With coffee now being the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, one might consider all that goes into this black liquid that has become a regular daily staple in all of our lives.  When one thinks of coffee, Italy is the first country to come to mind.  The espresso machine was invented in 1929 in Italy, and from there initiated the boom in the coffee roasting industry. 

 Being in business since 1950, Mokaflor Firenze is one of the premier Tuscan roasters that takes pride in its blending recipes with their accurate raw coffee selection and single-variety roasting. When Vasco Bernini took over the company, Mokaflor ran its business from its first location behind Piazza Signoria in Florence, importing and roasting coffee beans.  Three generations on, the Bernini family business is still thriving as it produces its specialty coffee blends from their west Florence base as they expand and diversify.  “Even though many other countries have their roasting facilities, people look to Italy because of our long tradition,” explains Eleonora Bernini, Export Manager at Mokaflor, and grand-daughter of the founder.  After working in fashion in Germany for a number of years, Eleonora has now returned to bring her talents to the company.  “Since the days of my grandfather, it’s interesting to see how much this industry has changed and has developed at every stage.”

Like many Italian businesses that have evolved throughout the generations, Mokaflor’s development has been one that has had to adapt to the times.  “When my grandfather started, it was all about sampling the quality of coffee and trying to obtain the best price from importers and form those relationships,” recounts Eleonora.  Like so many other industries, the coffee business boomed during the decades after the war.  With so much competition, small business owners had to find their niche. “When my father got into the business, he was one of the first in Italy to begin to source the single origin coffee beans-- for example the Kona in Hawaii, or top-quality ones in Ethiopia – trying to discover different beans from different single origins and investing in these,” explains Eleonora.  The investment in specialty coffee seemed to pay off especially in the early 1990’s when recession came to Italy and tens of thousands coffee roasting companies went out of business and Mokaflor was still trading. “It was during this time that my father took the decision to export coffee and bring the coffee knowledge and appreciation abroad in earnest,” she explains. “It saved the business.” 

In Italy, where people drink on average four coffees a day, it is more about having a quick shot (“express” derives from the word espresso).  The appreciation for coffee knowledge in Italy is more about a cultural go-to instead of one that savours the flavour behind the bean.  “Outside of Italy, the appreciation for a higher quality coffee is thriving,” Eleonora explains. “Especially in America and Northern European Countries where we are exporting, there is a wide appreciation for high quality coffee.”

“Similar to wine tasting nowadays, we want to bring this sort of appreciation to coffee,” Eleonora explains. 

Now exporting to over 40 countries, Mokaflor’s commitment to researching, selecting, tasting and producing their specialty coffee seems to be paying off.  “Similar to wine tasting nowadays, we want to bring this sort of appreciation to coffee,” Eleonora explains.  Coffee appreciation is becoming its own thing as it explores the delicate nodes of tastes and flavours within each cup.  Mokaflor is ahead of the game as it brings this type of awareness to coffee aficionados.  In places as far as China, coffee is a growing trend with an aim to increase its appreciation for what goes into every cup.

With 135 varieties of beans from which to choose, there are two strands that compose most of the world’s coffee.  The Robusta coffee bean with its woody, earthy, herby and strong taste is the most widely used as it is more disease-resistant --  and quite frankly it is robust, (as its name indicates).   The Arabica, with its nodes of honey, biscuit, almond and chocolate is a more delicate and flowery bean that gives its finer tastes.  Similar to the process of wine oenology and grape selection, these days the art of choosing and blending single-selection coffee beans and employing particular roasting techniques has become an artform in itself.  Armed with their secret recipes, the roasters aim to produce a superior product that is speaking to the coffee connoisseurs of today with its satisfying complexity of delicate tastes.

Today, as the market continues to expand with specialty coffees and all the knowledge available on the internet, so too does the industry develop and the commitment to sustainability is ever-growing.  Mokaflor now goes to source to interact with the coffee bean plantations directly to find the best product possible, grown and harvested ethically, and where possible, organically.  Direct relationship with the farmers is their new ethos. 

“It’s quite expensive to produce the higher quality of beans and we are trying work with projects that support this idea of sustainability,” explains Eleonora.   Going to Brazil, which is the greatest supplier and most-established coffee bean industry in the world, was the obvious place to start for the Berninis.  “As a roaster, you have to learn about the raw material and not rely on the huge coffee importers who can sell you inferior products,” Eleonora explains.  “The best producers do everything by hand to have better control over the quality of the beans.”  Mokaflor is also working with projects in the African countries of Ethiopia and Uganda to offer them the much-needed knowledge and support to teach the people about sustainability from planting and care of the crops to drying the beans.  “We are trying to work with Africa and support these sustainable projects,” she says.  “By going to Brazil and Africa personally and really seeing how the plantations work, we want to view what we are supporting.  We continually aim to be more transparent.”

The idea of worker’s conditions is also another aspect of sustainability that Mokaflor is exploring as they travel to their source producers.  They have taken a decision to do business with plantations that are participating in the Women’s Coffee Association initiative.  “Oftentimes the majority of workers are women who work very long hours for low pay and they are also the ones who are responsible for raising and feeding their families,“  Eleonora explains.  “We want to create a ‘woman’s-chain’ within the industry.”

With their commitment to creating an awareness and appreciation for coffee, Mokaflor has gone on to create its own coffee school, called Espresso Academy. From its initial opening in 2008, it now welcomes over 1000 students each year instructing both Italians and foreigners who travel from afar to gain the coffee education.  As Mokaflor increases its own knowledge and direct sourcing of its beans, Espresso Academy in turn shares the knowledge in the classes they offer.   “Inside our company, we have some of the top experts of this industry. From the coffee and roasting specialist who has worked with the major Italian roasting companies, to the Italian Cup Tasters Champion,” Eleonora says.  “I am taking many of the classes our Academy offers and am fortunate to learn from the top people who are working there.”  The school has been such a success that it is now attracting franchise partners with other schools in Thailand, Vietnam, India, Jordan, Dubai and China where the trend to adopt some more Western tastes is booming, as well as increasing their love of all things Italian. “They are enthusiastic and want to learn so much more about coffee appreciation,” smiles Eleonora.  “We look to see where expansion in this area will take both Mokaflor and the coffee industry.”