A place of meeting and delights, where the tasting of a specialty coffee opens the way to community and conviviality
How was the project born? We asked Alberto Agostinacchio who, together with Giacomo Vannelli, believed in this bet.
Giacomo Vannelli and I met by collaborating with Sanremo Coffee Machines, the Italian association of manufacturers of machines, plants and equipment for food production, processing and preservation. It was then that I came into contact with specialty coffee, which is not very well known in Italy, but which is very popular in Anglo-Saxon countries and northern Europe. Specialty coffee is characterized by the great charm that all premium food and wine sectors have. The moment of tasting for the coffee is important.
The aromas and flavors that can be tried with coffee allow for an experience that is just as interesting and enjoyable as that of wine. Traditional Italian espresso is a moment of detachment from the activity one is carrying out, it is a way to start a business meeting in a light way and is associated with a load of energy, therefore it is normally linked to an experience that does not involve the tasting.
On the other hand, specialty coffee is associated with an important moment of tasting, with a richer storytelling and a moment of sharing that can be extended over time. This is how the idea of the Pure Cafè was born, from the desire to introduce a reality that is not only one of disclosure, of the flavors and aromas of specialty coffees, but also and above all of the “specialty” spirit made up of sharing and community.
Which audience do you want to intercept with your project?
We turn to a customer who is curious about new healthy gastronomic experiences, oriented to human relationships (not only virtual ones), to aggregations, predisposed to be part of a physical community. Our client is interested in traveling and experimenting outside their comfort zone.
There is a definition that indicates a market segment that is very much in line with specialty coffee and it is LOHAS: Lifestyle and Health Sustainability; we speak to people sensitive to the use of goods and resources who seek transparency and verify their real existence. The name PURE is also linked to our customers’ need for transparency and authenticity.
The Pure cafè: cafeteria or meeting place?
The Pure Cafè is a place to try a coffee experience and increase your coffee culture. The concept is similar to that of a wine shop in the world of wine. The values of Pure Cafè are the sense of belonging to the community of coffee lovers, the love for experimentation in the tasting of ever-changing coffees, the relaxed atmosphere of the place that allows you to spend time chatting and making community with other customers.
We have added a lounge corner with a sitting area and a convivial table to encourage spending quality time by sharing it with your friends and other customers. The presence of free-to-use card games is also geared towards this community-building purpose.
Last but not least we started Pure Moments, a series of events ranging from music, tastings, design and stand up comedy. All these events are characterized by the intense sharing and integration between the patrons.
How to make known the distinctiveness of specialty coffee in Italy?
With extreme relaxation and serenity. Many customers enter the Pure Cafè and simply ask for a coffee, our baristas lightly propose if they want to try a more advanced coffee and what happens is that curious customers taste something new and then come back to try something different every time.
The disclosure by our bartenders is one of the most important moments.
Each coffee has its own world of aromas and flavors that must be known in order to better appreciate it, each coffee has its own story to tell that starts from the farm of origin and passes through the drying process that the cherry containing the coffee bean undergoes. the type of roasting.
Even if the ultimate goal of our work is to taste a cup that gives pleasure to our customer.
To this we then associate more “institutional” moments with tastings and food pairing between coffees selected by Giacomo Vannelli and the starred dishes of our chef Silvio Salmoiraghi. A very important moment in this regard will be 11 November in an evening in which, in addition to Giacomo Vannelli (Italian brewers champion) and Silvio Salmoiraghi (starred chef of the Acquarello restaurant), Matteo Pavoni (Italian barista champion) and Valentina Specialty_Pal will also be present. (main Italian coffee blogger).
How do your coffee choices connect with chef Salmoiraghi’s cuisine?
When was it conceived the Pure Cafè we thought that there are very few cafes that associate specialty coffee with starred cuisine and this is a strong differentiator for us. In specialty coffee, there is a kind of culinary code for which offerings from all over the world are similar. We wanted to introduce a very distinctive offer with a starry, fun and colorful lunch break, through the modular concept of kaiseki cuisine.
Having established these points, we immediately agreed with chef Silvio Salmoiraghi who proposed his concept of Italian-style kaiseki. The dishes are designed by Silvio to be absolutely interchangeable so that a customer who dines every day at the Pure Cafè can always try different dishes. Among other things, Silvio was trained at the school of Gualtiero Marchesi in which the game of acidity is very advanced; in this sense many of our coffees find a line of connection with the proposed flavors of Silvio’s dishes.
How is your proposal received in the home of Italian espresso?
There is a lot of curiosity, our proposal is not absolutist. If a customer wants a simple espresso, we have our Pure Blend (100% Arabica made from 65% natural Brazil and 35% washed Ethiopia) which meets the taste of those who love traditional espresso. If a customer wants sugar in their coffee, we have sugar. I repeat, the ultimate goal of our work is to enjoy a cup that gives pleasure to our customer and makes him experience a moment of well-being.
