The archive · Product Ideas · Marketing decision · 2026
De'Longhi turns five coffee machines into tiny cafés — Cannes Industry Craft Grand Prix
With model-maker Simon Weisse, De'Longhi handcrafts five machines into miniature cafés — proving café-quality coffee belongs at home.
De'Longhi · LOLA Madrid
What it had to solve
More than 80% of coffee is consumed at home, yet 72% of consumers still believed the best coffee could only be found in a café; De'Longhi concluded that listing machine features would not close that perception gap.
How it works
Despite more than 80% of coffee being consumed at home, consumer research revealed a perception gap: 72% of people still believed the 'best coffee' could only be found in a café. De'Longhi concluded that simply communicating the quality of its at-home machines would not be enough — consumers needed to experience the idea.
The company partnered with creative agency LOLA Madrid and master model-maker Simon Weisse, whose miniature work appears in Wes Anderson films, to transform five fully automatic bean-to-cup machines — Rivelia, Magnifica Evo Next, Eletta Ultra, Eletta Explore and PrimaDonna — into handcrafted miniature cafés inspired by Milan, Tokyo, Paris, Copenhagen and Berlin.
The façades took over 1,500 hours of traditional model-making, with miniature windows revealing the machines' display screens and removable roofs allowing access for water refills. Debuting at Milan Design Week with an experiential pop-up in the Brera district, the 'World's Smallest Coffee Shop' was followed by a stop-motion film by director Sam Walker set in a miniature Berlin café called Haus Eletta.
The machines themselves became the argument: café culture sitting on the kitchen counter. The campaign won the Industry Craft Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2026 and the Platino at El Sol 2026, and expanded into a global platform across retail, social, digital and experiential channels.
Why it lands
- It answered a perception gap with physical proof instead of product claims.
- Craft was the message — 1,500 hours of handmade detail embodied the brand's precision.
- The product was the medium: machines became miniature destinations people photograph and share.
- It connected home coffee to café ritual emotionally through five iconic coffee cities.
- The stop-motion film and Milan Design Week made the idea experiential, not just an ad.
What it did
Turned the campaign into a global platform spanning retail, social, digital and experiential work; won the Cannes Lions 2026 Industry Craft Grand Prix and El Sol Platino, making 'café quality at home' a physical, shareable statement.
What you can take
To shift a perception, build the proof as an object: putting miniature cafés on the countertop lets people see the claim instead of hearing it.
Since then
The campaign evolved from a Milan Design Week activation into a global platform spanning retail, social, digital and experiential work, and the five machines remain showcased on De'Longhi's campaign site. It earned the Industry Craft Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2026 and the Platino at El Sol 2026, and is now cited as a reference for craft-led product marketing that turns a functional appliance into a brand experience.
Sources
- DeLonghi: Tiny Coffee Shops (case study)
- Tiny Coffee Shops — five machines, five cities, one collection
- De'Longhi celebrates coffee culture and craftsmanship in the 'World's Smallest Coffee Shop'
- Night Two At Cannes Lions, And The Award Goes To...
- Wes Anderson collaborator turns 5 coffee machines into stunning city scenes
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