The coffee plant grows in tropical climes, it can’t be grown in a temperate climate such as Italy.Recent International Coffee Association records list the major producers as Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia, followed by Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Ethiopia and India.

The quality and type of coffee grown in each area depends on the climate. The map shows the coffee producing regions throughout the world: (r) Robusta, (a) Arabica, (m) Both. Source: Wikipedia

Although there are over 100 identified species of coffee plant, the most commercially viable varieties are: Arabica and Robusta. Far less common, with around 2% distribution, is Liberica, native to the forests of Liberia and the Ivory Coast, but now naturalised and sold predominantly in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Coffee plantations don’t exist outwith the tropics and even within the coffee growing belt, the most productive are to be found at latitudes of 15° N and 15° S, where up to two crops can be grown per year.

Pino decided early on in his coffee career that he needed to be involved at the very beginning of the process in order to bring the coffee he wanted to the consumer, so along with other companies, he bought some small plantations in Honduras.

Honduras
“I tend to adopt a bottom up approach as opposed to top down. In our farm in Honduras the people who work for us own the land. Gradually, they too, have become entrepreneurs and connaisseurs. We’ve trained them in coffee tasting and explained the importance of the work they do”

Panchito, for example, his daughter and others who work for us, have become tasters. They’ve done barista courses and have entered competitions – and won!

We’re talking about a totally different reality from what we know in Italy. Smallholder farmers and plantation managers who border on our farm, work well and with passion. They know that if they can produce coffee up to standard we’re looking for, we’ll offer them a three-year contract and pay them honestly and regularly which, unfortunately, tends to be the opposite of what generally happens there.

The incentive to work the land well is real and the conversation with Panchito was clear: “Look after the plantation and one day it will belong to you”. Families will have much better opportunities and be able to budget throughout the whole production process, not just at harvest time.

Indonesia
We brought the business model to Indonesia too, where we got to know the Orangutan Association, an Australian organisation, involved in many conservation projects, such as oil palm plantations and orangutans.

Oil palms produce palm oil, and supply a vast amount of the world’s demand, but relentless, intensive farming of the trees is having a devastating effect on the rainforests and the habitat of the orangutans.

Deforestation isn’t the only threat to the famous apes. As they are particularly fond of the fruit of the durian tree, the “King of fruits”, they are often hunted by growers trying to protect their crops.

This association aims to put part of the income generated from coffee towards protecting and caring for orangutans.

Italia: Morola for Friends
Not being able to grow coffee in Italy, we try to do as much as we can. Morola for friends is a series of initiatives aimed at helping people in need.

At the end of 2019, we made 200 meals for families in need. We are well aware that it doesn’t solve a problem long-term, but we made it a gourmet meal and it turned out to be a really special event. It’s something we hope to repeat on double the scale.

“Panettone sospeso”: for every panettone sold, we donated one. And on the 23rd of December, Maria Teresa, Valeria and I distributed them to a number of families that had been brought to our attention by the local volunteer association.

On another occasion, coming up to the Christmas holidays, a group of nine of us visited an elderly man in living on his own. We organised a big meal for him and kept him company hoping to bring him some joy and companionship.