CAGLIARI – Andrea Pettinari keeps enlightening Sardinia with the light of Specialty Coffee from his “lighthouse”: Caffè dell’Arte Specialty Coffee. After releasing his latest coffee, “Impressionismo”, he came out with some thoughts. A significant point of view that will help us understand how Sardinia, far from mainland Italy, is facing the slowly approaching Third Wave.
Pettinari, how has your event game changed?
Pettinari: “Events have always been the way we could measure the interest of locals for specialty coffee. In our hometown, Cagliari (Sardinia), it is a growing factor.
At the very beginning of our adventure, in 2013 – when our roastery was still just a dream – events were quite different. They involved not so many people and there was a sense of fellowship, like being part of an exclusive newborn club. But that was the beginning, the moment when everything started and that led to the growth that we see nowadays.
First data we can observe is age: people who attend our events go from early 20’s to late 60’s, with a slight majority in the 25-35 section.
The vast majority of people who attend our events aren’t professional baristas or people working in ho.re.ca.
There’s a good variety among this community, but the main theme among them is the attention to raw material, sustainability and ethics.
If compared to our beginnings, we changed the way we organize releasing events
Back in the days we used to set up a two-hours long event in the afternoon, with our guests all together at the same time to taste the newly released coffee and listen to its story.
For the first four or five events, this method paid off, but it’s been suddenly clear that this kind of event had no future. It lacked flexibility.
So we decided to change our game. Events evolved into something softer: a two-morning long time span during the weekend, so that everyone can find a little time to come and enjoy the experience.
The storytelling has changed as well. Now we explain the new coffee to the customers at the table, engaging them more.
Another change we made involves food
When it all started, everything revolved around coffee only.
It was a hardcore way that forced our guests to focus only on coffee, and while it might have been a good point for professionals, other guests might have felt a little intimidated.
Hence the idea of adding food to our modus operandi.
As we already said, food – especially brunch – is a good way to generate more interest in high quality coffee.
We use an open formula for our events now. Freedom” is king. There’s nothing fixed, and our customers can pair their coffee with every kind of food from our gourmet brunch menu. We always prepare a special dish for the day, that pairs perfectly with the coffee we’re releasing, but, as we said, freedom is king.
During our latest release event, we paired an anaerobic Castillo from our Colombian friend Felipe Restrepo with a special Tiramisù French Toast.
This coffee has some very interesting tasting notes, such as black cherries, wine must and dark chocolate, so we thought a french toast made as a tiramisù would have been the perfect pair.
Pettinari: “Freedom is king”
We give our guests complete freedom in choosing extraction methods and food pairings. We may suggest what’s best, but we never force our guests on a certain path.
We can affirm this is what works best for us. This is the way we manage to involve people and raise interest about quality coffee in our hometown, having fun and making our guests have fun as well.
“Does this kind of event really work? And why?”
Pettinari answers: “It works because people always want to discover something new , and when this occurs in a relaxed environment it’s even better.
Curiosity is the main drive. It’s what pushes people to attend events like ours.
Creating the right atmosphere, the right environment, is something that absolutely contributes to making the event a success.
But true success can’t be measured on a single event. Every event has to be seen as part of a journey.
When our guests get truly involved, they come back to attend more and more events, gaining more skills and becoming even more interested in the world of quality coffee.
I think it’s a good way to grow interest in specialty coffee, whether you’re a roaster or a cafè owner.
The goal remains the same: spreading culture about our beloved beverage. We all need to involve new people and create new consciousness in what we care for.
Caffè dell’Arte Specialty Coffee offers everyday a gourmet brunch menu with vegan options.
