresso and coffee. Still, the lack of conical burr grinders is odd. Because blade grinders create a friction that first heats, then cooks, then changes the flavors of the beans during the grinding, they are generally considered to be inferior to burr grinders. Is this a moneysaving shortcut? For the coffee fanatic, it is a bit disappointing not to have the DeLonghi style on a burr grinder, which does that job so efficiently.

Corporate structure also bring to mind another question for DeLonghi. While engineering and design remain based in Treviso, one of Delonghi’s largest factories, acquired from Kenwood Limited in 2001, is a Chinese facility. China has worked hard with DeLonghi to keep the operation running smoothly and uphold the Italian group’s standards. But how can DeLonghi assure its customers that the Chinese facility is being run in accordance with Western standards of safety and labor rights? DeLonghi certainly doesn’t want the question to come up, and it certainly is not the only corporation with facilities in China, but that does not mean it has no obligation to address fundamental concerns of human rights in its daily operations.