Bairro Alto is husband and wife team Matt and Sabina Ford. A dual obsession with coffee and concrete has led to their first product, the Classico coffee tamper, designed in their workshop in Bristol and made in England using local suppliers. I was keen to find out how you go from coffee drinker to designer of coffee accessories, so I caught up with Sabina…
“We discovered our love of coffee many years ago and have been slowly cultivating our coffee making skills ever since, buying apparatus along the way. On a holiday in Lisbon we were inspired by the faded concrete buildings and brass fittings.”
“Later a trip to 21 21 Design Sight in Tokyo made us realise this was a project we just couldn’t keep in any longer and so Bairro Alto was born. Our first product is a concrete, brass and stainless steel coffee tamper.”
“We chose concrete because it ages wonderfully, it has strength under compression and because of it’s tactile nature. We spent mornings and evenings testing different concrete mixes, experimenting with additives and aggregates to create the right consistency and strength. Stainless steel was the obvious choice for the tamp base due to its durability and safety for contact with food. The billet of brass adds warmth and a classic feel.”
“We started by sketching shapes and section views. We made quick mock-ups to get an idea of form and ergonomics.”
“CAD was used to finalise shape and assembly. We prefer to make masters by hand to give a much closer appreciation of the process and you learn a lot more about your design when you try to make it yourself. Our logo is hand drawn, but traced into cad to create the very detailed impression in the mould.”
“The mould masters were made using a combination of rapid prototyping, hand modelling and machining on the lathe.”
“Spending time making really precise moulds pays back in the quality of the casts. The rubber mould transfers the tiniest details so making them perfectly is a must.”
“We made the original prototypes of the metal components by manually turning them, but we’ve now found a precision machinist who has a CNC lathe. Using local suppliers maintains the all-important personal contact, we can keep a close eye on quality and support our local businesses too.”
“We developed a mixture of Portland cement and aggregates that combines excellent moulding characteristics with high cured strength. The tampers take a week to cure, in a specific environment – temperature and humidity are important factors.”
“The tampers are hand finished to create a smooth surface. Sealer is applied to ensure the tamper resists moisture and doesn’t pick up stains. The final stage is to polish the concrete, brass and steel components to bring out the lustre – because of the nature of the concrete curing and finishing process, each one has its own patina so no two are ever the same.”
“The Bairro Alto coffee tampers have been tested by professional baristas to ensure they withstand heavy constant use. Of course we use the tamper for every coffee we make at home – which is a lot! So we know they work for the home barista too.”
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- here’s one I made earlier :: tortus copenhagen
- here’s one I made earlier :: thornback and peel
- here’s one I made earlier :: concrete rug
- here’s one I made earlier :: caslon & co
