FORT WAYNE, IN, U.S. – The story of Modbar is of friendship and the small experiences that would slowly take shape, creating an espresso machine that pushes boundaries and takes specialty coffee outside of the normal coffee shop. Modbar is a modular added system which is neatly tucked away under the counter, allowing the owner to create their modular bar or Modbar.
When a client comes into an establishment, all they see are taps which are fixed to the counter.
Allowing you to speak to your clientele and form a coffee setup that fits your design, needs, and demand. But how did this clever idea come to be?
In early 2002 two friends named Cory Waldron and Aric Forbing loved playing music, they started a band. Fort Wayne, Indiana USA was the place, a tiny mid-western town where the love for neighbor and friends took as a core value.
Cory had a passion for coffee, growing up with fresh coffee always in the air, Cory was a barista and roaster.
His best friend Aric was more kin on fixing things, he would take vacuum cleaners apart to see what was inside as a kid. Working at a family-owned castings company where they produced automotive and electro-domestic goods Aric learned about engineering and what it took to create.
Corey approached Aric with an idea to bring great coffee into the community and teach about coffee, they would need a different type of espresso machines. Where there was no barrier between a coffee lover and barista. With Aric’s growing skills which ranged from metalwork, woodworking, operating machinery, and IT, they got to work. Jet Steam was born.
The clever idea got the attention of Kent Bakke and Joe Monahan, heads of La Marzocco USA. The project gained speed and finance, with a name change and years of development. The official Modbar was first launched at SCA in 2013.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Modbar story.
