Cimbali names Frédéric Thil as its new CEO
December 20 - 2024
Coffee Geography Magazine
Frédéric Thil took the top job at Cimbali as Chief Executive Officer of the company. Gruppo Cimbali SpA is an Italian industrial company and is considered the world's largest and most renowned manufacturer of professional espresso and cappuccino machines and accessories. The company is mainly known through the La Cimbali and FAEMA brands , which were acquired in 1995. The company's headquarters are in Binasco near Milan .
Thil began his career in 1987 in the consumer goods sector. At Unilever he held the positions of regional account manager and national account manager. In 2001 he joined Ferrero as national director of large accounts, then commercial director in Ferrero France and in 2008 he became general manager.
In 2013 he was appointed CEO of Ferrero Spa Italia, a role he held until 2016, when he moved to Luxembourg as executive director travel market and food service. From 2020 to 2024 he was president of the company Thil Consulting, supporting SMEs and startups in the development of business plans.
“I’m honoured by the trust placed in me,” says Thil. “I was struck by the family’s passion for fostering human capital and elevating the Group as a global ambassador of Italian excellence. Given my background, I am deeply sensitive to the importance of family values, brand awareness, and the international dimension of the business. I look forward to contributing with my experience to a company that combines global reach with strong Italian roots.”
The company's history began in 1912 with Giuseppe Cimbali, who was based in Milan as a coppersmith and manufactured the first espresso and cappuccino machines under his family name.
From 1930 onwards, Cimbali produced the “Rapida” series of column coffee machines with hot water and steam operation; these machines were heated with wood or coal.
After the end of the war in 1945, Cimbali entered the market with the "Albadoro" espresso machine; this model had two independent vertical boilers . With the Albadoro, Cimbali launched the world's first espresso machine with an integrated cup warmer. This model had a modular design and the buyer could choose between three and six espresso extraction groups.
At the beginning of the 1950s, electric operation of the machines replaced coal and wood firing. Cimbali then brought out piston machines that made it possible to produce the crema that is common today .
In 1955, Cimbali was the first espresso machine manufacturer to use hydraulic groups in its machines and patented this innovation in 1956. The espresso machines with hand lever technology that had been common up to this point were largely pushed out of the market.
In 1969, Cimbali launched the first automatic “coffee bar” with the “Superbar” model.
In the 1990s, microprocessors increasingly took over the control of the main functions of the machines; the "M31 Dosatron" was the first La Cimbali to be equipped with this new technology. With the "Dolcevita" series from 1992, the automation processes were further advanced with the aim of making the machine fully automatic.