Autunno caldo

On the 25th of October 1969, Mr. Robbiati writes to Mm. Notaras.

He was not able to produce anymore coffee machines.

Why?

In the north of Italy, it was "L'autunno caldo".

Pretty much everyone was on strike... or demonstrating for better working condition, better pay...

From the telephone company workers to the airport personal, from the taxi drivers to the chamber of commerce...

Not to forget the Pirelli workers...

The prisoners... the metal workers... the public housing tenants...

... the bank workers... the tailors ... the agricultural workers and the fishermen...

as well as the electricity workers, the nurses... and of course the students.

and on the other side of the world, Mm. Notaras was waiting for her coffee machines for the Christmas business.

Bon Trading Co. Part 2

Irene Notaras began importing, promoting, selling and servicing Giordano Robbiati's patented coffee machine around May 1964.

In 1965, she became the sole Australian agent for the Brevetti Robbiati business.

Through Mm. Notaras marketing strategy - mainly consisting in meeting the customer directly to show the benefits of the machine though out the continent, and involving Shopping centers to sell the machines, the coffee machine became very popular...

... so "very popular" that Mr. Robbiati, in his little factory and with his limited workforce in Milan, couldn't keep up with the demand!!!

Mm. Notaras became Mr. Robbiati best customer and this from the beginning of the 1970s until the closure of Alfredo Robbiati (Giordano's son) 's business S.T.E.M.A.C. in 1989.

If you have a old leaflet of the Bon Trading Co., you will notice they are far more detailed than any other leaflet. The procedure how to use the machine and above all how to foam milk is well explained, even a bag with the right grind was stapled! With its 8 pages, it is the leaflet the most generous in information of all businesses.

From 1965 to 1968, the imported coffee makers had the most common "Brevetti Robbiati" badge.

1965 - 1968:

Afterwards, Brevetti Robbiati sent the machine with badges especially made for the australian reseller... even if with a little misspelling happened at some time.

Post 1968:

In 1970, Mm. Notaras moved her business from 17, Reynolds Street in Balmain...

 ... to 12-14, Oxford street in Woollahra (New South Wales) where she is still active today.

Bon Trading Co. Part 1

In 1902, Irene Notaras's grandfather Lambrinos was the first Notaras (from Frilingianika, Kythera - Greece) landing in Australia. He had left his wife and 6 children at home to work for an Austrian restaurant-keeper to support his family in Greece.

The oldest son John arrived in 1905.

In 1908, it is the turn of Irene Notaras's father, Anthony Lambos Notaras (1895 - 1992) to emigrate for economic reasons to Australia.

In 1909, Lambrinos Notaras acquired his own fruit shop...

 ... which with the help of the 2 sons developed in the Marble Bar Café.

(These newspaper inserts date 1917)

In 1926, the 2 brothers, Anthony and John gave in order a theatre to the colonel F. J. Board, architect in Lismore (New South Wales). This theatre is now identified as a category 1 item on the NSW Heritage office's movie register for NSW 1896-1996 and is included within the Royal Australian Institure of Architects's Register of Buildings of 20th century significance.

(Ertaeht is theater spelt backwards ;.) )

Anthony was later joined by his wife in 1932, Lanthe (née Megaloconomou), from the village of Potamos. They will have 5 children: The twins Angelo and Mitchell, Irene, Betty and the youngest son John.

In 3 generations, the Notaras became a prominent family in Grafton.

While Mitchell made himself a name in colorectal surgery (he introduced Lateral Subcutaneous internal Anal Sphincterotomy for Anal fissure)...

While Angelo (born 1933) & John (born 1939) won Australian and International awards for their inventions in Chainsaw and Ignition system and created the manufacturing company "Atom industries" for these  items in 1963...

Irene Notaras will become famous with her Import/Export company - Bon Trading Co., and for the immense achievement of introducing the Australian people to another coffee drinking culture, importing the Atomic badged coffee machine from Europe and through her love, dedication and hard work succeeding in making Brevetti Robbiati's coffee machine a self evidence.

Let's celebrate a major customer of the Brevetti Robbiati business!

On - Off - On - Off.... blinking Great!

Martian electro express - Brevetti Robbiati - Milan

2 different badges for 2 different sizes - look carefully!
(The arrow should help you... it is only to be found on the bigger size)

Martian electro express - Brevetti Robbiati - Milan

Martian electro express - Brevetti Robbiati - Milan

Grounds of Good taste - 1985

Atomic 402E

It is difficult for me to understand this notion of "Atomic form", because the trademarked name "Atomic" has been used on coffee machine of so many different and various shapes and functions.

Maybe the following statement will be interesting for some:

In his patent for the model 402E, Mr. Stern makes indirect allusion to Mr. Robbiati's flathead patent.

He states the disadvantages the flathead had - like for example, the sand-core which has to be taken away by small openings after the machine had been cast, or the fact that you can't access the inside of the machine (i suppose for the means of cleaning and maintenance).

So the 402E can be seen as a much improved version of Robbiati's flathead.

_

So, What about the "Atomic shape"?

Well, if there was one... I repeat, If there was one...

Mr. Stern would have destroyed it in his patent for the 402E.
(yet, it wore the "atomic" badge (see here)... that's because a trademark can be put on any machine the owner of this trademark wants regardless of the shape or the function... and it is actually what happened... in Giordano Robbiati's business as well as in Desider Stern's)

It might be a bit confusing, so i want to tell you this:
_the text is from Giordano Robbiati's Uk patent for the flathead,
_the picture is a Stella 402 E
_underneath the picture, the points which should be looked at.
  

Just compare Mr. Robbiati's flathead patent with the coffee machine Stella 402E:

_ water kettle portion is in the neck, not in the base (the heating resistance is in the base),

_No curved neck,

_ No Pipe... unless you see the hole part in the body as a pipe,

_ No removable cup engaged in the head.

_ No bent. See above picture.

The machine looks like a "E" not a "C".

_ Upper part held by one bolt.

_ No filling hole.

Your refill the machine by removing the upper part.

_ Nothing of that.

You just place the filter in the head.

_ No safety valve in the knob.

Unless you see the removable upper part as a Plug...

a bit far stretched but discussable.

_ None of that.

Water transfers in the removable part by a hole part of the cast.

Ite missa est.