MILAN – The series of interviews with our barista and trained professionals who have chosen to live and make the most of their skills abroad continues: once again from United Kingdom, we spoke with Alessandro Zengiaro, the 2020 Uk Latte Art champion, to ask him to tell us what it means to leave home to establish yourself as a professional in a different country: how different is it and why did he choose it? The man himself explained it to us.
Zengiaro, why did you decide to work in London, for a roastery? What was it about this company?
“The decision to move to London came about simply from my desire to learn discover new things and perhaps have a different experience. Initially the choice was between London, Melbourne and Amsterdam, and after a lot of thoughts, I decided that London would was the right destination for my needs. And the way these two and a half years have gone, I can say that it has paid off. What do I do? I work for a coffee roastery, Assembly Coffee, specifically in the Account Management and Technical Department. I mainly deal with the “technical” side of things, i.e. following up on repairs and maintaining our customers’ equipment, along with managing the stock of spare parts and much more.
Another legitimate question: what did you have to study to work as a technician at Assembly? Actually, it was my experience and qualities developed in the coffee world that helped me more than a degree. I was the right person for the job because the company was looking for a person with knowledge of this the beverage and, above all, with skills in coffee preparation rather than more technical skills.”
Zengiaro, if you were to make a comparison between roasting in Italy and the UK, what would you tell us?
“On an operational level, I would say that there are no major differences: both commercial and specialty coffee roasters work very similarly to their Italian counterparts. The real difference, which is interesting, is in the numbers: the demand for speciality coffee in the UK is not comparable to the demand in Italy. comparable to what we have in Italy. This type of coffee is not to be considered a niche market here in the UK.
Although the amount of commercial coffee is higher, speciality coffee is still a significant segment. Even pubs and restaurants often opt for a speciality proposition rather than offering a commercial coffee to serve to their customers.”
Zengiaro, you are not one of the many Italians in the coffee sector who have returned home, thanks to Brexit and Covid: why did you stay?
“Because it was the right thing to do. As far as Brexit is concerned, I knew before I left that it would go through and so I was prepared. So far it hasn’t created any difficulties that would make me think about leaving. As far as Covid is concerned, I decided to stay, again, because for me it was the right thing to do, and going back to Italy would not have brought me any advantage…. (In fact, I wouldn’t have won the UK Latte art Championship)”.
Wouldn’t there be a need for trained young people like you to spread culture and education in Italy, where it is so badly needed?
“Absolutely. And I hope I can personally contribute to achieving this important goal. When I left, this was my plan: it would not be a one-way trip. Training is fundamental because it is the tool through which culture can be transferred. If in Italy we don’t have the demand for speciality coffee, it is not the fault of the customers but, more likely, of the coffee industry, which over the years has not been able to inform and train customers to recognise a high quality product from a non-speciality one.”
Unesco is at hand: do you think it will be an aid in the discourse of quality to grow (not only in price) in the Italian coffee shop? And will it also help the perception abroad?
“Absolutely. I’m not sure if it has already happened, but the hope is that this I’m not sure if it has already happened, but my hope is that if it does, it will bring the value of Italian espresso into the public eye and show the world the impact our country has had on the world of coffee. Let’;s remember that inventions such as the espresso machine or the moka coffee maker (moka pot) are just one example of the contribution to the world of coffee that can be attributed to Italian genius.”
Should a barista in the UK have more skills than in Italy? Is he paid better and also valued as a professional?
Zengiaro says: “The average bartender (barista) in the UK has more skills than in Italy. But this, as we have seen, is due to the fact that there is more knowledge of the drink here in the UK. On the more specific issue of pay linked to professionalism, once again I would say yes: of course, don’t imagine that by being a bartender (barista) in London you automatically become rich and powerful, but the pay is slightly higher and above all there are no (or at least I’ve never met) those “clever people” who first hire you as an intern, then with a free project contract, then maybe part-time and maybe, in the end, hire you full-time.
This also means that being a barista is is no longer seen just as an opportunity to earn some money while studying or doing something else, but is seen as a real profession on which to base a career. “
Zengiaro, what do you think needs to be done in Italy to raise the bar: should roasters, consumers and operators be affected in what way?
“This is a 1,000,000 dollar question. Ever since I started working in the world of coffee, I have been witnessing this paradox: how is it that in Italy, despite all its impact on the history of the beverage, we are still unable to spread the culture of a quality cup as we do in other countries around the world? And when you think about it, there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution to the problem.
Does it have to start with the customer, who has to demand only a certain type of coffee and a certain quality? That would be the perfect solution. However, if there are not so many places where you can find quality solutions, how does the customer know that he has a choice? I wonder if I will find an answer to this question at the end of my experience in the UK.”
How has the outbreak of the pandemic affected your professional career? And what has Zengiaro witnessed around you in the horeca and roasting world?
“I consider myself one of those lucky people for whom the pandemic has not had, professionally speaking, any significant negative repercussions. The same cannot be said for the hospitality in general. Let’s talk about what happened in London, which I experienced more closely: during the various lockdowns here in the city, the government has always left a lot of freedom to leave venues open, as long as certain rules are respected.
In spite of this, we have seen many situations in which many clubs have had to close. And even for those who have been able to adapt and evolve to the new “normality” of everyday life, the situation continues to be delicate and only now, with the apparent “free-for-all” of the government, it seems that things can finally get going again.
As far as the roasting plants are concerned, it’s simply a matter of consequence – less fewer surviving premises and fewer people being allowed to roam freely, have led to great difficulties for many of these businesses, large or small.
Another difficult aspect facing the hospitality industry is the lack of professionals: also due to the Brexit in the last year, a large number of companies (be it bars, restaurants, coffee roasters or others) are constantly looking for professionals who seem to have been missing for the last year.
Is there also a problem with rising prices and transportation of raw materials?
“Yes, and things don’t seem to be close to being resolved. With regard to my own work in
particular, even more than with rising prices, we are experiencing difficulties in sourcing raw materials or moving products across the border: from spare parts to equipment, from delays and difficulties in sourcing coffee from producing countries, to difficulties in selling outside the EU. countries, to difficulties in selling outside the UK. The hurdles of this period are many and I feel lucky and proud to be part of a company that is managing to juggle it all.”
Zengiaro, what are the next plans for 2022?
“Honestly right now all my plans are focused on one goal: the World Championship in Warsaw in June. I’ve been dreaming of trying my hand at this challenge for years and now that I’m finally one step away from living that experience. putting myself on the line at a world championship, I’m trying to focus all my physical and mental efforts in that direction.”
