MILAN, Italy – There are certain passions, habits and customs that bring Italians together. Traditions passed down the generations that inform our understanding of what it means (and feels) to be Italian. One of these is undoubtedly the Giro d’Italia, the much-loved cycling stage race that crosses Italy every May and is followed by 4 out of 5 Italians (79.5% of the population); another is coffee, which 83.1% of Italians drink several times a week.
This first love was the basis for the survey “Coffee & Giro d’Italia, two passions with a typically Italian flavour” commissioned by Faema (Gruppo Cimbali brand) and carried out by AstraRicerche on a sample of over 1000 people (18-65 years, resident in Italy) to mark Faema’s second year as official sponsor of the Giro d’Italia.
A 3-year partnership – launched in 2022 – which has stirred the passions of fans and today aims to provide a poppy and innovative snapshot of two passions (coffee and the Giro d’Italia) that embody the concept of this year’s partnership: #TheWayWeLove.
“Together with AstraRicerche we wanted to explore the common elements shared by the beverage and the most popular sporting competition in Italy – explained Enrico Bracesco, General Manager of Gruppo Cimbali –. It was interesting to discover the degree to which the values of the Giro are shared by coffee lovers and how both passions are associated with a sensory mix of pleasure, tradition, sharing and conviviality. The survey once again underlines Faema’s historic ties with the world of cycling and shines a light on the evolution of an innovative brand that is able to guarantee consumers a unique experience, just as the beloved race has been doing for over 100 years”.
“Faema has always been part of the extended Giro d’Italia family and since last year has been an official sponsor of the Corsa Rosa thanks to the multinational Gruppo Cimbali. Broadcast in over 200 countries worldwide, the Giro d’Italia is a major national and international event as well as a multimedia communication platform that is able to guarantee our partners extensive visibility. Faema has strong ties with the world of cycling and the Corsa Rosa thanks to the historic team which won the Giro in 1956 with Charly Gaul and in 1968 with Eddy Merckx, as well as the team competition in 1961, 1962 and 1968” commented Mauro Vegni, Director of the Giro d’Italia.
Follow the Giro… and enjoy a nice coffee
The survey, a genuine “on the road” meeting of these two passions, looks at the different ways Italians follow the Giro d’Italia: by watching or listening to one or more live broadcasts (on television, online streams or by radio: 46.7%), or through updates on news or sports programmes on TV or online (31.5%) or on the radio (11.2%); almost one in six read about it in the newspapers (paper or online: 15.9%).
But the Giro d’Italia is also direct contact and excitement in the flesh: 17.8% of Italians have taken to the streets to watch the race unfold in person. Some watch it at home on their own (48.5%) but it is more common to do so with others (53.3% – the same for all generations) or follow it at the bar/pub (for 19.5% – particularly among Gen Z: 30%).
Meanwhile, coffee (or drinks that contain it, like cappuccino) is drunk by 83.1% of Italians multiple times a week and as many as 68.6% drink it every day. At home or out? For many people the answer to this question is “both” and all in all the figures are almost identical: 80.0% drink coffee at home (76.2% in their own home, 36.2% in other people’s homes), 74.4% out of the house (56.7% in cafés, 30.5% in the workplace or place of study, 24.3% at restaurants, 13.0% in bars/pubs).
The values of the Giro… and of coffee
Following the Giro d’Italia is certainly a pleasure for 39.9% of Italians, but it is also a passion and experience to share with others. The Giro d’Italia is associated with a wide range of positive concepts and values: it is a race that brings all of Italy together (74.2%), it is the sharing of other people’s passion (69.0%), it is an absorbing topic of conversation (58.8%); but the Giro is also personal experience (childhood memories: 64.2%) and a family tradition (56.9%).
Coffee has much in common with the Giro d’Italia: first and foremost it is a pleasure (64.9%) and secondly – to maintain the stage race analogy – it is a moment of relaxation (52.3%) and one of the best ways of taking a break during the day (40.6%); it is also associated with sharing: an excuse to have a chat (27.2%) and a genuine experience to share with others (22.8%). And just as cyclists need energy, power and impetus, for Italians coffee is just the ticket when they need to concentrate or wake up a bit (34.2%).
