Tucked away in the historic walls of Florence lies the unique and family-owned Dini Caffè. Founded in 1939 by Alberto Dini, the coffee roaster was originally located in the city center of Florence. However, a flood in 1966 forced the Dini family to think outside the box for a new and improved location. The Dini family decided to move up the hill and surrounded themselves with the 14th-century city walls of Florence. Fast forward to now, the Dini Caffè remains within the family, now owned by Alberto’s granddaughters.
Upon our experience at Dini Caffè, there were three main concepts that seemed to be a priority for the reputation of the roaster, and those include: family, quality, and uniqueness. These aspects are very transparent to the consumers as the business has been family-owned and operated since its founding. The roaster has been owned by women for the past forty or more years, and the women of the Dini family have made a name for themselves in a predominantly male field, earning them great respect from their consumers and competitors. Quality is a major aspect of the foundation of the Dini Caffè. The process of harvesting is where the quality of the product begins, as the ripeness of the cherry, climate, and other factors can affect the taste and quality of the coffee in the long run. Dini Caffè ensures that the harvesting process is done by very high-quality farms located around the world, such as Brazil, India, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The beans are then packaged to ensure the aroma and flavor of the beans are not lost in transport, as they are very sensitive to various conditions. The exporting process takes about two to three months, depending on transport conditions and where the bean is actually coming from. The beans then undergo a series of processes through wet and dry conditions, then they undergo milling, which separates two layers of skin from the bean, before they are sorted and selected by color, which is another quality control measure, as one single bean can ruin a whole batch! During our trip, the owner of Dini Caffè explained that she uses the Brazilian method to test the quality of the coffee. The Brazilian method consists of 5 cups of ground coffee with no filter and adding hot water to test the taste and to ensure a good batch. This type of quality control is unlike anything you will find at your local Starbucks!
After experiencing the beautiful view at the headquarters of Dini Caffè and seeing the various machines that allow the roasting, sorting, and packing of the homemade blends, it was obvious how passionate the owners were about the reputation and quality of their family’s business. Their passion is depicted in their unique packaging and branding that displays unique symbols of Florentine tiles to give credit to where their family’s business took off. It was also evident in their passion of the work of the women who ran Dini Caffè for the past forty or more years to be able to come into a male-dominated field and gain respect from not only baristas buying their product but farmers, locals, tourists, and competitors. It goes without saying that they are perfectly carrying out their elder’s legacy.
If you wish to visit Dini Caffè, check out their website: https://dinicaffe.it/ or visit them in person at Via dei Bastioni, 38, 50125, Firenze, Fl. You will not regret the hike!
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Written By: McKenzie Jones and Jeremy Price