Why buy a specialty coffee? 5 key points
By now, Specialty Coffee has evolved from a simple movement once underestimated by major players into a well-established reality even in the Italian scene. While the numbers are still small, placing Specialty Coffee as a niche product, consumption (and appreciation) figures are steadily growing in our country as well.
So much so that some of those who once labeled Specialty Coffee as a passing trend are now entering the market with products that somehow try to replicate the idea of Specialty Coffee.
“Specialty and commercial coffee are two opposite markets, often with different target customers, which is why they don’t step on each other’s toes.”
But what exactly is Specialty Coffee?
A brief introduction to what Specialty Coffee is is always useful.
Specialty Coffee is essentially a superior quality coffee (the highest possible on the market), roasted appropriately, sold freshly roasted so that its conditions are not deteriorated by long packaging times or other factors, and brewed with the utmost respect for the quality product.
A wonderful and expensive Brunello di Montalcino is not left open for 4 weeks, shaken multiple times upside down, or served in paper cups.
A wonderful and expensive Brunello di Montalcino is not left open for 4 weeks, shaken multiple times upside down, or served in paper cups.
Or a fantastic artisanal Panettone from a Master Pastry Chef is not taken, crumbled, left open for 2 weeks, and then dipped in Soy* Milk (*technically not called milk by law, but it gives the idea). If I spend €45 on that Panettone, I want to enjoy it at its highest quality.
What are the differences between Specialty Coffee and non-Specialty Coffee?
Let's look at these five:
- Traceability: Specialty coffees come from a controlled and certain supply chain. The additional cost paid compared to other coffees is due to the next point, sustainability. Consumers must ensure that the products they buy as Specialty have a supply chain that reaches as close as possible to the farmer (saying Brazil Santos, Colombia Supremo, Ethiopia Sidamo, Guatemala SHB, etc., is like saying “Italian Red Wine”; would you buy it as Special Wine in a wine shop?).
- Sustainability: Specialty coffees help farmers break free from the logic of the C Market (the market that suffocates and impoverishes entire populations at origin), simply because it is based on the principle of quality: higher quality means higher economic value.
- Fair Price: Specialty coffees, being paid more and supporting the supply chain up to the farmer, allow them a better present and future, to send their children to school, provide essentials for a dignified life, and ensure workers at origin receive fair payment that lifts them out of poverty and exploitation.
- Craftsmanship: Specialty Coffee also supports the roaster (usually an artisan) who in their workshop strives to maintain the high quality of the supply chain (while artisan doesn’t always mean “good product,” working exclusively with Specialty Coffee gives enormous knowledge on how to roast and respect it).
- Quality: Ultimately, buying Specialty Coffee guarantees that there is value inside that coffee package, almost always supported by very high quality, with aromas and flavors lost over the years, stories of people and emotions born at origin and ending in your cup.
Now you can choose more consciously Artisanal Specialty Coffees
Convinced? Start now: explore our single origin specialty coffees from Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and many other origins. If you don’t know where to start, try our multi-pack tasting kit to discover multiple origins in a single shipment.