The Giro and coffee as the “glue” that binds Italians
30.1% of interviewees associate the multiple stage race with socialising and sharing. Something that is also undeniably true about the bar: for 54.0% it is a place to meet up with friends and for 31.9% it was “Italy’s biggest social network prior to Facebook”. At the bar we meet new people (22.5%), listen to the opinions of people we don’t know (14.2%) and talk about current affairs (25.0%) but also sport (20.3%): it is at the bar that people come together to watch major sporting events like the football and the biggest stages of the Giro d’Italia (23.7%).
Success is a question of teamwork, in the Giro and at the bar
The Faema survey also makes it possible to draw interesting parallels between the roles that different people play in a successful team, both in the Giro d’Italia and at the bar. According to the Italian people, during the cycling race four main figures are responsible for the success of a team: the sprinter (70.2%), who is seen as more important than even the climber (60.9%) and the captain (60.8%), who is just ahead – as is typical of the spirit of cycling – of the domestique (53.7%).
Meanwhile, to guarantee a good coffee at the bar you have to carefully choose the right blend (79.7%), but that’s not enough on its own. Teamwork is important here too: a lot depends on the machine used (44.8%) but the expertise of the barista and their ability to make the right quantity at the right speed (39.6%) is also very important. Last but not least is the quality of the water (31.7%).
And if baristas were a team taking part in the Giro d’Italia? According to the survey, bar workers could perform different roles: for 39.8% they are climbers that contend with peaks in customer demand, for 33.0% they are rouleurs who have the endurance to make lots of coffee – one after the next – without stopping, and for 27.2% they are sprinters, preparing beverages at speed.
Learning more about Italy in the bar and during the Giro
One of the less obvious aspects of the Giro d’Italia is the “tourist guide” role it plays for Italians: for 43.5% the stage race is a chance to get to know areas and places of the country that they haven’t been to or would like to go back to. Bars also bring people together and help to promote Italy: one in four Italians (25.4%) agree that the bar “is a place to learn about local differences in Italy: if you go in a bar you can understand the ‘spirit’ of that town”; on the other hand, over half of interviewees assert that “the bar is part of being Italian, a place for taking breakfast, for taking a break, for meeting up with others” (53.0%).
And there is lots to say about coffee, ‘stage by stage’, town by town: only 9.4% of Italians believe that coffee is the same all over Italy; 52.6% believe that local habits and customs make the coffee experience different in every region, while 38.1% know that some regions have their own coffee specialities (for example Bicerin in Piedmont, caffè padovano, etc.).
Faema at the Giro d’Italia 2023
The three espresso coffee machines most readily associated with Faema today will once again be in attendance at every stage: the iconic E61, the e71E and the Faemina – in a Limited Edition Giro d’Italia version – the espresso coffee machine designed for domestic use and small businesses.
In the villages and hospitality areas, all cycling and Faema lovers will therefore be able to enjoy an excellent coffee prepared with the brand’s various machines and challenge their friends to a game of darts, the classic bar sport that has recently become fashionable again. By playing and hitting the bull’s it is possible to help contribute to the support that Gruppo Cimbali provides every year to communities in developing countries via non-profit association World Bicycle Relief. The NPO specialises in comprehensive large-scale bicycle distribution programmes to help reduce poverty where even the basic forms of transport are missing.
In addition, thanks to the partnership with the Strava community, cycling fans will be able to participate to the challenge and on reaching the milestone of 120,000 km a donation will be made: so the more you pedal, the more you contribute to the cause.
Finally, on the Faema Instagram channel it is possible to follow the story of Giro d’Italia with the hashtag #FaemaOnTheRoad, which will offer a snapshot of Italy’s dual love of coffee and cycling through the Faema photos and the Manifesto video, which will collect the testimonies of people in some stages of the Giro, including the final one in Rome.
About Gruppo Cimbali
Gruppo Cimbali is one of the leading manufacturers of professional machines for making coffee and milk-based drinks, as well as coffee shop equipment. The Group, which includes the La Cimbali, Faema, Slayer and Casadio brands, operates through three production plants in Italy and one in the United States (in Seattle, where the machines are produced under the Slayer brand), employing a total of around 850 employees.
The Group’s commitment to promoting espresso culture and the local area led to the foundation of MUMAC (Coffee Machine Museum) in 2012, the first and largest permanent exhibition dedicated to the history, world and culture of espresso machines, located at the Gruppo Cimbali headquarters in Binasco. MUMAC is home to MUMAC Academy, Gruppo Cimbali’s coffee machine academy, a training, promotion and research centre.
