Simonelli Group and Camerino University have created the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation.
How do you choose the right coffee to serve your customers? Usually by evaluating the aroma and flavour. But the consumer may not be able to identify and savour all of its properties. From raw material to the drink in the cup, coffee undergoes transformations and processes that can adversely affect the final result, if they are not properly done. The experience of professionals in the supply chain is not enough on its own to achieve maximum overall product quality. Technology has an irreplaceable role, including the espresso machine. The professional barista knows how important the espresso machine is in the preparation of an excellent cup, as it can enhance the organoleptic properties of the product.
Simonelli Group has always been involved in research, to offer the market innovative espresso and cappuccino machines and open new routes to the highest quality coffee. And we know that the brewing mechanism—a central element in the supply chain—is not the only point of contact between technology and the culture of coffee. Each step, from cultivation to cup, is of keyimportance on the road to quality. To grow the coffee industry we must open ourselves to the entire world of science—a philosophy on which the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation was founded by Simonelli Group and the University of Camerino, one of the oldest universities in the world, established in 1336 and today one of the most accredited institutions, with international scientific collaborations in chemistry, physics, biotechnology and food science. The goal of the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation is to increase the quality of espresso and cappuccino coffee, and to increase their consumption.Today, consumers are more aware and quality conscious than ever, and barista professionalism and development of the specialty coffee industry are at an all-time high. The International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation supports the entire global coffee supply chain in its growth and quality pursuits, especially at the product development stages, working to raise the professionalismof operators, with the goal of maximising consumer satisfaction and development of the market. At the Centre, science and technology are at the disposal of the coffee industry, to achieve new quality goals. This research Centre, while based in Italy, was created from an international perspective, to become a driver of excellence for coffee knowledge and know-how. It has become an attraction for study and research into coffee chemistry and engineering.
Simonelli Group and University of Camerino aim to ensure synergy among research projects carried out at the Centre, to be at the service of cultural and technical-scientific growth for the world’s coffee supply chain, and to keep the doors of the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation open to future participation with other partners, both in the scientific and entrepreneurial worlds. The Centre is run by a steering committee that guides research, and a scientific committee which is the executive arm, carrying out administration and monitoring research.
A team of scientists and international subject-matter experts carry out research with the support of students and in collaboration with international research centres. To this end, the Centre’s Scientific Committee actively seeks collaboration with other research centres that maintain high standards for knowledge and skill, to establish an international scientific team of experts in coffee. Researchers (internal and external) working with the Centre can carry out their activities in an integrated manner at university laboratories and facilities. Calls for research papers will screen for the best work relevant to the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation, and to identify researchers who are qualified to be on its research team. The evaluations are based on the degree of innovation and the impact it can have on the coffee chain. Authors will be invited to present their papers at scientific events, after which the research will be published.
The Centre’s Scientific Committee will support its primary research with training foroperators along the entire supply chain, as well as outreach via international educational activities dedicated to researchers, coffee operators and others who want to enhance their knowledge. Training courses that share knowledge and contribute to research results will also be offered. A conference for the science and coffee fields will be held, where the Centre’s research will be presented, as well as papers from other entities. International experts in the field will also be invited to speak. The Centre will also offer scientific services and research at other international events, conferences and trade journals, along with establishing its own website and blog to get the word out about its research.
This is how the passion for science, which inspires the University of Camerino and the passion for coffee culture, which is in the DNA of Simonelli Group, are brought together in the service of international research, to be translated into innovation to benefit the fascinating world of espresso and cappuccino.