Saeco

Saeco (cycling team)

Saeco was the name of an Italian road bicycle racing team, sponsored by the company with the same name.The company didn't prolong the sponsorship for 2005, and the team was merged with the Lampre team, forming Lampre-Caffita, sponsored by Caffita....

 was also the name of a road bicycle racing

Road bicycle racing

Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...

 team sponsored by the company.

Saeco is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 manufacturer of espresso

Espresso

Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....

 machines and other electrical goods, head quartered near Bologna

Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

.

History

The company was founded by Sergio Zappella and Arthur Schmed in 1981.

In 1985 they launched the first completely automatic espresso machine for domestic use and in 1999 they bought the historic brand of Gaggia

Gaggia

Gaggia is an Italian company that makes coffee machines, especially espresso and cappuccino machines, in addition to small kitchen appliances...

.

In May 2009, the company board agreed to a purchase offer from Dutch manufacturer Philips

Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....

, owner of the Senseo

Senseo

Senseo is a registered trademark for a coffee brewing system from Dutch companies Philips and Douwe Egberts, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation...

coffee system, subject to shareholder and bank approval.