A range of options: that is the demand being made by today’s consumers, who are no longer prepared to settle for a basic cup of coffee. That was clear at HostMilano last October, with new solutions that can offer various types of coffee preparations, with the focus very much on specialty coffee.

“More and more consumers are willing to pay more to get more out of their beverages. They are experts now, and are becoming increasingly demanding,” says Estel Gast, export manager at Le Piantagioni del Caffè. “We believe, however, that it is important also to offer the experience that surrounds coffee drinking and try to capture the attention of a new generation of coffee lovers, who want everything to be instagrammable (i.e. cool, trendy and pop) and we see a future where this demand will be catered to by offering Specialty Coffees that convey a sense of clarity, conviviality, drinkability and joy.”

“Our innovative approach is all about being able to keep on serving quite high numbers of Specialty Coffees, but more importantly to ensure that everyone understands what these are, avoiding too many pointless technical tricks, which just turn people off in the end,” says Prunella Meschini, managing director of the Livorno-based company who has been a firm believer in Specialty Coffee since 1994.

“Even if 2021 won’t go down in history as one of the best years for Ho.Re.Ca., HostMilano has enabled us to show that if a product is a valid one and is correctly positioned, you do get results.”

“We went to the show filled with a feeling of uncertainty: would people come, would our products be welcomed, would the investment be justified? The show was amazing. People did come, products were embraced and we met old friends, made new friends…in other words, our presence was wholly justified on all fronts. At times like these, we must be brave, take reasonable risks and believe in the power of people to rise above adversity and be part of a community once more. Great event, great industry, great people, great team,” said Kamal Bengougam, group Business development and marketing director with the Swiss group Eversys.

As for products that look ahead to the future, the company presents a coffee machine that combines “productivity, design, milk choices and consistency: the market requires all these options now.” The milk module can be configured with various options and four different typologies. Four hoppers and grinders offer four possible choices of coffee bean.