L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano the heart of every moment of the coffee roasting and coffee-making process, from bean to cup. We select care- fully the best beans directly in their countries of origin, thanks to our collaboration with small local producers, respecting their communi- ties and the work of people in the plantations. Our arti- sanal and sustainable coffee processing is based on the full control - made with sci- ence and knowledge - of the w h o l e p r o d u c t i o n c h a i n , w i t h a f o c u s o n q u a l i t y , wholesomeness, and keep- i n g t h e p r o c e s s e t h i c a l . We've always believed that non c'è sapore senza sapere ("there is no flavor without knowledge"), which means it is fundamental to pass on k n o w l e d g e a n d c r e a t e awareness of authentic cof- fee culture in our customers. With this aim, we've been developing a series of key c u l t u r a l a s s e t s l i k e t h e Museo del Caffé, the Scuola del Caffé, and the Morettino Coffee Lab, pr ojects that aim at making people curi- ous about the world of cof- fee, at making them learn about it. Our desire to pro- mote culture goes beyond the world of coffee: we feel deeply connected with our land and we want to make its traditions known. We're actively committed to the development of our region through a series of collabo- rations with important cul- tural realities of Sicily like t h e F o n d a z i o n e T e a t r o Massimo, the Fondazione Federico II, the Museo delle M a r i o n e t t e A n t o n i o Pasqualino in Palermo, and many others. How and why did the idea of growing coffee in Sicily come about? And w h a t w o u l d m e a n t o achieve it, both for your brand and the environ- ment? The project was born 30 y e a r s a g o t h a n k s t o m y father, Antonio Morettino. During one of his trips to the Lands of Coffee, he fell in love with plantations and started thinking about grow- ing coffee here, in Sicily. Thanks to a batch of seeds d o n a t e d b y P a l e r m o ' s Botanical Gardens, which we planted in our "roasting garden," coffee plants grew here, in the open air, coura- g e o u s l y a d a p t i n g t o t h e S i c i l i a n c l i m a t e a n d t o a much higher latitude than t h a t o f t h e " C o f f e e B e l t . " This year, those seeds finally gave us a good, abundant harvest, and a very fine cof- fee indeed, of great sensorial intensity. Nature passed us a message that needs to be lis- tened to and valued. We've been witnessing profound climatic changes and this is something we need to reflect u p o n . W e n e e d t o t h i n k about the present and the future of the Earth, which has been showing signs of intolerance, and about the risks all this represents for l o c a l c r o p s . A t t h e s a m e time, we also found unex- pected potential in it, as the success of tropical fruit pro- d u c t i o n i n S i c i l y d e m o n - strated. We're planning to expand our ambitious exper- imental project with further trials, some of which have already started in areas of the island we chose based on their terroir. It's an open project we've been develop- ing with the Università degli Studi of Palermo and the Botanical Gardens, along w i t h a l l t h e f a r m e r s a n d researchers who're willing to offer their contribution. What's the relation- ship between Sicily and coffee culture? When we speak about coffee, we usually think of Naples, but Palermo shouldn't be underestimated! Coffee is a ritual in Sicily, a symbol of conviviality and hospitality, whose roots lie deep into our millenary cul- ture. Legends say it was the Arabs who brought coffee to t h e i s l a n d , s o m e t i m e s around the year 1000. Since then, drinking coffee means acceptance and integration, it is a common ritual of our days, a warm welcome, or a meaningful goodbye. Here in Sicily, sometimes, when we want to make peace with someone, we say "It doesn't matter, it's nothing. Let's have a coffee." Y o u r o f f e r a w i d e v a r i e t y o f c o f f e e s a n d coffee-making instru- m e n t s . T h i s i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t i n l i g h t o f y o u r p r e s e n c e o n t h e international market, b u t a l s o t o h e l p u s Italians appreciate how delicious quality coffee i s . W h a t d o y o u t h i n k about it? M o r e t t i n o a l w a y s p a i d attention to quality, and this helped us reach a segment of the international market interested in high-quality, m a d e i n I t a l y p r o d u c t s : we've been paying attention to it. We want to keep the caffé all'Italiana tradition alive, but also take in new trends and habits, all while maintaining the artisanal a p p r o a c h M o r e t t i n o i s known for. This vision is behind the creation, some years ago, of the Morettino Coffee Lab, a micro-roasting project that brings together old, traditional know-how and innovation. It's a global a p p r o a c h i n t e r e s t e d i n interpreting new genera- tions' consumer trends. This is an always-evolving uni- verse, as demonstrated by the effects of the coffee third wave and also of the succes- s i v e o n e s , w h i c h s h o w a g r o w i n g i n t e r e s t i n t h i s extraordinary drink. Today, requests for authentic, certi- fied products are high and, t h r o u g h o u r w e b s i t e w w w . m o r e t t i n o . c o m , w e receive many orders every day. We are happy to fulfill them and to deliver high- q u a l i t y , a r t i s a n a l c o f f e e from Sicily to more than 40 countries in the world. NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Coffee beans, while still on the plant: the Morettino family managed to get quite a harvest this year (Photo courtesy of Caffé Morettino) Continued from page 10 100% made in Italy, from bean to cup (Photo courtesy of Caffé Morettino)

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