the making of ........
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The Idea
... and the long long way to find a supplier that can produce my cups, starting in China, ending up in Neustadt / Waldnaab in Germany !
All started 2003 with a SAECO Incanto Digital coffee maker, a present of my husband.
Since then, I really enjoy Espresso every day, such a coffee maker that grinds the beans really makes a difference.
But there is something wrong:
The mess with the cups and the dishes. 99% of the Coffee makers have 2 outlets and you have to place the 2 cups properly under the 2 outlets.
Then you have to place the full cups on 2 dishes and balance them with both hands to whereever.
The Solution:
Espresso for 2 just in 1 go:
Trials with glued sample cups out of plastic cups and other plastic items, to get an impression how it looks like and how it feels when drinking:
Doesn't it look proper ? Surprisingly, there is no difference in the ease of use to normal cups, but it's really more fun !
The Design then was properly developed to international Standards, inspired by "Bauhaus". Simplicity and Fascination attracting Attention.
Then the idea was international registered at the Patent Office in Munich, in several variations.
Now the adventure begun:
Starting
point Shanghai. 
We lived there for 3 years. After some investigations and finding a guide and translator, we traveled to the very famous City of Porcelain, Jingdezhen in China to find a porcelain factory for the new cups:
January 2004, late arrival after a long trip with my husband´s VW Passat, we drove through old factories at night:
Mister Fan Rong, our Chinese guide, translator and now friend, helped me exploring Jingdezhen.
I will never forget this adventure, and I thank him deeply from the heart for his great support !
Fan Rong exploring a huge factory in Jingdezhen:
More Pictures of Jingdezhen:
Jingdezhen was the famous city of porcelain in the world for decades, but many many factories closed down, due to competition within China. New factories at the coast have better management and logistics for mass-production, Jingdezhen keeps the tradition in collectibles and specials.
If you are interested in the city of porcelain click here:
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Finally, we found a company to make the new cups and Fan Rong worked out the contracts for the first Twincup - and we signed:
Later, Fan Rong and a courier from Jingdezhen, at the first handover of samples in Deli France Shanghai:
The very first samples on our table, what a great moment !!!!!
The next 50 Sample parts arrived at the Shanghai bus station:
And here we go, ... later the next improved samples with a real dekor:
Unfortunately it was not possible to produce volume with constant high quality, there were always issues.
So after returning to Germany end of 2004, I started to search for a porcelain manufacturer in Germany and Czech Republic, with tradition and experience, and also technology, which was not easy.
These are the next 2 steps, but still not good enough:
So we investigated various possibilities including different materials until we found the right partner who is famous for top quality - worldwide.
It
is: 
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Now the cups are made of glass !
Glass allows various surface finishes and combinations, transparent, brushed or painted. All really cool and trendy. So simply check out or web-page for available designs.
First the new drawing out of the CAD-data for the tool maker:
Next step:
Prototype parts were made, to confirm the design:
And finally - wow !! The first off tool parts to the new process:
January 2007 - after 4 years the production is up and running
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So Many Thanks to Frau Rauch and Herr Kraus from Nachtmann, and everybody at Nachtmann who "made it happen", and also to all, who were or are still supporting me through the years:
Matthias, who brought his "SAECO Magic" to Shanghai and kicked the whole story off, by convincing everybody, that such a coffee is best (even with his softie-coffee beans).
Shanghai
Pudong
My husband Dirk, who enjoyed Matthias' Coffee and then got the idea, to send me a great "SAECO Incanto Digital" as a present, the foundation for his idea of our Tazzetta Twincup.
Uwe for arranging the contact to the former student of German Studies, Mister Fan Rong, who supported the project really perfect. Still Uwe for joining us for breakfast at Deli France in Shanghai every Saturday and every Sunday, and who joined us for dinner at MJ Italian Restaurant in Shanghai at long evenings.
Thanks to Deli France and MJ.
Again Dirk, who drove with my friend Fan Rong and myself to Jingdezhen, across the country, using all kinds of roads, with a strong believe in arriving Jingdezhen. It took us hours, and everybody would have given up, but because Dirk was responsible for Road Testing in China, he was confident, that we will make it somehow.
And so we did. Thanks to Dirk's VW Passat, which never failed, heading down the Autobahn fast, or passing slippy offroad slopes with momentum......
Family Kurt and Christa Fasser, head of German Trade Chamber Shanghai, for great motivation and ideas.
Raetus Balzer for the Twincup-Test-Session at his Sofitel Shanghai, together with Family Fasser.
Peter Stolfig from Anting also for great motivation and ideas.
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Matthias again, together with his translator Mrs. Xie Lei, for the "FOR 2"-weekend-photo-session with the SAECO Magic and our Tazzetta Twincup.
Reinhold Lesch
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Juergen Schray of the company Arburg, specialists of machines for injection moulding, for his piece of advice.
Hartmut Buhr, friend from our youth. He knew Herr Steinsdörfer, employee of a tool maker, that is working for the Company Nachtmann and finally... you know it already.
And again: Mister Fan Rong, who then became assistant of the General Manager of the German do-it-yorself superstores OBI in China. Later OBI withdrew their business from China to focus on East Europe, and sold the shops to B&Q. Fan Rong then started working at the famous Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. And guess what, he then was awarded with a scholarship in Germany called Bundeskanzlerstipendium, as one out of 10 chosen by the German Government.
So here we are !
Enjoy !
