The fight for Italy’s 1 euro espresso

Micah Sherer of roaster Skylark Coffee says: “The two countries that produce the world’s largest coffee, Brazil and Vietnam, have both had poor harvests due to poor rain conditions, which is pushing the price up. But in a few years it will get worse due to climate change.”

Pettinari adds: “Coffee is a very delicate plant and requires certain conditions to produce good fruit. You need a certain altitude – over 1600 meters above sea level – and you need a tropical climate. Farmers are forced to climb further up the mountains year after year, and because mountains are pyramids, the higher you go, the less acreage is available.”

Attacks by Houthi rebels on cargo ships in the Red Sea earlier this year also hit supplies of coffee beans and contributed to a rise in prices.

Italy may be forced to finally accept a “third wave” of coffee

The “third wave” of coffee, a movement focused on higher quality and for which consumers were willing to pay higher prices, came to the UK in the early 2000s. But the cultural change from super-cheap espresso to 4-euro cappuccino hasn’t really caught on among Italians.

“Before the third wave, there wasn’t much coffee culture in the UK – it was something new, so there was a boom,” explains Pettinari.

“In Italy there was such a strong coffee culture that we had to tear down that wall before we could create something new. But the big coffee companies don’t want that because it means they lose profits. Currently they can buy a bag of green coffee for a dollar per kilo and sell it to the coffee shops for $25.”

But dragging Italians into the third wave of coffee and higher prices that the rest of Europe has become accustomed to could prove a Sisyphean task, says Luigi Morello of the Italian Espresso Institute.

“The taste changes, including that of the Italians, but suddenly it goes from a full-bodied coffee, which tends to be balanced with hints of dried fruits and toast, to a less full-bodied coffee with floral aromas that are sometimes fruity and have a sour taste , is not an easy step. Italians drink espresso, not milk drinks, and that also makes a difference in terms of taste.”

However, Pettinari argues that sooner or later a price increase will have to occur to reflect higher product quality and changes in the supply chain.

“Super cheap espresso prices should not be maintained. You reduce the quality of the coffee over time by keeping it at a certain price level. That hasn’t really changed in 25 years, while everything else has increased four or five times – coffee prices should reflect that if it comes from the right source and is made by a good barista on a good machine.

“Not to piss people off, but to reflect the quality of the product you’re selling.”