A COFFEE WITH PATRICK HOFFER

President Hoffer, Caffè Corsini is synonymous with quality. Your slogan reads 'From Tuscany, all the art of Italian coffee'.
Italy is the home of espresso and cappuccino, the home of a certain way of experiencing coffee, the result of a variety of territories and entrepreneurs who have created the success of coffee in the world over the last 100 years. Caffè Corsini has been part of this world for over 70 years and best represents the all-Italian and Tuscan way of experiencing coffee.
For over 70 years we have been selecting the best origins, creating the best blends for coffee lovers, and we were the first in our country to bring out the nuances of individual origins and to make the Italian consumer approach this world.
When we launched the first single-origin coffee on the Italian market in 1987, we came out with the slogan 'Estrella del Caribe, doc coffee is born', creating the concept of doc, because before us only blends were on the market. We were forerunners for decades of coffees that we could now call 'specialty'. Let us be clear that this is not in opposition to the art of blending, in which we are obviously very well versed, but we combine the art of blending and roasting with the art of bringing out the best cup from a single plantation.

Caffè Corsini is a sustainable café that cares about the planet and its inhabitants. In what does your green philosophy stand out?
In our opinion, sustainability in today's world has to be understood across the board, starting from the origin, the production process, to the final packaging.
First of all, we develop direct relationships with small, medium and large producers, we help them to excel in production by giving them prices that are independent of stock exchange values. We produce more than 35 per cent from renewable energy sources, and we are increasingly converting our packaging into post-consumer recyclable packaging.

In what way does Caffè Corsini represent the Italian way of life?
We are driving the concept of being Italian, the one that continues to reap success in the world. The centrality of Caffè Corsini in the panorama of Italian coffee roasters (there are about 800, but Corsini is the most important one in Central Italy), with the wealth of Tuscan culture and experience as long-standing and attentive producers, allows us to be a beacon in this world.

What new products can we expect from you?
Today we range a lot in the world of coffee, we are among the companies with the most references, about 160 different ones. Among all, I would like to point out the beans - the sale of which is also growing strongly for home consumption, a symbol that people are looking for quality even at home -, the compostable aluminium capsules dedicated to Tuscan cities, and the capsules compatible with the major extraction systems. On our website you can also discover the entire range of products for the world of out-of-home consumption, for baristas and coffee lovers. And we continue to focus more and more on products of origin, collaborating with the best coffee producers.

In 2005, in the not too distant past, you also created an Academy, in which some of the best professionals in the industry have grown up. How important is training for you?
We believe in it very much and it is fundamental for us. We roasters, in fact, always sell a semi-finished product that the consumer prepares at home or the barista has to transform into the cup that the customer is going to drink. Ensuring that both have the ability and knowledge to extract the contents of the cup in the best possible way is a primary objective of ours, because each coffee bean has its own organoleptic characteristics, which must be enhanced. This is why we were among the first to create the Academy, and why we are among the partners of the Coffee School, an international reality that was born first inside a coffee shop, in Florence in Via Carducci.

A new challenge awaits you: you have joined the Melitta family, how do you feel?
I feel very fortunate because in these months of first acquaintance with the Bentz family, which has been running Melitta for four generations - we both share strong roots and a great family tradition - I have realised that I am dealing with people before I deal with a company, individuals who put personal relationships and the will to go down a path together before everything else. This is precisely what I have always considered fundamental in order to guarantee continuous growth for the Corsini family, our community, and our customers. Growth also for the environment and the world we live in. I am sure that together we will overcome many challenges, also because ours is a relationship of true collaboration. For Melitta, in fact, it was important to find as an ally an iconic Italian brand that represents the excellence of espresso in the world, with which to pursue a concept and a creation of value for everyone and for the entire supply chain; on the other hand, joining a multinational company like Melitta gives us a unique expertise and vision on the international market, and necessary in today's world. Networking and sharing skills, in fact, I believe is the key to success.