Pittsburgh is a city with plenty of coffee history, and that story starts long before the popular advent of third wave coffee. Italian immigrants brought coffee culture to Pittsburgh (along with a lot of delicious food and beautiful churches), and the city has deep roots for distinctly Italian-American expressions of cafe life and espresso appreciation. One of those companies is La Prima Espresso, which originally launched as a dedicated hub for espresso equipment, and today has become one of the city’s most important nodes of coffee culture with a distinctly Italian flair. We’re honored to have the opportunity to share this story today, focused on La Prima’s recent expansion and continued essential role as a Pittsburgh coffee hub.
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
As told to Sprudge by Gigi Harris.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
The foundation of La Prima Espresso Co. was established in 1988 within Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District. What began as a showroom for commercial espresso equipment quickly evolved into a destination for those seeking a true Italian coffee experience. Over the decades, that original showroom became a landmark, a must-stop for locals and visitors alike who appreciate the art of a perfectly prepared espresso.
Today, La Prima remains a veteran-owned business guided by a singular mission: to procure, roast, and serve premium coffees that honor the traditions of Italy while respecting the global community. We are committed to working in a manner that is respectful to our employees, our environment, and the dedicated farmers who grow our coffee.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
We recently added an expansion to prioritize front office operations and expand our production capabilities. We now have designated office spaces, functioning bag rooms for our production team that allow for quicker processing time, and more room in our warehouse. The new office space includes a conference room for strategy meetings and coffee tastings, and also features La Prima artwork from local artists.
The additional space in the warehouse allows for us to meet the rate of demand better than ever before. We have more storage space for beans, machines, and all cafe equipment. We also have room for new technology, including a “weigh and fill” for bagging beans, and even our second roaster that is coming around March 2027.
What’s your approach to coffee?
We specialize in authentic Italian style espresso. For us this means high quality coffee from direct trades and partnerships. While our coffee is for everyone, we seem to appeal to the die hard coffee lovers, as we try hard to have complex flavor profiles that are representative of the places they were grown. We have a rotating selection of single origins so there is always something new, and something for everyone. Our coffee is an experience that allows for community to come together and build upon itself.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We just ordered our second roaster, a Loring S35 Kestral. This is so we can double our roasting capacity and better meet demand.
Our Strip District location has two Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Wave machines to meet the high volume of customers.
How is your project considering sustainability?
When looking into roasters we wanted one that was eco friendly. Lorings have minimal exhaust and produce was less carbon than some other roasters.
Our new facility has a garden out front that grows vegetables and flowers, which has become a small feeding ground for insects and small animals in the area.
Some of our coffees are “bird friendly” and we hope to continue expanding upon that.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We are open! We do have an open house coming up this August 28 to celebrate the new expansion and all other recent updates. This will be a moment to celebrate with our wholesale partners, family, and friends.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
For our building itself we worked with a contractor, Carl, who was there for every step of the process and was a major help.
We also feature artwork from a long time friend of our owner, Sam Patti. This artwork is focused around La Prima and is even featured in several of our locations.
Thank you!
No, thank YOU!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
