In the ongoing debate following the announcement of Starbuck’s arrival to Italy, we have received the following contribution from Antonio Schiavon of Macap written in the form of an open letter to Howard Schultz
Hi Howard,
My English is quite limited, but I will try my best. At first there is no need neither for the red carpet nor the barricades.
Espresso is no longer and ethnical identitarian beverage…but it is considered the most effective way to extract the best from the coffee.
So the quest for the perfect espresso reached its peak using tools manufactured in Italy.
Naturally the term “tools” is quite inappropriate as I am referring to the most exclusive espresso machines and a grinders.
I have been a supplier of Starbucks, quite a long time ago and I have been impressed by the deep understanding and the enthusiasms of the people I met.
And in all the buzz that has been generated by the expected next step of Starbucks in Italy there is a missing aspect: are we expecting an invasion of wild Americans spreading an alien coffee culture or is Starbucks something more complex?
That is exactly my feeling: Italians are proudly watching the coffee industry growth from an ivory tower.
Just because we are Italians it does not mean necessarily that we are doing it better (naturally, I am talking about espresso …).
Starbucks is a huge phenomenon that has to be faced, studied, loved or not … but it is not a monster.
This will give the chance to the Italian coffee Industry – sometimes too self-confident sometimes too conservative – to make one step in the direction of quality.
Starbucks, at least, will be an expensive place. It will not be the fast-food of coffee as it is naively portrayed.
In a recent comment, I read the names of some historical cafes in Italy … my favourite is Caffè Quadri, in San Marco Square, Venice. Dear Howard, the coffee you will drink there is made by a very respected boutique roaster from Verona.
I am sure that this small coffee roaster is not scared at all, even if you will open the third Starbucks location in his hometown.
His espresso is one thing, Starbucks is, we always tend to forget it, an “espresso-based beverage”, that is something quite different. There is a place for your creature and one for our espresso.
I am saving a one Euro coin to pay you a cup. We will speak about coffee while drinking an espresso.
Feel warmly welcome to Italy Mr. Schultz.
