Milan, March 27, 2026 – Cimbali Group and Mazzer, two historic leaders that have helped shape the history of espresso worldwide, announce a long-term strategic partnership and unveil the first Mazzer x Slayer grinder prototype. The official announcement is taking place today during Grind Chronicles, the first fully immersive event entirely dedicated to grinding, held on March 27–28 at the Cimbali Group Flagship Store in Milan.

This partnership brings together Cimbali Group’s extraction expertise with Mazzer’s specialisation in grinding, aiming to generate synergies, commercial developments, and product innovation. The result is high-performance solutions capable of providing HoReCa professionals – from independent baristas to large high-volume international chains – with maximum consistency in in-cup results, precise control of parameters, and qualitative reliability. At the heart of the partnership is an authentic Made in Italy ethos, expressed through engineering research, manufacturing expertise, and innovation that respects tradition, a strong international focus, and meticulous attention to design, a key element of Cimbali Group products and a distinctive trait of the Mazzer range.

"We are proud to embark on this journey together with Mazzer, a partner with whom we share a deep vision of quality and innovation in the world of espresso," comments Frédéric Thil, Managing Director of Cimbali Group. "This partnership allows us to leverage our respective skills, transforming them into increasingly high-performing and reliable solutions. Together, we want to provide professionals worldwide with tools that guarantee precision, consistency, and control, further elevating the in-cup experience and industry standards."

"It is an honour for Mazzer to collaborate with a group and family that has made espresso history and with whom we feel we share many values," adds Giovanni Mazzer, President of Mazzer. "We believe that Cimbali Group and Mazzer together can provide innovative technological solutions with a level of service and guarantee of excellence that is difficult to match."

Mazzer x Slayer: Precision and Performance in Professional Grinding

A direct result of this synergy is the first Mazzer x Slayer grinder prototype, unveiled in Milan and officially launching on the market in its final version at the London Coffee Festival 2026.

Specifically, it is a professional low-speed grind-by-weight grinder, designed for medium-to-high volume coffee shops seeking to optimise workflow. Reliable and precise, thanks to its integrated load cell and high-performing 69 mm conical burrs, it ensures accurate dosing by weight under all conditions. A true fusion of technology and design, it is the ideal tool for the specialty coffee world, where the Slayer brand has long been an iconic presence. The grinder is customised with key elements that replicate the interaction experience with the machine on the doser, ensuring the full Slayer experience both during grinding and in the subsequent Espresso or Steam extraction.

Grind Chronicles: The New Frontier of Grinding

The announcement and preview are part of Grind Chronicles, the first event entirely dedicated to professional grinding, taking place March 27–28 at the Cimbali Group Flagship Store, Via Forcella 7, Milan.

Designed for professionals and enthusiasts, this two-day immersive experience turns grinding into the heart of a broader narrative, celebrating quality coffee as a contemporary language, cultural expression, and technical gesture capable of making a real difference. Within the Flagship Store, themed spaces guide participants through a progressive journey: from an introduction to grinding fundamentals to advanced technical insights, alternating moments of discussion, hands-on experimentation, and active participation.

A Book to Deepen Grinding Knowledge

During the event, on March 27 at 1 PM, Andrej Godina and Claudio Cristofoli’s book, “Grinding in a Book: Technical Manual for Coffee Grinding”, published by Edizioni Medicea Firenze with contributions from Cimbali Group and Ima Petroncini, will also be presented. The book analyses this crucial, often underestimated, phase as decisive for cup quality and yield. With a scientific yet accessible approach, Godina and Cristofoli explore technologies, variables, and processes affecting extraction, linking theory with practical experimentation and providing operational tools and advice for professionals and enthusiasts to improve process control and achieve the best possible flavor profile.

Cimbali Group

Cimbali Group is among the leading producers of professional coffee and milk beverage machines and coffee shop equipment. The Group, which includes the brands La Cimbali, Faema, Slayer, and Casadio, operates through two production facilities in Italy and one in the United States (Seattle, producing Slayer-branded machines), employing approximately 850 people in total. In 2019, with the acquisition of Keber, an excellence brand for professional coffee grinder production based in Dolo (Venice), production sites increased to four. The Group’s commitment to promoting espresso culture and local heritage was realized in 2012 with the founding of MUMAC – Museo della Macchina per Caffè, the first and largest permanent exhibition dedicated to the history, world, and culture of espresso machines, located within Cimbali Group’s headquarters in Binasco. MUMAC hosts MUMAC Academy, Cimbali Group’s coffee machine academy, a center for training, dissemination, and research.