Coffee and the power of connection.

“Shall we have a coffee?”

When I think all the times I've asked this question or even the times that someone has asked me, I remember that coffee was just a pretext to talk about something important in a more relaxed environment or the opportunity to strengthen the relationship with someone else.

Paris, Milan, Venice, Amsterdam, London, Madrid... Few things is compared to the experience of sitting in one of the coffee shops in any of these traditional European cities and enjoying a delicious espresso. Even better if accompanied by a good conversation.

“But how did this relationship between coffee and the connection between people come about?” you may be asking yourself.

The story is long, but very interesting and revealing. Coffee, especially espresso, is an internationally known beverage and is closely linked to Italian culture. In Italy, coffee is not cultivated, but its importance is linked to the way of preparing espresso coffee, which has become known worldwide.

The origin of coffee as a drink is uncertain, but many scholars report that it emerged in Ethiopia in the 9th century, when a sheep herder noticed a certain “euphoria” in his flock when they fed on the coffee fruit. Today we know that this effect was due to the presence of caffeine.

The Arabs were the first to cultivate coffee and market the bean around the world, which only arrived in Europe in the 17th century, when Venice, due to its geographical position, was, at that time, the connection between East and West. Coffee was presented for the first time in a “bottega di caffè” as a drink with a rich flavor and great value and, therefore, much appreciated by the elite of the time.

Over the years, the habit of drinking coffee has spread across Europe. Paris was the first European city to have a coffee shop as we know it today. The coffee was prepared in the “Turkish” model, ie an infusion of roasted beans powder in hot water.

The idea of brewing filtered and steamed coffee arose in Naples, Italy around 1800, with a still rudimentary process, but which later gave rise to the concept of espresso coffee, perfected in the early 20th century with the Moka coffee maker, invented by Alfonso Bialetti.

?After World War II, Italy perfected espresso machines for mass production, which soon became popular throughout the world. Today, drinking coffee is part of Italian culture, in its different types of preparation: espresso, macchiato, lungo, restretto, caffè late, cappuccino.

But what does all this have to do with the connection between people?

In Italy, the tradition is to drink coffee in a bar, or with someone during the "pausa caffè". For Italians, the coffee break or pausa caffè, is extremely important. Whether at school or at work, everyone pays special attention to this special moment, when colleagues talk and exchange ideas on many subjects, such as: sports, politics, travel, work and news in life.

The "pausa caffè" helps Italians get to know their colleagues better and create a more relaxed working environment, as well as helping to activate the bloodstream and rest the mind and eyes of the computer screen.

As in Italy, the inclusion of the habit of drinking coffee in Western culture is strongly linked to the connection between people and the creation of coffee shops as a space to enjoy coffee was also a great driver. Having a coffee with someone ended up becoming synonymous with a point of relationship, a concept expanded by 星巴克 and Nestlé Nespresso SA as strategies to make the act of enjoying coffee even more special and exclusive.

The video below summarizes the coffee culture in Italy, which was the inspiration for Starbucks coffee shops. The company, as a gratitude to the Italian coffee culture, in 2018 opened its first Italian branch in Milan: Starbucks Reserve Milano.

Since arriving in Italy, I have discovered how much coffee is intertwined with Italian culture and with my own history.

As a Brazilian, born in S?o Paulo and also an Italian citizen by descent from my great-grandparents, coffee plays an important role in my family's history and is linked to Italian immigration to Brazil, which was driven, in the majority, by the need for workers to coffee cultivation.

The states of S?o Paulo and Minas Gerais in Brazil, became the most developed and richest regions in the 20th century, precisely as a result of the coffee culture, driven by the insertion of Italian immigrants who brought their culture and work to build the wealth of our country.

The Italians who immigrated to Brazil left their origins in Italy, but took with them a sense of hope, a sparkle in their eyes and an intense desire to build a heritage of culture and prosperity in a new land.

In 2022, after all the transformation I experienced in the two years during the COVID 19 pandemic, I took the opposite path of my great-grandparents and moved to Italy. As it was for them in Brazil, I am bringing my life′s history, my culture and a strong purpose to Italy that will guide me on this new cycle of personal and professional growth.

The passion and the goal are the same: connecting cultures, having new experiences, exploring opportunities and creating a legacy.

Shall we have a coffee?