Posted Tue Apr 15, 2003, 5:46pm Subject: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
Hi there. I bought my first and only espresso machine from starbucks a few years back. It was a Proteo Grande and it looked good and worked great. I had a little problem with uneven pours but that disappeared when I bought a new portafilter. My problem now is that I have finally worn out the gasket and when I went to buy a new one I was told by starbucks that the manufacturer was no longer supplying the north american market. I asked who the manufacturer was so I could contact them directly. I was told that the manufacturer was ferrari, as in the car. I was shocked. Here we have starbucks, the largest coffee company in the world that is not standing behind their product. (Their customer service told me to contact a gasket maker!?!) I mean come on, it's not like their original manufacturer was some small fly by night company that is not in business any more. I'm feeling pretty ripped off.
So ends the rant, and here's my question. Does anyone have any idea or suggestions on how I can find a gasket for my machine? I did call a gasket maker but the price is too high.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Tue Apr 15, 2003, 7:33pm Subject: Re: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
tomato Said:
Hi there. I bought my first and only espresso machine from starbucks a few years back. It was a Proteo Grande and it looked good and worked great. I had a little problem with uneven pours but that disappeared when I bought a new portafilter. My problem now is that I have finally worn out the gasket and when I went to buy a new one I was told by starbucks that the manufacturer was no longer supplying the north american market. I asked who the manufacturer was so I could contact them directly. I was told that the manufacturer was ferrari, as in the car. ...
As far as I know, the Proteo machines were Gaggias with a paint job over the brushed steel. Specifically they were the Gaggia Coffee and Classic models.
If that's the case, getting spare gaskets is a snap. Try WLL. In any case, check out the two models, and see if they're a match, then go to parts and accesorieds to get the gasket.
Posted Fri Apr 25, 2003, 8:24pm Subject: Re: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
I finally solved my gasket problem, no thanks to starbucks! I bought a gasket from another machine and carved it to fit my machine. It works fine. And hey, I have a ferrari, who knew?
sjb Senior Member Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 21 Location: maine Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: proteo grande Grinder: solis Roaster: fresh roast
Posted Tue Apr 22, 2008, 6:10pm Subject: Re: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
i also have a proteo grande, probably 10-15 years old by now. i ran into a similar problem both with the machine and with starbucks. i tried cutting my own gasket but no go. the machine is identical to something made, i think, by Saeco. as i recall i tore the machine down and then matched the parts by comparing to a parts diagram. good luck Steve
Posted Wed Apr 23, 2008, 9:50am Subject: Re: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
So, this thread comes to life again. :) I still have the same proteo grande and amazingly enough, it's time to replace the gasket again. I was going to just repeat my earlier trick of buying a gasket at starbucks and doing some cutting, (it was easy and painless) but an earlier post by Jim suggests that the machine is a rework of a machine by gaggia. It will be really easy to pick up a gaggia gasket so I'm going to do that and see what the results are. I will post here when I've done the deed and let you know what the results are.
This will likely be the last time I do this since I've noticed that the bottom of my machine is starting to rust. I could go to the trouble of cutting it out etc., but this is just a little bit of overkill for me. I've also been frustrated with the limited space between the portafilter and the drain basket, it won't allow me to put most of my coffee cups in there so I have to use a shot glass. Sometimes I just want to put a cup in there and eyeball the shot. I also googled ferrari lady as Wesley suggested and yup, that's my machine. I could also look around for a supplier of the machine and I will probably give it a bit of effort but only a little since like I said, my machine is starting to rust and it looks like it is just time to just move on.
Posted Wed Apr 23, 2008, 1:45pm Subject: Re: Starbucks' Proteo Grande made by Ferrari but no support
I had one of these machines...I recently sold it here. I believe it was designed by Ferrari...not necessarily made by them. But it is a rock solid machine. Mine looked brand new when I sold it. It was white. It actually worked quite well.
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