REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy – Promoting innovation and scientific research to develop a sustainable and excellent coffee supply chain, aiming to support the territory growth and guarantee a future for young people even after graduation: this is the goal of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Department of Agriculture of the University of Reggio Calabria and Caffè Mauro, historic coffee roaster from Calabria.
Caffè Mauro and Università Mediterranea promote scientific research on coffee and production waste
The agreement, presented this morning during a press conference held at the Rectorate of the University Citadel of Reggio Calabria, represents an important opportunity to create new synergies between the academic world and the best industrial fabric of Calabria, through the study of innovative solutions in the field of the development of agri-food, zootechnical, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical chains.
Thanks to this partnership, the students of the degree program in Food Sciences and Technologies will have the opportunity to perfect their training through internships and cultural projects promoted by Caffè Mauro, with the aim of finding new solutions related to the use of coffee production waste and the study of green coffee’s properties.
The main study area is focused on the development of a more sustainable industrial process, aimed at creating a circular economy system through the recovery and conversion of waste materials from processing, which can find application for nutraceutical and food, energy but also in the livestock sector for the production of animal feed and fertilizers.
The possible use of coffee waste in the construction sector will also be explored, in particular to be used as an aggregator in the creation of a new highly sustainable concrete mixture.
The press conference was attended by Professor Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Rector of Università Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Professor Giovanni Enrico Agosteo, Director of the UniRC Department of Agriculture and Dr. Davide Padelli, CEO of Caffè Mauro. The agreement was illustrated by the intervention of Professor Marco Poiana, Professor of Food Sciences and Technologies at UniRC and Dr. Valerio Chinè, COO of Caffè Mauro.
The Rector of Università Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Professor Giuseppe Zimbalatti said “I hope that collaborations, like today’s, will be built with many other Calabrian companies and, above all, with those from Reggio. If there are three missions that a university must fulfill – teaching, research/innovation, “Third Mission”, this is the right context, training graduates in the food sector, through curricular internships in the company, innovative experimentation in the agri-food field and the constant exchange of experiences and skills between the academy, the production sector and the territory needs”.
Davide Padelli, Chief Executive Officer of Caffè Mauro, said: “We are excited about this partnership with Università Mediterranea, because it represents a further testimony of the bond between Caffè Mauro and the territory to which it belongs. We have long opened our company to the most deserving students and are happy to create valuable opportunities to retain professionals in this region. The goal is to increase our level of scientific and technological innovation, to create a model capable of guaranteeing the sustainability of our supply chain and offering young people concrete opportunities for professional integration, without the need to leave this region. We are sure that this collaboration will have positive repercussions both for our company and for the territory and the community”.
Through this collaboration, Caffè Mauro intends to acquire, develop and apply innovative research methods in the agri-food sector, with a focus on coffee, to convey the quality of a brand that has become a symbol of excellence in the world.
At the same time, the company and the University will renew their commitment to supporting young people through training courses aimed at creating new professional skills and enhancing the talents of their territory.
Marco Poiana, Professor of Food Technologies at Mediterranea, underlines the success of the degree program in Food Sciences and Technologies of the university of Reggio Calabria: “A course that, due to its wealth of content, trains professionals able to contribute to the development of the territory through applied Research in the increasingly innovative business production cycles. Direct contact with the needs of a company, in this case Caffè Mauro, adds the professor, contributes to the cultural growth of the young professional, often guaranteeing a job opportunity: that opportunity that can counteract the “flight” of many valid graduates from Reggio Calabria to other territories”.
