A Second Life: From Seattle to Costa Rica, One Machine’s Journey of Empowerment
At Fulcrum, we’ve always believed that coffee connects. Sometimes, it connects people across a café counter. Sometimes, it connects communities across continents.
It all began with an old La Marzocco Linea, built in 1999, that had served countless customers over the years at Zeitgeist Coffee in Seattle. The machine was worn down, no longer in use, and destined for storage. But instead of letting it fade into retirement, Leesa Kunke—owner of Zeitgeist, longtime Fulcrum customer, single mother, and pillar of Seattle’s early specialty coffee scene—chose to give it a second chance.
That choice lit a spark.
Our team took in the machine—old, broken, and full of stories—and got to work. We stripped it down, repainted it, replaced the worn-out parts, and brought it back to life. What emerged was not just a machine, but a symbol of restoration, resilience, and connection.
Next week, it will be shipped to Costa Rica, to a group of women who are reshaping their futures through coffee.
The machine’s new home will be at Mujeres en Libertad, an initiative by Coopelibertad that empowers women coffee producers with training, leadership development, and access to resources. These women, many of whom have long worked behind the scenes in coffee farming without recognition, are now front and center—leading, deciding, and transforming their communities.
The espresso machine will help them taste their own coffees—something most producers never get to do before export. It’s a small but powerful tool in their journey toward independence, quality, and pride in their work.
And so, from the hands of one strong woman in Seattle to many others in Costa Rica, this project has become more than a restoration. It’s a bridge—between places, between stories, between struggles and triumphs.
We’re honored to have played a part.
This is what we do for the community: connect people and companies to give back along the entire coffee value chain—any chance we get.
