Gaggia is an Italian company that makes coffee machines, especially espresso and cappuccino machines, in addition to small kitchen appliances. The company is mainly owned by Saeco International Group, a division of Dutch consumer electronics giant Philips.
Gaggia’s founder, Achille Gaggia, was the patent owner, (patent number 365726), of the first modern steamless coffee machine on September 5, 1938, to be used commercially in his coffee bar. He invented this coffee maker, with the help of engineer Antonio Cremonese, when he realized that the coffee culture and demand was changing in Italy. He diagnozed that coffee up until then had been extremely bitter and so strived to create a coffee product that was sweeter tasting and more attractive in the cup. After much experimentation, he invented the first steamless espresso maker. This machine forced water to flow over the coffee grounds at a high pressure, the principle of all modern espresso makers. This action of forcing water over coffee grounds at high pressure creates the crema that is an iconic feature of well made espresso.
Following this success, Achille Gaggia founded the Gaggia company in 1947, which became incorporated in 1948.
Gaggia currently has 4 main product lines. These are: automatic espresso machines, manual espresso machines, coffee accessories and coffee beans.
In 2017, Philips sold the professional branch of Saeco, along with the Gaggia brand to N&W Global Funding SpA, now known as the Evoca Group. The domestic division of Gaggia still remains within the Philips group.