Almost one thousand years have passed since Florence was the scene of art and craftsmanship corporate developments. The economic boom set the foundations of what was the Renaissance and Humanism cultural periods of Italy that slowly expanded around the whole country.
After centuries passing by, Florence will again be the cradle of the Italian Renaissance, with the protagonist, high-quality coffee. The collaboration between Simonelli Group, espresso coffee machine producer, and Ditta Artigianale, Italian specialty roaster, the Coffee School is born. The project has the goal of increasing and providing know-how about specialty and high-quality coffee in Italy. It is an educational hub, and place where people can unite and interpolate themselves in the specialty coffee venture, expanding their knowledge and culture about Italian quality coffee, and become experts in this modernized industry.
“In Simonelli Group, we use technology to push ourselves over the peak of knowledge and look to the future, but this isn’t the only aspiration; – reminds Fabio Ceccarani, CEO of Simonelli Group SpA. “a successful company needs to think about the environment, the society, and the people. The cooperation with the Coffee School is perfectly in line with our company mission and with our daily commitment towards technological, environmental, and cultural sustainable growth. The famous scholars of the Italian Renaissance, for example, Leonardo, could combine science with individual ability. The story repeats itself today amidst the coffee society; a solid base of technical know-how and personal expertise are the key to expand coffee culture. This – continues Ceccarani – is the great strength and uniqueness of the team-up between Ditta Artigianale and Simonelli Group. The roasters’ profound knowledge and experience about coffee, combined with our scientific and technical expertise, creates the perfect mix for complete educational and enriching courses. Who attends the Coffee School will surely attain a solid foundation with a 360° understanding of coffee, extraction technology, and different aspects of research. For several years now, the Simonelli Group platform dedicates itself to different and specific educational programs. These programs can range from technological to scientific and have improved in many ways, various aspects of coffee, such as the preparation of coffee itself. Another valuable element that determines this project is the exclusive collaboration with the Coffee Science Foundation of SCA and our research hub. Every year our hub shares the results of the studies and makes available the actual laboratories. The pot holds the perfect ingredients for a fruitful collaboration. And the goal is quite high: make the Italian Renaissance of specialty coffee, history.”
The international and unique Coffee School provides training courses centered around coffee, technology, and research, recognizing the know-how, structures, laboratories, and experts provided by the founding companies. It is thanks to them, with their experience-driven platform and profound knowledge about the coffee world and innovative technologies, the School begins.
The Coffee School is an international project for Simonelli Group. “Innovation and research are fundamental values for our identity – declares Marco Feliziani, Vice President and Sales Director of Simonelli Group. “Such values guided the evolution of our espresso coffee machines and grinders for generations contributing to the growth of our coffee knowledge. 2020 is the year where Simonelli Group takes the next step towards this new project, which marks the third company asset along with innovation and sustainability: knowledge. This unique program has an international approach and combines different coffee-based projects with locations in Florence, London, Barcelona, New York, Shanghai, and Jakarta, where we inaugurated a series of Experience Labs. These “labs” are genuine experience workrooms where education meets ideas and where baristas, coffee operators, and coffee lovers can get to know the Simonelli entity and the two brands Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino. The continuous innovations these labs withhold, aim to triumph over all the challenges that the coffee world will face in the future. The Nuova Simonelli “Experience Labs” are areas of expression about coffee overall. They are reference points for coffee chains and local shops, specialists, and coffee-lovers, and a place to understand the continuous changes in coffee trends. The Victoria Arduino “Experience Labs” are a full immersion into the high coffee culture, today represented by specialty shops and baristas.