Slow drum roasting, and what it changes in the cup
Roasting is where green coffee becomes coffee. It is one of the very few stages that genuinely distinguishes one roaster from another, and it is almost always explained either in marketing language or in terms so technical that a buyer cannot act on them. It is worth setting out plainly. What happens in the drum […]
Why a family roastery can be a better partner
Family businesses tend to talk about themselves in sentimental terms: passion, tradition, generations. For a buyer none of that is decisive. The interesting question is narrower and more practical — what does family ownership change about how the company actually behaves when you are working with it? Decisions take fewer steps This is the one […]
How Italian espresso travels to other markets
Italian coffee arrives in most markets with a reputation already attached. It helps enormously at the first meeting and it almost never survives the first tasting unchanged, because what people actually drink varies far more than the reputation suggests. For anyone distributing Italian coffee abroad, the gap between the two is the whole job. The […]
What “roasted to order” actually means for your supply
The phrase appears on a great many websites, ours included, and it is rarely explained in terms a buyer can act on. It describes a genuine choice about how a roastery is organised, and that choice has consequences for freshness, for lead times and for how far ahead you need to plan. Two ways of […]
SIGEP Asia 2026: new relationships across the Asia-Pacific market
From 15 to 17 July we took part in SIGEP Asia, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. The event gathers foodservice professionals, buyers, importers, distributors and HoReCa operators from across the Asia-Pacific region — a part of the world where Italian coffee arrives with a strong reputation and very […]
Warsaw Food Expo 2026: our first meeting with the Polish market
From 9 to 11 June we exhibited at Warsaw Food Expo, at stand E3.45 in Hall E of Ptak Warsaw Expo, in Nadarzyn just outside Warsaw. It was our first trade fair in Poland, and a deliberate step in how we are building our presence outside Italy. We went with a simple question in mind: […]
Beans, ground, pods or capsules: which format for which venue
The format decision is usually made on price and then regretted on operations. It is worth thinking through properly, because each format suits a different kind of venue, a different level of staff skill and a different rhythm of service — and most venues end up needing more than one. Whole beans The best cup […]
Nine Questions to Ask Before Signing with a Coffee Supplier
Most supply relationships go wrong over things nobody asked about at the beginning. Not price — price is always discussed — but the practical arrangements that only become visible when something needs to happen quickly. These are the questions worth putting on the table in the first meeting, with us or with anyone else. 1. […]
What hotels and restaurants should expect from a coffee supplier
In hospitality, coffee is often the last thing a guest tastes before they leave. It is also one of the very few items served hundreds of times a day, by different people, on different shifts, under different levels of pressure. That combination makes the choice of supplier an operational decision rather than a purchasing one. […]
What private label coffee actually involves
Putting your own brand on coffee sounds straightforward until you start. Most of the work happens before the first bag is produced, and it is worth knowing what those steps are before you approach a roaster — partly so you can judge the answers you get, partly so the first conversation is useful rather than […]