Addio to Renato Bialetti, the Inventor of the Moka

Italy and its “coffee-drinkers population” have witnessed an important loss during these last days: on February 11st, 2016 Renato Bialetti died at the age of 93 in his house in Ascona (Canton Ticino – Southern Switzerland).


Bialetti invented the Moka Express in 1933, the well-known coffee maker that suddenly became one of the most iconic symbols of the Made in Italy worldwide and in the 1950’s he named one of the most important companies in Italy: a brand that transformed the art of making coffee into an action so simple and natural that it has become an essential rite in every Italian home.


Bialetti’s figure also inspired the famous sketch “Little Man with a Moustache” by Paul Campani, that became the protagonist of an important advertising series that used to be broadcasted during the Carosello tv show.

The Moka became so iconic that a representation of it is exposed at the Museum of Moder Art (MoMa) in New York and although his inventor passed away, we will keep remembering the Little man every morning, while enjoying our coffees.

Bialetti’s Moka Express continues to be a respected Italian icon. In a recent survey of Italian design, the Moka Express ranked as the fifth best design to have come out of Italy in the 20th century. It’s place of honor is alongside the likes of the 1957 Fiat 500, a 1946 Vespa and… Nutella, which won first place.