FINALLY.
A SMALL BEAN HOPPER!

Can we please have a SMALL COFFEE BEAN HOPPER for our commercial grinder?

This seems to be the shout from many who own commercial coffee bean grinders, such as Mazzer, Rancilio, and others. The standard bean hopper that comes with commercial machines is too big for the kitchen. The grinder industry just doesn't seem to understand that there is a need for a cheap, inexpensive, SMALL hopper for those who use the commercial grinder at home.

The few that do make a smaller hopper, like Mazzer and Macap, have made them so bland and expensive that they hardly seem worth the price. $35 for an ugly injection molded canister with a black lid. Please, is this the best they can do? People have resorted to using plastic party cups, PVC piping, and a number of other items to make something that fits. Who wants to spend over $40 (don't forget shipping!) for something that makes their kitchen look industrial. It's easier to spend $3 and have it look the same way with a fabricated PVC pipe.

So, what's the answer? We think we stumbled across it. Seriously, we literally stumbled onto Family Line Coffee Grinder Upgrades while surfing the internet and doing some maintenance on our little site. We found a little article on them and we actually tracked them down. We were so impressed with their items that we contacted them. Like most small businesses, they have yet to be discovered, but we can tell you they have found a niche in a very crowded market of espresso.

It seems everyone is fighting for dominance to be a seller of beans, machines, grinders, roasters, and everything else espresso related, but do you know of anyone that creates and sells custom-made items like hoppers, decals, adjustment arms, and the like? Neither did we - and we did plenty of Googling to find anyone else who did. Hey, we know we're not a giant site offering a forum or a membership, nor do we sponsor championship barista competitions. We know we're a little fish in a big pond, but we hold our own. Because we are small and Family Line is small, is why we approached them (could you imagine us approaching Starbucks? - neither could we!).

We offered a simple deal. Let us list your hoppers and other items at no charge. We won't take a penny in revenue. We'll promote them as best we can, and if either of us hits it big, the other can ride the coattails. We showed them our visitors, they showed us theirs. They had to admit that the chances of selling were better with us. So here we are. Joined at the hip and pleased to be connected.

Family Line, as you will see when you visit their items listed, by clicking the link in the lower part of the navigation bar, specializes in Mazzer items. They do, however make custom fits for other grinders as well, but you may have to provide them with the correct dimensions. We recently received a hopper custom-made for a Nuova grinder. It was quite satisfactory and well worth the price. Contact them if you have any questions. Great people who do what they do because they like it.