Carlos Eduardo Bitencourt shares his expertise working Northern Italy’s first specialty espresso chain.
BY ISABELLE MANI
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photographs courtesy of Cafezal Milano
Cafezal, which interprets to “espresso farm” in Brazilian Portuguese, is answerable for a trifecta of firsts within the Milanese espresso scene. It’s Milan’s first specialty small-batch roastery, and it operates the Milano Espresso Academy: the town’s first specialty espresso coaching middle. And maybe most notably, it’s additionally the primary specialty espresso chain in Northern Italy.
It was round 2014 that Carlos Eduardo Bitencourt, a Brazilian-born industrial engineer with Italian ancestry and twin citizenship, began partaking extra deeply with espresso. On the time, he was dwelling between London and Milan, working in strategic consulting. Espresso had already change into a private ardour, and through visits to Brazil, he took the chance to discover espresso farms in southern Minas Gerais, gaining firsthand expertise with specialty espresso manufacturing. Again in Europe, he enrolled in roasting programs on the London College of Espresso, deepening his experience.
In 2017, he opened the primary Cafezal location, a boutique café in a contemporary residential district of Milan. To start with, locals had been pleasant however skeptical. “They might say, ‘I such as you, however I believe you’re going to fail. Italians won’t ever pay greater than 1 euro for a espresso. There’s no actual want for ‘higher high quality’ espresso,” Carlos informed Barista Journal.
In the present day, those self same individuals are amongst his most loyal clients and performed a key function in spreading the phrase about Cafezal, bringing in younger professionals, households, and senior residents.
The model has since advanced steadily, and right this moment, Cafezal operates 5 places in Milan, with bold growth plans each inside Italy and overseas. Along with its cafés, Cafezal works with over 40 wholesale purchasers, runs a fast-growing e-commerce platform, and has a robust presence in occasions and catering throughout Italy.
For extra context on the expansion of specialty espresso tradition in Italy, learn our introductory article right here.
Q&A with Carlos Eduardo Bitencourt
Isabelle Mani: How has the Italian specialty espresso market advanced over the previous seven years? How have customers responded to specialty espresso, and what do you see for the way forward for the sector?
Carlos: The specialty espresso market in Italy has grown considerably lately, significantly in cities like Milan and Rome. Again in 2017, we had been one of many first three specialty espresso retailers in Milan and the town’s first small-batch specialty roastery. Initially, we needed to educate the patron, because the market was nearly nonexistent.
I see a vivid future for specialty espresso in Italy. Some key gamers have already consolidated, whereas smaller ones are nonetheless discovering their manner. The rise of specialty espresso tradition has been pushed by rising shopper curiosity and professionalization throughout the trade.
How did customers in Milan embrace Cafezal? What led to the transition from a single location to a series? How did this progress influence your small business and your entrepreneurial imaginative and prescient?
We had been pioneers in Milan and, to some extent, in Italy. We’ve at all times been very clear about our proposal and have by no means compromised on espresso high quality. On the similar time, we discovered that native habits matter tremendously. Milanese customers are deeply hooked up to custom, from basic pastries like brioche (known as ‘cornetto’ in Southern Italy) to the velocity and heat of service. We integrated these cultural parts into our model whereas sustaining a steadiness between custom and innovation.
The growth of Cafezal occurred naturally, pushed by the popularity of our work and the rising demand for specialty coffee- we proceed to respect native tradition whereas pushing the trade ahead.
Baristas play an important function in shaping the shopper expertise at Cafezal. How do you view their function in upholding the craft, partaking with clients, and sustaining respect for Italy’s deep-rooted espresso tradition?
Baristas are basic to what we do. They’re the ultimate level of contact with our clients. Due to our visibility, we obtain a big quantity of job functions. Each week, we get three or 4 resumes from baristas—each Italian and worldwide—who’ve varied ranges of expertise however wish to work critically with espresso.
Our service strategy may be very Italian: fast-paced, attentive, and academic. We deal with sturdy buyer engagement, guaranteeing that service is personalised and by no means detached.
Who’re Cafezal’s major clients? What’s the steadiness between locals and expats? How do you see Cafezal’s function as a social, work, and examine house?
Our buyer base is evenly cut up between locals and vacationers, relying on the situation. A few of our cafés see extra vacationers, whereas others cater primarily to Milanese clients. This enables us to diversify our choices: Locals are likely to choose espresso, whereas vacationers usually go for filter espresso, flat whites, or coffee-based drinks. We additionally incorporate Brazilian, Portuguese, and Latin American influences into our menu, creating an inclusive and welcoming surroundings.
On this sense, do you suppose a extra inclusive, hospitality-driven strategy is simpler than specializing in ‘specialty espresso’ branding?
Cafezal takes a really inclusive strategy to specialty espresso. We don’t consider in being unique or restrictive—our objective is to welcome individuals into our cafés and introduce them to nice espresso in a manner that feels pure and approachable.
Some specialty espresso companies impose inflexible requirements, like banning sugar or limiting service to sure brewing strategies. That’s not our philosophy. We wish clients to take pleasure in our espresso, no matter their degree of experience. This democratic strategy has been a key consider our progress and success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabelle Mani (she/her) is a author, journalist, and communicator specializing within the worldwide espresso trade. Since 2017, she has centered on writing articles and options for varied worldwide espresso information shops. Isabelle has traveled to coffee-producing nations resembling Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda, China, and Brazil to review and analysis espresso. She holds coaching certifications from the Specialty Espresso Affiliation (SCA) and the Espresso High quality Institute (Arabica Q Grading).
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