Few things are more Italian than espresso; at cafés across the Bel Paese, standing at the counter waiting for a life-affirming shot of hot dark java has become a quintessential ritual. But one crucial element of Italy’s coffee culture has always come from abroad: the green unroasted beans imported from growers in equatorial regions across the world.
That might be about to change, though, as climate change, with temperatures in tropical areas in some cases becoming prohibitively hot, prompting coffee roasters to start considering areas beyond the so-called bean belt to source their precious caffeine-laced raw material. In Sicily, Morettino, a forward-looking family-run roastery, has already started growing coffee plants at its Palermo facility, creating an espresso that is truly made in Italy.
