Photovoltaic Espresso for Caffè Pascucci
Caffè Pascucci has recently presented a coffee bar kiosk running exclusively on photovoltaic panels. The coffee machine, the coffee grinder and the dishwasher actually use electricity produced by the panels fitted on the roof of the kiosk. “The idea comes from the hundreds of coffee bars on the beach in Rimini – using the words of Mario Pascucci, owner of the name-sake roasting company – Together with Marco Cuccioli, electro-mechanic entrepreneur, we developed a solution which, with an investment of a few thousands of euros, guarantees a remarkable energy saving and is environmentally friendly”. Caffè Pascucci is based in Marche region (Italy) and apart from supplying the HoReCa channel, has a chain of more than 100 coffee bars with its own brand all around the world – of which 42 in South Chorea. The next shop will be opened in the Red Square in Moscow.

Italy: 6 billion doses at vending machines
Consumption from vending machines in Italy is around 6 billion doses. With 1,731,000 machines in Italy, the sector has a turnover above €2 billions and has 30,000 employees. The number of machines at the workplace and in public places has more than doubled in 5 yeas, increasing from, roughly, 700.000 machines in 2000 to more than 1,700,000 in 2005. This increase is mainly due to the fact that, over the last few years, there has been a genuine boom of the number of public vending machines for offices. Italians are passionate for coffee. Coffee vending machines are almost 70% of the market of vending machines, with approximately 4 billion consumptions, of which 2 billions of coffee in beans and more than 1 billion of single-dose coffee.

Twice as much sustainable coffee for Sara Lee
Sara Lee, third buyer of coffee in the world and owner of the brands Douwe Egberts, Merrild, Maison du Café and Marcilla, has announced that it is buying twice as much of sustainable coffee. This will lead Sara Lee to processing 20,000 tons of it in 2008 (in 2004: 2,500 tons). “As a global coffee roaster, Sara Lee can emphasise sustainability as an environmentally and local community friendly coffee producing method – using the words of Frank van Oers, CEO of the coffee and tee division – The volume of purchase of sustainable coffee will grow in parallel with the growth of the market of the finished product”. The company is a partner to UTZ Certified Foundation.

Coming soon is Plus 4 You by CMA: -30% of energy consumption
CMA presented Plus 4 You, an espresso machine which makes it possible to save 30% of energy compared with a traditional machine. This is important for both the environment and the barista. Calculations show that the average annual energy consumption of a machine is around € 1,200. In order to obtain these results, the hydraulic system has been upgraded. The new electronic version makes it possible to have a distribution of power based on the actual needs. The self-command of the machine helps the barista analyse the functioning of each group and plan energy saving. The monitoring of the quality in the cup is remarkable: the machine measures each cup against the optimum parameters for the used blend. In the event of problems, the system points out to the barista the possible causes and suggests potential solutions.

The new Caffè River calendar: Arezzo calls New York
The new 2008 calendar by Caffè River from Arezzo is ready. The pictures of this edition have been taken by Giovanni Santi, who gives an insight in New York showing its defining locations: Times Square, Lower Manhattan, East Village, Hudson River, Empire State Building and Ground Zero. A compact disorder of floors and windows with varying perspectives, light-and-shadow effects, uncommon pictures with sights and fragments of a city with thousands of facets.

New plant for Cma (Astoria and Wega) The new Cma, company that produces over 30,000 professional espresso machines – sold with the Astoria and Wega brands – each year, plant has been inaugurated. On its 40,000 square metres surface there are 4 production lines featuring lean manufacturing technologies. This is an industrial philosophy which belongs to the Toyota system and it is aimed at minimising – and actually getting rid of – all forms of wasting. This makes it possible to rationalise work flows and procedures for assembling the machines as well as to considerably increase productivity with a positive impact on overall efficiency.

Pellini partner in the Overland expedition Pellini Caffè took part in the Paris-Beijing expedition, the latest one organised by the Overland team, which will be soon broadcasted by RAI, the Italian national public television. One-hundred years after the competition won by the Prince Scipione Borghese on board of the legendary Itala, Pellini Caffè has accompanied the 4 Iveco lorries used for the expedition right to the heart of the Chinese Republic (the convoy covered in two months time a distance of 14.000 Km and crossed 11 countries). Recently, the Taiwanese importer and supplier of Pellini Caffè, You Chang Trading Co. Ltd, has opened an office in Shanghai.

This is how the nose talks to the brain How is the life-long connection between nose and brain created during the embryonic stage? The answer comes from a Telethon scientific research which also sheds light on the mechanisms of a rare genetic disease, i.e. the Kallmann syndrome, characterised, among other symptoms, loss of the sense of smell (anosmia) and severe reproduction deficits. The nerve endings start in the nose and, in order to go in the brain, must cross a border area which is a sort of barrier. Giorgio Merlo, a researcher from the Telethon Dulbecco Institute and his colleagues from the department of animal and human biology at the University of Turin have found out that some specialised cells act as if they were guards. This means that these cells are able to recognise the approaching signals sent by the nerves and they trigger a lowering of the barrier so that such signals can reach the brain. This takes place during the embryonic stage and creates the connection between the olfactory cells (which detect smells) and the brain (which processes them).

The photo exhibition of Illycaffè “From the beginning” in London The 6th of October was the closing day of the photo exhibition “From the beginning”. The photos by Sebastião Salgado have been taken in Illycaffè plantations in order to describe the culture of coffee in the countries where it is produced and to illustrate the various stages of the processing process. The exhibition has been organised in partnership with Amazonas Images, Contrasto and NBpictures and with the support of the International Coffee Organization and of the Embassy of Brazil in London.

Caffè Mokarico obtains the ethical-social quality certification Caffè Mokarico, from Florence, is the first roaster in the world that can boast three different certifications on environment protection, sustainable development and social accountability. It already had the ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001 certification and now it has received the SA 8000 (Ethical) certification for the company’s commitment to the fight against exploitation of child labour, to guarantying health and safety on the workplace, to the respect of human rights and workers’ rights with the support of all people involved in the production process and sales.

Enquiry of coffee tasters at the coffee shop The enquiry on the quality of coffee at the coffee shop, promoted by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, has been kicked off. The tasters who are working all around Italy have already handed back several tasting cards. The tasters, apart from evaluating the coffee according to the strict method of the Institute, must fill in a tasting card which focuses on some of the most important aspects of coffee consumption other than the degree of pleasure perceived by the individual. This sort of investigation is complemented by a full-blown sensorial evaluation which is also focused on the analysis of the bar environment. To this purpose, twenty bars in the centre of Rome and Milan have been selected and analysed by judges – coffee experts – qualified in sensorial analysis. This research is supported by Altroconsumo, the first independent consumers association in Italy.