Elektra srl is an Italian manufacturer of professional espresso and cappuccino equipment. Besides the high functionality Elektra's machines distinguish themselves from the market through their design. Coffee grinders and accessories are also produced alongside to the core products lever and automatic machines. Unlike other manufacturers of espresso machines Elektra is still not producing super-automatic machines, but only machines with manual portafilter. Elektra machines are mainly used in the professional and less in private sector.
History and technology
The company was founded in 1947 by Umberto Fregnan and is still owned by the Fregnan-family. The focus of the machinery of Elektra was from the beginning, the idea of easy operation and maintenance. Elektra was clear from the start a very innovative company, which issued to the large number of patents. Already in 1950 the first machine was presented with an automatic hydraulic unit. In addition to the water level control with float, which was developed by the company as a seal-less system, the automatic dispensing with electrically controlled valve and the electronic delivery of five doses was developed. The machines are craft built to this day with a great focus on usability and longevity. Thus only copper is used for the boiler and 80 percent of parts are produced by Elektra itself. All machines are tested before delivery for 48 hours.
Models
Elektra now produces two types of machines that are either aimed at professional users or private customers. In the Divisione Bar, there are seven different series which are made of semi-automatic equipment. For the Divisione Casa series, the Nivola and Family Retro units can be ordered with semi-automatic equipment. There is also a model with a single-lever machine. The entire product range contains over 40 models. For each of the respective areas, mills and accessories are available. Characteristic of the Elektra models is a partially lavish outfit: the eagle, the symbol of the company, is present at the top of the cover of some models. These are made by sand casting and are mounted on a chrome plate. Studs made from Murano glass are also available as a completion. Finally, some models have eye-catching decorative panels with a coat of arms or with the company logo attached.
The design and functionality, and also the high price, of Elektra machines has caused them to feature in some luxury goods and lifestyle publications. This is particularly true for the retro style machines built to the ‘Belle Epoque’ and ‘Family Retrò’ series. Elektra machines have been used for decades in world famous cafes and bars. Espresso coffee, for example, in the famous Caffè Florian in Venice and in the Harrodsdepartment store in London is prepared with machines from Elektra. On 14 September 2010 the bursting of a boiler of an Elektra machine injured six people in a British Sainsbury's in supermarket in Farnborough. After the accident all the machines at Sainsbury's - using Elektra exclusively - were shut down. According to a study of the supermarket chain the damage was caused by a change by the manufacturer in the safety valve in 2009, so Sainbury's reactivated their old Elektra machines. On 24 February 2012 in an official press release of Elektra they stated that the accident was caused by a faulty electrical connection of the supermarket and not by a fault of the machine. This was confirmed by an independent testing laboratory.
Service
Elektra provides no direct support to customers who purchase their machines in the United States. The only way to obtain support is by going through one of their distributors. Since there are only a handful of distributors, this has made it difficult for purchasers in the United States to obtain adequate servicing of their machines. This has lead to the machine not being as popular as it could be in the United States.
