Gruppo Cimbali is glad to announce that the issue regarding the machines installed in the Cabinets of the European Commissioners has finally come to a conclusion, as clearly evident from the attached letter.

Although this story was characterized by lack of accuracy by the international press, at the end the quality and the reliability of Cimbali products have been, as expected, fully confirmed. In fact, the tests recently carried out at the European Commission based on a commonly agreed test protocol have confirmed the absence of lead and nickel in the coffee furnished by the Cimbali machines.

As already announced by Gruppo Cimbali back in December 2008, the very limited presence of nickel in the hot water for the preparation of tea was to be ascribed  to causes not directly related to the machines. The cause of these levels has been traced back to some insufficiencies in the daily and proper use of the machines, i.e. insufficient cleaning of the machines and inadequate/ill-adapted use of water softeners. This also taking into account that the hardness of the water distributed in the area is quite variable.

The fact that the European Commission asked Gruppo Cimbali, with the execution of a long term agreement, to take care of the maintenance of the coffee machines is the evidence of a clear sign of trust and estimation of the reliability and quality of Cimbali products.

It is significant that the European Commission has confirmed that the so-called Drinking Water Directive (Directive 98/83/CE) is not applicable to beverages furnished by coffee machines and that the “Guidelines” being approved by the European Council and regarding the presence of metals (including lead and nickel) in foodstuff take in consideration limits which are much higher than those set by the Drinking Water Directive.

Gruppo Cimbali expresses its full satisfaction at the positive conclusion of the issue.