08/04/2026
In the early days of Mr. Espresso, Carlo made a name for himself by attending trade shows. Here’s a photo of Carlo from the January 1990 Fancy Food Show (now Winter Fancy Faire), which brings together specialty food and beverage professionals from around the country. Visitors stopped by the Mr. Espresso booth to taste espresso, explore Italian espresso machines, learn about our oak wood roasted coffee, and even order coffee carts, which we sold at the time.
By the late 1990s, more of the Di Ruocco family had joined Carlo and Marie on the trade show floor. The second photo features Carlo, Marie, John, Laura, and her husband Alex with our good friend Jane, whose husband, Nick, owned Maui Coffee Roasters. It was one of the first times we met Jane, and the beginning of a friendship that has now lasted more than 30 years.
Trade shows gave us the opportunity to spend time with customers and partners from across the country, many of whom we had spoken with countless times by phone but had never met in person. Others were discovering Mr. Espresso for the first time. Over the years, many of those introductions grew into relationships that have lasted for decades, including partners that are still part of the Mr. Espresso family today.
Did you ever stop by one of our booths over the years? We’d love to hear your memories.
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| oakland coffee roaster, specialty coffee, coffee trade show, coffee equipment, family business, bay area coffee, coffee history, coffee professionals, wholesale coffee
