Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491368
44 STiR tea & coffee industry international in Florence, Italy. The two organizations had collaborated in projects in the past and La Marzocco took serious interest in this modular bar concept. "We are always interested in coffee innovation and technology. We got involved before ModBar was a stand-alone company," said La Marzocco c.e.o. Kent Bakke. "We had known Corey and (ModBar co-founder) Aric Forbing for a few years and we were tracking their progress. We saw the vision of what ModBar could bring to coffee brewing both in terms of the user and customer side of things." Bakke says it was Joe Monaghan, president of La Marzocco USA, who first recog- nized ModBar's potential. "(Joe) had been tracking Jet Steam," Bakke says. "When we saw the primary design for ModBar Joe felt this was totally new to the market. We felt it was the next evolu- tion, opening up the theater and visibility to the consumer. This presentation was on the leading edge." The SCAA debut With La Marzocco's backing, Waldron and Forbing developed the next generation of ModBar technology in a small facility based in Fort Wayne, Ind. They debuted the new system during the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) trade show in Boston, Mass., in April 2013. "We unveiled the actual ModBar. We were very under the radar," Waldron recalls. "Nobody really knew we were going to be at the show. We came out of nowhere and the reaction was a lot bigger than I expected." By August 2014, ModBar had installed units at more than 65 locations in the Unit- ed States and Canada. Recently they issued serial number 300 indicating their 300th module sold. "Some installations have multiple modules and a coffee shop may have just a steamer or a pour-over module." Gralehaus Coffee Shop, Louisville, Ken. Bar Nine Collective, Culver City, Calif. Backed by 75+ years of experience in the color analysis business, Photovolt Instruments delivers the 580-PC coffee classification system for consistent, customizable and affordable color quality analysis. Make your roast a quality to be proud of. 6323 Cambridge St, Minneapolis, MN 55416 1-800-222-5711 | 952.848.2000 www.photovolt.com QUALITY COUNTS! lUSB Drive for Data Save lNIST Traceable lRead Reports on SmartPhone or Tablet