L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 L'Italo-Americano T h e l o v e s t o r y between coffee a n d I t a l y i s strong, just like o u r e s p r e s s o . Caffé is more than a drink, more than a morning pick- me-up, more than a perfect note to end our meals with. It means to relax, it means conviviality. We Italians love our coffee and, let's face it, we're connoisseurs: whether it's a shot in a pretty tazzina or a foamy cappuccino, we know how a good cup must taste like: smooth, aromatic, and strong the right way. T h e r e i s n o t h i n g w e g e t fussy about as much as cof- fee except, perhaps, how al d e n t e p a s t a s h o u l d b e cooked. Coffee is, certainly, one of the most well-known prod- ucts of our made in Italy: o u r b r a n d s a r e f a m o u s around the world for their quality and their incompara- ble aroma. Yet, there has always been a missing tas- sel: farming. Even our best brands are made with beans t h a t c o m e f r o m a b r o a d , from the so-called "coffee belt:" located between the two tropics, it is formed by 70 countries in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia, all having in common t h e s a m e c l i m a t e o f t h e p l a c e w h e r e c o f f e e o r i g i - nates from: Ethiopia. Key to g r o w i n g t h e b e s t c o f f e e p l a n t s a r e m i l d t e m p e r a - tures, the alternating pat- tern of rain and dry season, rich soil, and gentle sun, all characteristics we find in countries like Peru, India, or Colombia, known for some of the best kava in the world. But Italy has always had a dream, that of growing her own beans, of having a cof- fee that is not only roasted in Italy but also "grown in Italy," and today, thanks to the intuition of a Sicilian family who has been in the coffee business for a centu- ry, the dream may become t r u e . T h e r e i s a p l a c e , i n Palermo, where coffee is not only roasted and brewed to perfection but also grown with care and love: yes, cof- f e e f r o m S i c i l y , 1 0 0 % Italian. It hasn't been a simple t a s k , f o r t h e M o r e t t i n o family. For over 30 years, they had tried to grow their coffee, but with little luck. Then, something changed: perhaps, it's because of the i n c r e a s i n g t e m p e r a t u r e s we've been registering in Italy, and in our South in particular; perhaps it's been a sign of fate, but last spring, the Morettino coffee planta- tion produced 30 kg (about 60 lbs) of coffee. "Grown in I t a l y , " " M a d e i n I t a l y , " "loved by Italy." B u t t h e a d v e n t u r e o f caffé Morettino started much earlier. It was 1920 when Angelo Morettino - who owned a spice shop in the historic borough of San L o r e n z o a i C o l l i , i n Palermo, and had a passion for good coffee - decided it was time to give Palermitans the best brew in town. In t i m e , c a f f é M o r e t t i n o became synonymous with quality, but also with care and respect for nature, with making authentic coffee cul- ture known, and with love for the family's land, Sicily, her traditions, scents, and colors. Today, all of this can be found in Morettino's coffee blends, as well as in their company, which is commit- t e d t o c r e a t i n g a s p e c i a l bond between products and the culture and traditions of Sicily. L'Italo-Americano had the pleasure to chat with Andrea Morettino, sales marketing manager of the company, who told us more about his family's relation- ship with coffee and with S i c i l y , a n d a b o u t h o w a seemingly impossible dream may just, in the end, come true. Y o u r b u s i n e s s h a s recently celebrated its 1 0 0 t h b i r t h d a y . H o w important are tradition and family values for its success and in the many i n n o v a t i v e i d e a s y o u propose? It was the 1920s and our family sold spices. That's w h e n o u r 1 0 0 - y e a r s - o l d story of real love for coffee b e g a n . G i v i n g t h e f a m i l y name to our roasting com- pany was a distinguishing choice, made to transmit to all our customers the dedi- cation, passion, and natural vocation for quality we put in every product. We are, still today, a family business that focuses on slow, tradi- tional roasting, while mov- ing towards the future with a strong interest in sustain- a b i l i t y . O u r f a m i l y i s involved in all the main sec- tors of the business, which means we managed to safe- g u a r d t h e v a l u e s w e ' v e always believed in and to maintain continuity, impor- tant factors when you want to understand the way mar- kets evolve and to pursue a vision of sustainable and digital innovation. Love for coffee, love for nature, love for cul- ture, and love for Sicily: these are your key val- u e s . C a n y o u t e l l u s more about them? They are beacons of our work, in every way. Respect for produce and nature is at FRANCESCA BEZZONE Andrea e Arturo Morettino are realizing their dream: a coffee fully and truly "made in Italy" (Photo courtesy of Caffé Morettino) Morettino: the dream of a "grown in Italy" coffee comes from Sicily NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Continued to page 12

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