Miscela d’Oro’s third-generation master roaster Umberto Urbano announced Espresso Natura, the company’s first-ever Fair Trade Organic espresso blend. Unlike most of Italy’s Fair Trade Organic espressos—which typically feature 100 percent arabica beans—Miscela d’Oro’s socially and ecologically conscious Espresso Natura blends premium arabica and robusta beans.
Urbano points out the high demand for double-certified arabica makes that type of green coffee bean fairly routine to source at premium quality levels.
“As a result,” he says, “double-certified 100 percent arabica espressos are fairly common. But achieving our preferred flavor is only possible with the addition of robusta beans, which enrich the first notes of the espresso and create a longer, more complex finish.”
Beyond excellence in flavor, Urbano points to the cost competitiveness of Espresso Natura as Fair Trade Organic offering. “Fair Trade plus organic food and beverage options are a competitive differentiator for any restaurant or café, but often the high cost makes these types of ingredients difficult to offer,” he says. “With Espresso Natura, chefs can offer a very compelling product at a cost-per-serving difference of just three or four cents more than conventional espresso. Shifting to a Fair Trade Organic option in their espresso program is an easy and cost-effective way for chefs to give customers what they’re looking for: something wholesome, socially responsible, and flavorful.”
Vacuum-packed at Miscela d’Oro’s roasting plant in Messina, Sicily, Italy, Espresso Natura is available in one-kilo bags, packed six to a master case. Espresso Natura can be purchased exclusively through specialty coffee distributors globally.
