A MIXTURE OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION ROASTED WITH LOVE
The Italian espresso represents one of the highest expressions of taste and pleasure, the perfect synthesis between nature’s generous goodness and the multi-faceted genius of humankind. When the raw material—coffee— meets the know-how and the passion of skilled professionals, a miracle manifests, satisfying the palate and caressing the lips with exotic whispers. In Italy, coffee processing is intrinsic to national identity and gastronomic tradition: the characteristic fragrance fills the senses—memory and imagination—within national borders and abroad. By virtue of this powerful and essential connection, capable producers have flourished throughout the peninsula, consolidating themselves as ambassadors of an unmistakable quality, becoming symbolic guardians of a coffee tradition. Italian Torrefazione (roaster) Filicori Zecchini is one of the oldest and longest-lived examples of this paradigm: the brand was born in 1919, thanks to the innovative force of Aldo Filicori and Luigi Zecchini, who aspired to give their customers “quality without compromise.” Thus, the two pioneers commited to bringing the best green coffee to the shop in Via degli Orefici, deep in the heart of beautiful Bologna. Then they expertly experimented with all the techniques essential for the perfect roast. The laboratory in Via Oberdan, a few steps from the tea, coffee and chocolate shop, is a sort of magical laboratory from which the irresistible aroma of coffee spreads through the alleys.
Filicori Zecchini: 100 years of uncompromising quality
The magic of the Filicori Zecchini coffee comes from precise work, which is why it is not destined to disappear anytime soon. From its beginning in 1933, the precious mixture garnered recognition as the Official Supplier to the Royal House of Savoy and continued to filtrate through Italian history over the last century. In 1964, Giovanni Filicori took over the reins of the company, transforming the shop and the artisinal-roasting venue
“My father, Giovanni Filicori, taught us to make the business work better, respect work ethics, be uncompromising in the search for the best… also the constant necessity to innovate and improve.”
into a cutting-edge company. Production moved to Osteria Grande (a province of Bologna) in the 1980s. It rocketed forward with decisive courage, exploring new technologies and establishing valuable commercial relationships with green coffee suppliers in Brazil, Colombia, India, and Costa Rica—some of which are still partners to this day.
Costanza and Luca Filicori, as well as third-generation Luigi Zecchini junior (two families united), have adhered to the exemplary balance between research and innovation. Through a tenacious, centuries-old craft tradition, a regional company has expanded throughout the country, and subsequently across the globe. “My father, Giovanni Filicori, taught us to make the business work better, respect work ethics, be uncompromising in the search for the best… also the constant necessity to innovate and improve. He taught us that every generation shouldn’t manage the company for its own personal gain, but work to ensure the future for those to come,” explains Luca Filicori, Aldo’s grandson. “Coffee is a fundamental part of the Italian lifestyle, of its culture, of the joy of living, of meeting, exchanging ideas, taking time out,” continues Luca. In October 2019, Filicori celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the first workshop and store: the initial 100 years of Filicori embody experience and value that are now expressed in an export network covering 43 countries and include 21 franchise stores, including three in the US. Luca Filicori, in 2009, developed the idea of emphasizing the beauty and refinement of Italian design embodied in a singular gourmetcoffee tasting space, married to traditional Italian goods: the Filicori Zecchini coffee blends, 120 tea varieties from the best plantations in China, Japan, India and Sri Lanka and a selection of chocolate-based specialties. Success cannot be summed up in numbers or in cold, mathematical terms. It is a prized fruit of intuition and passion, which is also expressed through the company’s relationship with customers, considered real partners sharing each other’s triumphs. Just as 100 years ago, thanks to the values of Aldo and Luigi, Filicori Zecchini refuses braggadocio, preferring the road of trust, and providing the public with the best possible coffee, enriched by the power of
October 2019, Filicori celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the first workshop and store: the initial 100 years of Filicori embody experience and value.
experience, of training and innovation. The Laboratory’s bartender trainers celebrated the much-coveted centenary by studying a recipe matching the brand’s core: a story of love and family, born from a coffee, tea and chocolate shop, an infusion coffee from Mexico, with red fruits, to enhance freshness, without suffocating the bouquet of aromas. Accompanying the coffee, a sumptuous Earl Gray, whose sweet and fresh bergamot notes balance the tannins and go well with coffee infused with red fruits, and finally, a note of precious sweetness with dark chocolate flakes, 73% Cru of Ecuador. The endless story of Filicori Zecchini does not end here: the tasteful journey is open to new horizons of discovery and experimentation, never ever losing direction, the compass towards the cardinal points of tradition. Luca Filicori sets the coordinates to follow this wonderful adventure summing it up like this: “Absolute product quality; perseverance and passion from all the generations that preceded us; enthusiasm and perseverance collected by the third generation from the passing of the torch.” For Filicori Zecchini, the future is a soft caress of coffee to be savored sip by sip, like never before.