Here, we catch up with the first of our CMx™ - Italy Roasters, Francesco Sanapo from Ditta Artigianale and Paolo Scimone from His Majesty The Coffee, to find out more about the Italian coffee scene.
Interview with Francesco Sanapo, Owner, Ditta Artigianale
When did you first realise you were passionate about coffee?
It was my father who encouraged me at first and sparked my love for the barista profession. I became instantly curious about the world of coffee, which inspired me to attend specilaised courses and travel to origin. I competed for 3 years in the Italian barista championships, winning first place. In 2014, when I felt ready to get involved on another level, I opened Ditta Artigianale: the first roaster dedicated to specialty coffee in Italy. It is our hope to encourage a different way of thinking and understanding of coffee; embracing glorious Italian coffee traditions whilst pushing boundaries.
What do you think of the specialty coffee scene in Italy?
It’s growing stronger and gleaning more interest from new generations every day. Opening a business related to specialty coffee requires a lot of study and a lot of preparation and not everyone is aware of how much hard work it is. The Milan Coffee Festival will surely help with this.
How do you imagine specialty coffee in Italy in 5 years’ time?
I hope that in Italian coffee shops and bars we will start talking differently about coffee. Not mentioning the brand but telling its story: the origin, the botanical variety to which it belongs to and so on. A little like how it is done in the world of wine, with simple language. The role of the barista is and will always be key in communicating the uniqueness of each cup to the consumer.
Tell us the reasons why you decided to take part in the CMx™ - Italy project?
It’s an exciting competition which highlights the importance of the barista profession, often still relegated to a secondary role within the hospitality chain.
The barista is actually a fundamental figure for the development of specialty coffee in Italy because they are sort of a coffee sommelier. CMx™ - Italy in my opinion will energise the baristas to do better, motivate them and will also create greater awareness of how important their figure is in conveying messages to the consumer.
(Interview originally in Italian)
Ditta Artigianale is a micro-roastery with three coffee bars in the center of Florence. Born from an idea by Francesco Sanapo, Ditta Artigianale offers a range of coffees selected at origin, thanks to a constant relationship with local farmers. The coffees are served with a roasting of less than a month, to offer customers a unique and quality taste experience, which is the outcome of careful processing but also of a perfect synergy between passionate people who are committed to constatly promoting the coffee culture.
Interview with Paolo Scimone, Owner, His Majesty The Coffee (HMC)
When did you first reaslise you were passionate about coffee?
When I was 11 years old. Every summer I went to stay with my parents in Val d'Aosta where they ran a hotel. I really enjoyed preparing coffee for the customers, even at such a young age!
However, the real spark came 10 years later: when I moved to London to learn English whilst working as a barista. As soon as I got back to Italy, I bought an old coffee shop and started on renovations.
A few years later I went to work for a roaster, where I learned all the tricks of the trade before launching ‘His Majesty The Coffee’. We opened our roastery in Monza in 2013.
What do you think of the specialty coffee scene in Italy?
The coffee community is solid and expanding. There has certainly been a lot of progress since 2013, but the scene is still a little restricted to just a handful of experts. I think if we talked about coffee in a simpler and more engaging way we could involve more people.
How do you imagine specialty coffee in Italy in 5 years’ time?
I believe that what has happened with microbreweries will happen in specialty coffee: lots of smaller roasters will start to emerge across Italy.
Large companies will also start to embrace new brewing methods as consumers’ taste change. This will help spread the culture of specialty coffee and, probably, also lower the cost.
Which of the CMx™ - Italy diciplines are you looking forward to the most?
Uh, difficult choice. But I would say The Espresso Blend, or The Origin. Both are really interesting.
(Interview originally in Italian)
His Majesty the Coffee is micro-roastery and one of the first companies in Italy dealing only with specialty coffee. HMC was founded by Paolo Scimone in 2013 after 10 years of experience in the industry combining the Italian tradition and the third wave approach. Paolo is a Q-Grader for arabica and robusta, SCA AST (Specialty Coffee Association Authorised Trainer), trainer for the International Institute of Coffee Tasting (IIAC) and trainer & co-founder of Italian Roasting School (IRS).
Are you one of Italy's best Baristas? Applications for CMx™ - Italy are now open: click here to apply.