L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano G ood coffee is just like a cud- dle: it's heart- warming, reas- s u r i n g a n d bound to cheer you up. And if there is something that I t a l y a n d t h e U S h a v e i n common, is their love for a q u a l i t y c u p o f c o f f e e . I t s h o u l d n ' t s u r p r i s e , t h e n , that Carlo Di Ruocco, orig- inally from Salerno, saw his dream of roasting and selling Italian-style coffee come true in America, in San Francisco, w h e r e h e f o u n d e d M r . Espresso almost 45 years ago. Today like yesterday, M r . E s p r e s s o i s p r o u d o f being a family-run business, guided by principles such as quality and sustainability. We of L'Italo-Ameri- cano had a chat with Luigi Di Ruocco, who runs the company along with his sib- lings, John and Laura. With h i m , w e t a l k e d a b o u t h i s father's beginnings in Saler- no, the importance of quality c o f f e e a n d m a n y o t h e r things. All while, of course, sipping una buona tazzina di caffè! Mr. Espresso comes from the dream of Carlo Di Ruocco. A dream born i n S a l e r n o , b u t t h a t became a reality in San Francisco. Can you tell u s s o m e t h i n g m o r e about how it all turned into a reality? My father, Carlo Di Ruoc- co, came to the Bay Area in 1967: espresso was hard to f i n d b a c k t h e n . H a v i n g g r o w n u p i n S a l e r n o a n d having worked for a coffee roaster there, he knew how delicious coffee could be. He m i s s e d t h e N e a p o l i t a n - style caffè — rich in flavor, complex and bittersweet. Driven by his passion for coffee and leaning into his mechanical skills as an eleva- t o r e n g i n e e r , h e b e g a n importing Italian espresso machines. It was 1978 when Mr. Espresso was launched, offering machine sales and service. He also shared his barista skills, mentoring café o w n e r s t o p r o d u c e g o o d espresso. Initially, operations ran out of the family garage and it was solely a family b u s i n e s s . M y f a t h e r , m y mother, Marie Françoise, along with my older siblings, John and Laura, were the only staff. The business flourished, but my father still longed for his Neapolitan-style espres- so. The only way to achieve that flavor, he decided, was to roast the beans himself over oak wood—a craft he'd learned as a young man. With the arrival of a tradi- tional-style, Italian-made, wood-fired roaster in 1981, my father began roasting beans in a truly authentic Italian style: he was the first in the Bay Area. At the same time, a food movement had been taking hold. The farm- to-table chefs, such as Alice Waters, Bradley Ogden, and Jeremiah Tower, wanted a d e l i c i o u s , c r a f t e d c o f f e e offering to complement their menu. They found it in our espresso. Today, we continue o u r c o m m i t m e n t t o o u r restaurant industry partners: they've been an important part of our success from the start. You are Italian-Ameri- can and yours is a fami- ly-run business, so fami- ly is important...how do family values get to work in the company ethos? The business was born about the same time I was. It's been part of our family forever, so it's often hard to separate the two. Our family c u l t u r e h a s a l w a y s b e e n about gathering around a table, over a simple meal prepared with quality ingre- dients. It's a ritual. My father often tells this story: his own father passed when he was very young. He was one of the youngest of seven chil- dren supported by a single mother in WWII Italy: food was scarce in their house- hold. But, on Sundays, their mother would gather fresh, quality ingredients to pre- pare a family dinner. This precious ritual brought them together and, for a moment each week, they could forget the hardship they faced oth- erwise. So it goes back to quality. Sourcing our beans is where the process starts. We pur- chase our beans from coffee farmers who are committed to the land through sustain- able practices. By offering premiums to these produc- ers, we help strengthen the communities where the cof- fee comes from. In turn, we can offer a quality product to o u r c u s t o m e r s . W e a r e always committed to produc- ing a coffee our customers can be proud to serve at their table and that, at the same time, is ethically sourced. Another aspect of family that resonates at Mr. Espres- so is our support of staff's work/life balance. Family comes first: we recognize and honor that, and we believe it is proven by the longevity of our staff. One-third of them have been with us for over 20 years! It also carries over into the integrity we bring to our relationships with clients. We celebrate the fledgling mom- and-pop businesses: we were once there. We celebrate the legacy businesses: with two generations working side-by- side, we know that, too. We celebrate our long-term cus- tomers: their loyalty has seen us through. The bottom line is, as a family, we never for- get where we came from – and we believe it has made us stronger. Mr. Espresso has also a big heart, as the compa- ny is directly involved in important charities. Can you tell us more about it? It's not something we feel completely comfortable talk- ing about. It's just something that we do because it's the right thing. Currently, we are donating a portion of sales of our most popular coffee to t w o l o c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s : Community Kitchens and E a s t O a k l a n d C o l l e c t i v e . Through the great work of these two organizations in marginalized communities, we can act on our passion for food justice. We regularly join our local community of hospitality professionals at fundraisers to support the important work of organizations such as Make-a-Wish Foundation, Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, and Project Open Hand. During the pandemic, w e d o n a t e d o v e r 5 , 0 0 0 pounds of coffee to various groups through our "In Our Hearts" initiative. Oak wood roasted coffee was distrib- uted through many small, local organizations (commu- nity, homeless, and senior centers) as well as through larger ones like San Francis- c o - M a r i n F o o d B a n k a n d Alameda County Food Bank. W e r e a c h e d u n e m p l o y e d restaurant workers with cof- fee donations through World Central Kitchen and the Lee Initiative and we reached overworked frontline hospi- tal staff through local efforts. During Northern California's wildfires, we have begun cof- fee outreach to first respon- ders and sheltered evacuees. We derive great pleasure from a good cup of coffee. If we can share that with peo- ple in need, even better. You're about to open the first Mr. Espresso brick-and-mortar café in Oakland: what can we expect from it? It's been a long time com- ing! We are excited to be able to offer a beautiful contem- porary space that gives a nod to the Italian coffee bar expe- rience. Unlike American cof- fee shops, there will be no l i n e - u p . A s i n I t a l y , c u s - tomers will approach the bar, order their beverage from the barista, and be welcome to remain in place to enjoy it. We look forward to having t h i s s p a c e t o e x p a n d o u r presence, provide a setting for old and new friends to gather, and introduce some new things — while always offering our father's endur- ing Neapolitan Blend. STAFF The Di Ruocco family: all of them are still involved in the family business! (Photo courtesy of Mr. Espresso) A perfect Neapolitan coffee in San Francisco? Yes, thanks to Mr. Espresso! LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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