La Marzocco is holding another iteration of Let’s Fix It, a workshop hosted by industry-leading women for folks who want to improve their espresso technical skills, in Atlanta.
BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of La Marzocco USA
On Saturday, August 25, you can fine-tune your espresso machine skills at Let’s Fix It, a workshop led by women coffee professionals in Atlanta. La Marzocco, the creators of the event, have hosted a few of these workshops in Seattle during the Specialty Coffee Association’s Global Expo and in San Francisco, and are bringing the event to Atlanta at the Batdorf & Bronson roastery.
The workshop, which is free and open to the public, is specifically led by women, who are often underrepresented in the technical field in coffee. “La Marzocco is committed to diversity and supporting the community of technicians who take care of our machines across the country,” says Rachel Dickinson, aftersales service and support representative for La Marzocco. “There is an underrepresented portion of the coffee community that does not have access or exposure to learn about technical information and skills. We saw this as an opportunity to take the lead in filling this gap in our industry, thus La Marzocco’s ‘Let’s Fix It!’ was created.”
Attendees will learn how to diagnose and fix common problems on espresso machines, including a step-by-step demonstration on how to install an espresso machine. Essentially, it’s designed to empower anyone who works with coffee to understand their machinery and not have to run to a technician for small problems. “The event is an introduction to the basic skills required to be an equipment technician. Workshops cover preventative maintenance, understanding your equipment, mechanics and hand skills, basic electrical, grinder maintenance and repair, water for coffee equipment, and installing a machine,” Rachel shares.
The events in Seattle and San Francisco were hugely popular, with attendees from all aspects of the coffee industry learning from women coffee leaders. “The first ‘Let’s Fix It’ (LFI) event had an incredible energy that has carried though all of the following events. Rarely are coffee equipment technicians given an opportunity to enrich the lives of others in such a direct and meaningful way. Through LFI we introduced 50 people, who may have never received an opportunity to attend a technical training before, to a new career pathway in coffee,” Rachel shares. La Marzocco plans to host more of these events, which are volunteer-led, throughout the country, with an event in Portland, Ore., in the works for the end of 2018.
In Atlanta, attendees will get their hands dirty and learn the ins and outs of espresso repair work from Roselyne Rebe, technical program manager for Franke Coffee Systems, who will host a workshop on grinder maintenance and troubleshooting; Chelsea Nemmers, service technician for Stumptown Coffee Roasters, who will host a workshop on hand and multi-meter skills; and Sheli Maciel, senior educator & training specialist for Allegro Coffee, who will will lead a machine installation. Attendees will get to ask questions and try their hand at simple espresso machine repairs. Early attendees can also join the presenters at lunch to ask questions and get to know other aspiring coffee technicians in their community.
LFI has been adapted since its inception to meet the needs of its audience and continues to grow and change with every new event. “An event like La Marzocco’s ‘Let’s Fix It!’ has never been done before, so there were no guide posts. We were very ambitious with the content and vision. The individual workshops are now one hour with fewer people. We have a morning and afternoon session covering different subjects. The content is continually being refined and polished,” Rachel notes.
The event is free to attend—head here to learn more and to register!
