We’ve just returned from the third edition of the magnificent Anjou Velo Vintage festival, Saumur, France. We took the re-vamped Velopresso prototype over the channel at the invitation of Louis Rustin of the famous cycling brand Rustines. Aside from the pleasure of serving our pedal-ground coffee at the inimitable AVV, it was a great test opportunity for our all-new grinder, espresso machine, plumbing and transmission… all working great! More news, photos and updates on ordering and prices very soon. Click here to see more photos from this great event by our photographer Ivan Coleman.

German publisher Gestalten produce beautiful books, and from what we have seen their latest on contemporary food trends is no exception.
A Delicious Life showcases today’s new food movement, featuring a broad spectrum of food entrepreneurs and their products. We are thrilled that Velopresso features in this inspiring publication. Available from April 2013.

Velopresso are proud to have been awarded a second development grant from the  Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen Kulttuurirahasto). Last week Lasse visited his native Helsinki and had the honor of attending their annual award ceremony. Innovation and design development in the engineering realm is an expensive business, and as a young start-up we are extremely grateful to the board of Suomen Kulttuurirahasto for their continued support.

While we develop the Velopresso production model we like to run the prototype when we can, and where better to do that than ‘London’s renowned hub for free speech and independent thought’ – the perennial Conway Hall. We are grateful to the Conway Hall team for hosting the Velopresso prototype, and there will be the first full day of public shot-pulling on Saturday 23rd February.  If you are in central London, come by for a pedal-ground coffee between 9am and 4pm, and take in an impressive exhibition from Congo Connect at the same time.

Velopresso (photo only) features in the Royal College of Art’s ´The Perfect Place to Grow´ exhibition. Celebrating the College’s 175th year the exhibition showcases achievements of RCA alumni and staff throughout its history including artworks by Moore, Hepworth, Auerbach, Hockney and Emin, and iconic designs such as Barber Osgerby’s Olympic Torch, Kinneir Calvert’s UK road signage and Dyson’s ball barrow.

16 Nov 2012 – 3 Jan 2013 at Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2EU. Admission free.

Denmark’s ‘bicycle ambassador’, creator of Copenhagenize and cycle-centric urban planning consultant Mikael Colville-Anderson gave his first public talk in London on Copenhagen Cycling Culture, tweeting on the day ‘… I’m comin’ for your SUVs, white vans, car lanes…’. Velopresso were guest exhibitors at the event at Chelsea’s Old Town Hall. Invited by co-organisers Bikeminded we served coffee during the evening with expert assistance from our associate barista Adam Chan.

Velopresso is in The Guardian’s ‘top 10 must-see’ exhibits of the London Design Festival. During the festival Velopresso can be seen at SustainRCA* exhibition.
* see previous post for details

Velopresso has been shortlisted for Royal College of Art’s SustainRCA award, and it will be part of the Sustain Show & Award 2012 exhibition that showcases the best sustainability projects by this year’s RCA graduates.

Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, SW7 2EU, 21 September to 3 October. Admission free.

The London Evening Standard’s guide to the London Design Festival features a full-page photo of Velopresso.

Brooks England has invited Velopresso to be their guest exhibitor at the Eurobike trade show in Germany – the largest bicycle trade event in the world.  We will be presenting the Velopresso prototype in Europe for the first time and sharing a stand with the likes of PEdALED, fi’zi:k, Selle Royal and Crank Brothers. We will be demonstrating the machine and serving free coffee to trade visitors courtesy of Brooks.

Eurobike 2012, Brooks England’s stand A5-401, Friedrichshafen, Germany, 29 – 31 August.

In the 20th year of the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprises, Velopresso has been announced as winners of the Design category.
The prize includes start-up capital and business mentoring from Deutsche Bank.

Velopresso has been awarded second prize in the Pininfarina Design Contest organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in conjunction with the School of Design at the Royal College of Art. A display of the finalists’ work is included in the Pininfarina in London exhibition that celebrates 80 years of work by the iconic industrial design studio. During the judging the Velopresso team nervously served espresso to Paulo Pininfarina (manager of Pininfarina and grandson of company founder Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina)… thankfully both the machine and the coffee met with his approval!

Italian Cultural Institute, 39 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8NX, June 22 – July 15. Admission free.

Velopresso is finished! (Well, the first draft working prototype is!) It can be seen in operation at our MA graduation exhibition, Show RCA 2012, at Testbed Gallery in Battersea. We will be serving free espressi and flat whites for visitors. All welcome.

Testbed 1, 33 Parkgate Road, SW11 4NP, June 20 – 1 July (closed 29 June). Admission free.