Show Notes
Would you call the police over a €2 espresso?
It actually happened to Francesco Sanapo.
Francesco is a three-time Italian Barista Champion and the co-founder of Ditta Artigianale, the specialty coffee group challenging tradition from inside one of the most tradition-bound coffee cultures in the world.
In this episode, Francesco explains why Italy’s famous €1 espresso is no longer sustainable, what happened when an angry customer called the police over a €2 decaf, and why charging more only works when cafés deliver better coffee, better storytelling and better hospitality.
We also trace Francesco’s journey from washing cups and secretly studying customer orders to reaching the World Barista Championship final and building Ditta Artigianale across Florence and Milan.
Then we get into Italian modern espresso, why specialty cafés around the world are beginning to look exactly the same, how to expand without stripping the soul from your business, and Francesco’s deceptively simple advice for the entire specialty coffee industry:
Be nice.
If you’re new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves that at the end of the day, it’s just coffee!
CHAPTERS!
00:00 The €2 Espresso That Brought the Police01:07 How to Pronounce Ditta Artigianale01:37 Riverina Fresh02:30 Is the Macchiato Overrated?05:02 From Washing Cups to Making Coffee06:55 Compete for Yourself09:38 Taking Italy to the World Stage11:14 The Moment Francesco Changed His Life13:05 Why He Had to Open a Café14:15 Italy’s Coffee Contract Problem17:39 Expanding Without Becoming a Chain20:41 Why Espresso Still Costs €1 in Italy23:34 The Customer Who Called the Police25:20 How Cafés Can Raise Their Prices26:33 Italian Coffee vs Australian Coffee29:38 Has Italian Espresso Fallen Behind?31:23 What Is Italian Modern Espresso?34:33 Why Specialty Cafés All Look the Same37:19 Francesco Reveals His Next Milan Café39:10 Free Espresso for IJC Listeners40:08 Specialty Coffee Needs Nicer Baristas42:00 Where to Find Francesco
Find Francesco and Ditta Artigianale:
Francesco Sanapo: https://www.instagram.com/sanapofrancesco/Ditta Artigianale: https://www.instagram.com/dittaartigianale/Website: https://dittaartigianale.com/
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Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.
Proudly sponsored by:
APAX LAB: https://apaxlab.com/Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/
Thanks for listening!
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