What lies behind a good coffee? A world of commitment, perseverance, people, sustainability and responsibility. These are the key words to describe what we do everyday, both inside and outside our business. We believe in research and change, the only ways for us to improve each day. We believe that the pursuit of excellence is not just a choice, but also a moral duty for those who follow our trade. This is why Quality and Sustainable Development have always gone hand in hand at Essse Caffè and last but not least we believe in the value of people and the concepts of solidarity and teamwork, which keep the world turning and make it a better place. These are the values that form the foundation of Essse Caffè’s Mission and which we put into writing and set out in detail in our Code of Ethics.
In 2022 we embarked on an important sustainability project because we believe strongly in sustainability in the fullest meaning of the word as a way for us to take action in the frontline and to have an influence on the entire supply chain where we are involved both upstream in the green coffee-growing countries and also downstream at the points of sale and consumption of roasted coffee. This path that we took began with a definition of the first materiality analysis of Essse Caffè. We carried out a life cycle assessment of the entire organisation in order to monitor and identify the areas in which the impacts of the business manifest most tangibly and finally, we carried out technological scouting to find the most suitable packaging materials for coffee beans in order to minimise their environmental impact.
Essse Caffè’s Code of Ethics has been drawn up to ensure that the Company’s ethical values are clearly defined and form the fundamental basis of its corporate culture as well as standards of conduct for those who work for or with the Company to carry on its activities and its business. The primary objective of the Code is to clearly lay down values and rules of conduct to achieve the Company’s mission which, when shared, bind us together and strengthen our identity internally and communicate it to the outside world at the same time. The Code contains principles and rules of conduct with which decision-making processes are implemented and the conduct of the Company is guided at all levels.
The scientific approach used in finding the best qualities of green coffee, from the defining of the standard of roasting to the extraction of the espresso in the cup, are values which sum up our company philosophy based on experience and oriented towards innovation. This is why, starting in 1979, we have sought the support of the scientific skills of Università di Foggia and Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentare dell’Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna with whom we continue to collaborate. This project, which has lasted more than 40 years, is one of the reasons that we have gained a position of primary authority in the world of coffee, with knowledge that goes from the green coffee bean to the espresso in the cup, from the roasting to the packaging, from the professional equipment to the espresso coffee extraction.
Therefore, to celebrate 40 years of our history, we have decided to publish the book “Scienza del caffè Espresso”, (The Science of Espresso Coffee), in collaboration with Carla Severini, associate professor at the University of Foggia, and Santina Romani, associate professor at Alma Mater Studiorum –Università di Bologna. This book recounts years of scientific research into coffee, carried out under the convention concluded with the University of Bologna. It’s the story of a unique scientific and entrepreneurial path which has now led to the occasion to celebrate a history of excellence which also looks to the future.
We are proud to be among the founding members of the Consorzio di tutela del caffè espresso italiano tradizionale (Consortium of Protection of Traditional Italian Espresso), with its primary objectives of the promotion, the valorization and the protection of Traditional Italian Espresso amongst the professionals of the sector and consumers.
As an Italian coffee producer, we have at heart that which our traditional espresso represents for our country, and therefore we have chosen to support the consortium because we fully share its objectives, values and mission, as well as the commitment to actively work towards the request to UNESCO for the recognition of the Italian espresso “ritual” as one of humanity’s World Intangible Heritages.
The partnership between Essse Caffè and the Umberto Veronesi Foundation comes into being several years ago, thanks to Essse Caffè’s desire and commitment to concretely support the work of the Foundation’s researchers, with special attention to the “Pink is Good” project, which is born from the Foundation’s decade-long commitment and has two important objectives: to educate for prevention and to finance the work of physicians and researchers to find cures for cancers affecting women.
In these years, Essse Caffè has supported the Veronesi Foundation by launching a collection of products with the Pink theme (a ceramic cup and a container of ground espresso coffee). The profits from the sale of these products are destined for the Foundation. In addition, another collection of espresso cups was launched, whose design is the work of the artist Carlo Bonfà with the objective of supporting other Foundation projects.
To these efforts, on a regular basis Essse Caffè adds several other different activities; the most recent is “Un Caffè sospeso per la Ricerca” (Pay-it-forward espresso, or Suspended coffee, for research). We got our Horeca customers involved and asked them to communicate a fundamental message: the importance of the study of cancers affecting women and their prevention. The final clients were been asked to do their part by making a donation equal to the price of an espresso in their favorite snack bar, for which they received a small gift in thanks. The activity was a great success and thanks to the donations received we were able to offer a year’s scholarship to one of the Foundation’s researchers.
Essse Caffè has always held dear the theme of sports and that is why in recent years we have concentrated on supporting such non-profit organizations as Sportfund Onlus and the Fondazione per lo sport Silvia Rinaldi Onlus (Silvia Rinald Sports Foundation), which organize and promote sports activities which include disabled persons.
in 2019, in collaboration with Sportfund Onlus, we hosted the photography show “Siblings in Sport” at our store in Via Galliera a Bologna. This show combines our love for sports with the art and the attention to an inclusive vision in all dimensions: the show is made up of various photographs of brothers and sisters who challenge disability and work together to achieve success and victory in sports.