Cucinamatte Food & Specialty Coffees : 3 years of dreams and what lies ahead

Entrepreneurship and innovation

CUCINAMATTE: 2020-2023. From the Mexican dream to the American dream in a cup of (espresso) coffee.

March 2020: the world is experiencing the initial and dramatic phase of the pandemic with its lockdowns, the consequent closure of borders, the impossibility of being able to travel and, last but not least, the cancellation of any event globally. We all remember it well, we are all witnesses of this epochal fact which simply “reset” the life approach we were used to forcing us, some more and some less, to have to review our strategies, our life plans and in substance to think of a Plan B, if not C even or simply to stop for an indefinite moment.

Mexico City, March 2020.

The perception that the storm was about to approach was now evident, unfortunately I was aware of what was happening in Italy and in Europe for a few weeks already.

For a small entrepreneur like me, with 3 years of active experience on the other side of the world, as an italian resident in Mexico City, in the Import-Export consultancy sector, the “certainties” and prospects had suddenly disappeared.

The closure of the borders and the cancellation of all trade fair events had definitively sanctioned the development of a new idea, a new focus in a very short time: concentrating exclusively on the market and on the local target (Mexico City and Mexico in general).

The exercise was as follows: take advantage of all the expertise acquired in my professional and personal life, both positive and negative, combine them with personal passions and link them to a message, as well as values, in which the target we refer to can identify and inspire.

Which message? Very simple, at least for me: inspired by my grandmother, la NONNA ANNA, originally from Rimini, who unfortunately passed away a few months before the pandemic broke out. I remember a phrase that often accompanies me, heard in several phases of my life, in which people who have had the good fortune to know her said to me: “Your grandmother is gold”.

And it was true, everything my grandmother passed on to me, teachings and values, is literally gold and it seemed right to be able to share it with the world.

The CUCINAMATTE project was born from this premise.

CUCINAMATTE from 2020

From March 2020 to June 2022, the period in which I returned to Italy for a short period , the focus of the project was as follows:

• development of a private label Food, a personal brand based on the passion and expertise acquired by being inspired by my grandmother’s “message” and her teachings in life and in the kitchen

• a nationally and internationally recognized Romagna tradition combined with the attention and care in the selection of ingredients and raw materials, applied in all areas

• home deliveries during the lockdown periods respecting the health protocols

• creation of gastronomic “Experiences” at home & cooking school

• Launch of the official logo in June 2020 and trademark registration

• Communication strategy, online-offline PR and Google SEO positioning

• product portfolio creation and local distribution
  • Traditional handmade Italian sauces
  • Selection of recognized international gastronomy products
  • Specialty coffee: investigation and consolidation of knowledge of the entire supply chain, from bean to cup. Birth of a true, genuine passion, in the continuous pursuit of excellence

CUCINAMATTE 2023: the first participation in an INTERNATIONAL EXPO, the Specialty COFFEE EXPO from 21 – 23 April in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Flashback to June 2018: the possibility of starting a research project on “Specialty Coffees” was brought to my attention, the so-called specialty coffees, considered  of a higher quality than the conventional coffee we are used to knowing, due to the particular attention throughout the coffee making process,  from the field to the cup.

In December of the same year, on the occasion of my first ever visit to a coffee plantation in Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico was love at first sight.

From that moment until today, the study and investigation of coffee, therefore of the raw material and related processes, from harvesting to roasting and above all to tasting, has practically become a life mission which has led me to be able to travel and visit incredible realities of the main coffee-producing countries of Central and South America, in my case Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia, but above all knowing the reality of the producing countries in depth and therefore getting in touch with splendid, incredible, authentic people with whom I will be forever grateful for the knowledge and experiences shared.

Collaborations and coffee academies with the main coffee players of the city of Trieste, the italian city of coffee par excellence, the first European port where the first raw coffee beans arrived a few centuries ago, have meant that the vision was completed.

The final result, or if we want the initial result, is the decision to participate in the most important world trade fair of Specialty Coffee in Portland, Oregon, Northern West of the United States: the SPECIALTY COFFEE EXPO, from April 21st to 23rd.

On this occasion I will present my blend of Specialty coffees, with arabica beans of varieties from Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia artfully roasted to obtain a special espresso extraction: ESPRESSO SPECIALTY BLEND.

A product dedicated to baristas and connoisseurs of our beloved drink, whose quality of beans and relative fragrance allow for aromas and flavors tending towards hazelnut and toasted cocoa and a sweet and persistent aftertaste.

Also perfect in Mixology. I’ll wait for you in Portland to finally enjoy a good coffee together, for real. Please come visit my BOOTH #716.

MATTEO DI MONACO

@cucinamatte

3/14/2023