Coffee, Italians, and legacies

“Caffè sospeso”

A phrase which probably won’t mean much to you. It’s not exactly one of the most-pinched Italian phrases to make its way into the English language.

Literally, it means a ‘suspended coffee’ - it’s a quirky Neapolitan tradition that came in the wake of World War II and has followed tough economic times since.

Put simply: when you buy a coffee at the cafe, you pay for two – so that someone who’s potentially struggling for money can come in later that day and enjoy one too.

Why? Well, because coffee there is seen as a daily necessity and therefore should remain affordable or accessible for everyone - espressos are even price-capped in Italy.

An espresso rarely costs above €1 in most cafes across the country (which is handy given the average Italian reportedly drinks 3-4 a day).

Shout out to my friend Henry and his Perfect Daily Grind team for this piece explaining why in more detail.

This act of kindness has now grown beyond Italy and there are certain social ventures doing similar things across the world.

Some Londoners might have seen Second Shot (there’s one about 5 mins from me) - where you can pre-pay for an item, so that a local rough sleeper can come into their shops and receive a hot drink, meal, or hot water bottle free of charge.

So what does this have to do with legacies, you may well ask?

For me it symbolises the act of passing something on for somebody else, someone that may not even know you existed.

An anonymous act of generosity.

Giving for the sake of giving - to help make a difference.

And that's what legacy giving is all about, really.

A final gift that you leave to help the lives of others - like John Dodd who left provisions for 200 rescue missions to his local air ambulance charity. Those 200 patients may never even know his name.

It's what makes legacy giving so special.

To find out more on the story behind the caffeine-fuelled tradition, see this link to a NY Times article from 2014.

Grazie mille for reading!