Italy Called the Police Over His €2 Espresso | FRANCESCO SANAPO!

Would you call the police over a €2 espresso?

It actually happened to Francesco Sanapo.

Francesco is a three-time Italian Barista Champion and the co-founder of Ditta Artigianale, the specialty coffee group challenging tradition from inside one of the most tradition-bound coffee cultures in the world.

In this episode, Francesco explains why Italy’s famous €1 espresso is no longer sustainable, what happened when an angry customer called the police over a €2 decaf, and why charging more only works when cafés deliver better coffee, better storytelling and better hospitality.

We also trace Francesco’s journey from washing cups and secretly studying customer orders to reaching the World Barista Championship final and building Ditta Artigianale across Florence and Milan.

Then we get into Italian modern espresso, why specialty cafés around the world are beginning to look exactly the same, how to expand without stripping the soul from your business, and Francesco’s deceptively simple advice for the entire specialty coffee industry:

Be nice.

If you’re new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves that at the end of the day, it’s just coffee!

CHAPTERS!

00:00 The €2 Espresso That Brought the Police
01:07 How to Pronounce Ditta Artigianale
01:37 Riverina Fresh
02:30 Is the Macchiato Overrated?
05:02 From Washing Cups to Making Coffee
06:55 Compete for Yourself
09:38 Taking Italy to the World Stage
11:14 The Moment Francesco Changed His Life
13:05 Why He Had to Open a Café
14:15 Italy’s Coffee Contract Problem
17:39 Expanding Without Becoming a Chain
20:41 Why Espresso Still Costs €1 in Italy
23:34 The Customer Who Called the Police
25:20 How Cafés Can Raise Their Prices
26:33 Italian Coffee vs Australian Coffee
29:38 Has Italian Espresso Fallen Behind?
31:23 What Is Italian Modern Espresso?
34:33 Why Specialty Cafés All Look the Same
37:19 Francesco Reveals His Next Milan Café
39:10 Free Espresso for IJC Listeners
40:08 Specialty Coffee Needs Nicer Baristas
42:00 Where to Find Francesco

Find Francesco and Ditta Artigianale:

Francesco Sanapo: instagram.com/sanapofrancesco
Ditta Artigianale: instagram.com/dittaartigianale
Website: dittaartigianale.com

Want more coffee content?

IT’S JUST COFFEE: linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.

Proudly sponsored by:

APAX LAB: apaxlab.com
Condesa Co.Lab: condesacolab.com.au
Riverina Fresh: riverinafresh.com.au

Thanks for listening!

#ItalianCoffee #SpecialtyCoffee #FrancescoSanapo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices