Story highlights With clever marketing, Renato Bialetti made the Moka espresso maker famous worldwide

Following his death at 93, Bialetti's family buried coffee king in a replica urn

(CNN) His father may have invented the beloved Moka stovetop espresso maker, but Renato Bialetti made it a symbol of Italian style worldwide.

Bialetti died last week at age 93. His three children honored him Tuesday by placing his ashes in a large replica of the coffee pot.

The unusual urn even featured the famous "Omino con i baffi" (meaning "The little man with mustache" in Italian) pictogram printed on every pot.

Died yesterday at 93, Italy raises a cup for Renato Bialetti creator of the beloved little guy on the moka coffeepot pic.twitter.com/Ari8zbLwMz — Living Toronto (@livingtoronto2) February 12, 2016

A symbol of the company since the 1950s, the cartoon is a caricature of Bialetti and was designed to distinguish his pots from those of competitors.

Through clever marketing, Bialetti expanded the business turning the coffee maker into an global sensation. Fast forward 60 years, and the company, which Bialetti sold in the late 1980s, says it has sold more than 200 million Mokas internationally.

Read More