It is never just a simple cup because in a café there is history, culture and, above all, nature: everything comes from one plant. It is a shrub widespread in equatorial and tropical areas with flowers that give life to red berries, each of which contains two seeds: the beans. A large part of the future of the planet, because coffee is the second largest agricultural raw material in the world for economic interest (after cereals), e the way it’s grown it can make a difference for the environment, but also for those who do it and therefore for those who drink it.
For this reason in Florence, atAcademy of Espresso Coffee, born thanks to La Marzocco, a historic manufacturer of coffee machines, is studying this plant in depth, which could change the future for the better.
The latest innovation the Academy started with Stefano Mancuso, world-renowned scientist, professor of Arboriculture and Plant Ethology at the University of Florence, who directs the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology and is co-founder of Pnat (Project Nature): spin off of the Florentine university that studies how plants can help us in solving great contemporary problems, from the depollution of water to that of the land.
Now Pnat, together with the Academy, is focusing on coffee: it is analyzing samples from some of the main producing countries to investigate the chemical and genetic components of the plant, and understand what is the best way to grow it in a sustainable way, obtaining the highest quality results. For this, after the study phase, he will put his findings into practice in Tanzania, where there is a coffee producer owned by Marzocco: “We would like it to become a manifest company of the possibility of producing coffee in a fair way for the environment»Says Professor Mancuso.
The project is part of a three-year research plan of the Academy, led internally by the agronomist Massimo Battaglia and who, in addition to Professor Stefano Mancuso, with Pnat also involves ENEA, the national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development and, as a partner in the countries of origin, the coffee guarantors of El Salvador (CSC) Honduras (IHCAFE), Costa Rica (ICAFE) and Guatemala (ANACAFE), as well as ACE and Cup of Excellence.
The study started with Pnat is one of the many activities ofCoffee Academy, which rises in the old factory of the Marzocco. A piece of Italian industrial archeology with exhibition spaces that tell the story and technology of coffee also through the precious company archive, workshops where you can learn the art of espresso, a greenhouse where the environment and microclimate of a plantation is reproduced that allows you to breathe the scent of a cultivation and to admire its beauty allowing visitors to really understand what’s behind a cup. A place open to all fans and connoisseurs, and where science studies how to make the world a better place.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
