J. Ascaso was born in a small village in the Huesca mountains. He was always a man with a great entrepreneurial spirit, and moving to the big city was his only opportunity to better himself. He left his village and moved to Barcelona with 3,000 pesetas in his pocket and a mind full of ideas. In the 1950s, espresso was becoming popular in Spain and all over Europe. In Barcelona, in particular, its popularity saw the growth of a thriving coffee-based industry. In 1950, J. Ascaso started working for a company supplying chrome-plated espresso machine parts. From 1952 to 1962 J. Ascaso worked on the Gaggia production line, making parts for the world-renowned coffee machine company. Other coffee machine manufacturers came onto the market. The number of installed espresso machines was ever greater and there was a growing need for maintenance and repair services. J. Ascaso decided to manufacture components for all the coffee machines on the market at that time. Once the difficult early days were over, the company hired a sales representative who introduced Ascaso to the world of professional distributors and mechanics, and, with a basic grasp of o-ring seals, filter holders, steam valves and heating elements, travelled the length and breadth of Spain, showing the various products to local technicians. In 1962, Jesús Ascaso started his own business, producing and distributing spare parts for espresso coffee machines. Currently, Ascaso sells its products in over 95 countries with growth continuing, creating new business divisions such as the manufacture of espresso machines. JL. Ascaso, the son of the founder, is the man responsible for the diversification of Ascaso Factory over recent years. He settled on the manufacture of espresso machines to bring together technical knowledge and espresso culture. The 'for coffee lovers' philosophy was born. | 