Italian Espresso Making an Impact 

Nero Italia - January 2008, as featured in Coffee Culture magazine. 

This story highlights what makes italian espresso - and caffe' moak - so special and so greatly enjoyed, the world over.

The popularity of espresso coffee is growing worldwide but no one can deny its Italian origins. From the exacting definition of what makes the perfect espresso to the quick sip of an Espresso (short black) taken while standing at the Italian coffee bar - who can overlook the style, enjoyment and prestige that Italy gives to coffee drinking around the world…

Origins of Caffè Moak

Caffè Moak (pronounced mo-ahk) is a well-known Italian coffee with roots in Sicily and an export department in Milan. The company formally began in 1967 in Modica, Sicily, when Giovanni Spadola started roasting his own coffee beans, based on his personal passion and incorporating the best of Italian traditions and knowledge. Forty years on, Caffè Moak is exported around the world and is now available in New Zealand.

The Caffè Moak company is still a family-owned business - Giovanni joined by his son Alessandro as Chief Executive and daughter Annalisa take care of the international export and marketing departments respectively.

Since its beginnings, Caffè Moak has developed an international customer base throughout Europe, the USA, Asia, Africa and the Pacific: the company is noted for being a supplier of high-quality roasted coffee beans with a unique taste and outstanding consistency. Moak is one of the few companies in the industry that has obtained international standards of ISO 9001:2000 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management.

Valter Citarella, export manager for Europe, Australia and New Zealand says: “The coffee industry in New Zealand is growing, that’s without doubt. What we are interested in doing is bringing a premium brand from Italy, the origin of the espresso coffee, to be an advocate for the industry.”

“The more New Zealanders that are interested in high-quality Italian food, wine and culture, the more they will prefer to drink a perfect espresso.”

Sicily has a long history of coffee, dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries when the Arabs introduced new flavours and ingredients to the local cuisine. The name ‘Caffè Moak’ refers to this fascinating history; ‘Caffè,’ of course, means ‘coffee’ in Italian, ‘Moak’ is from an old name for the Sicilian city of Modica, derived from the names ‘Motyka’ (given by the Greeks), ‘Motuca’ (by the Romans) and ‘Mohac’ (by the Arabs) all of whom have influenced Sicily’s history over the past 1000 years.

Moak’s Quality of Coffee

Quality continues to be the most important value for Moak, something that is constant throughout the production process: from the importing of the best coffee beans (sourced from Brazil, Central and South America and India) to the roasting process and distribution.

Moak has a direct relationship with its coffee growers, buying only first-grade coffee varieties, which are then used to compose the various blends. They pay the premium price - the best guarantee of quality.

Caffè Moak has employed the single batch roasting system from the very beginning. This differs with most other companies present in the international market, as it exposes each variety of coffee bean to a specific and single roasting. Only afterwards are the beans mixed to create the blend (there can be up to 14 different varieties in a blend). This process both enhances and preserves the differences and features of the raw beans. In addition, Moak is one of the few Italian companies with an inhouse European-certified laboratory where the raw beans and roasted blends are accurately tested on a daily basis to ensure their quality is masterfully maintained.

Once a coffee blend has been created and perfected, the focus is on keeping its quality and flavour consistent and exact. Coffee is a natural product and varies with each crop. To maintain its characteristics, the level of roasting is adjusted and the combination of coffee varieties are altered, to obtain exactly the same signature blend, batch after batch.

A Special Family Philosophy

Caffè Moak are excited about their international expansion, but are always careful to stay true to their core philosophy and personal values – their passion for coffee and their commitment to high quality. This underlying commitment has led to terrific growth - the roastery now produces 30 tonnes of coffee beans per week.

To the Spadola family and their employees, Caffè Moak is not just about running a thriving business – every day for them is about creating a “real coffee culture". The company continues to strive for further success by investing in the upgrade of their facilities, making sure it is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient; and in raising the level of service offered to its clients.

Caffè Moak in New Zealand

Moak has been turning to markets in Eastern Europe and Asia where espresso coffee is experiencing new growth. Taking the initiative to focus on New Zealand largely stemmed from their personal relationship with Philip Dowling and Devid Cudicio, who started Nero Italia Ltd in 2006.

Nero Italia, a Kiwi-owned and operated company with in-house Italian expertise is convinced that it is the right time for New Zealanders to embrace the tradition and passion of Italian espresso. As well as their premium coffee bean blends and packaged ground coffee, which can be used for plunger, moka (stovetop coffee machine) or for home espresso machines, are Caffè Moak’s range of innovative espresso pods.

The espresso pod (also known as E.S.E. espresso pods) is a revolutionary system for home, office and hospitality use. Already popular in Europe for some time, its use is growing rapidly around the rest of the world. Each single-serve sachet contains 7g of roasted, ground, compressed coffee (the standard quantity for espresso) which produces an easy-to-prepare, clean, and totally consistent espresso coffee.

“This pod system is now extremely popular throughout Europe and the USA and is fool-proof for making the perfect espresso,” says Philip from Nero Italia.

Moak has found popularity in New Zealand, starting with the Italian community and Italian restaurants and spreading to businesses and people looking for high-quality coffee.

"There’s a slow but growing shift towards the drinking of Espresso, where the coffee must be of the highest standard. Kiwis are going to become more and more aware of the quality by its taste and consistency, not just by what’s been told to them.” says Devid, himself a licensed international coffee taster, judge and barista trainer.

Devid continues “It’s only when you drink the real Espresso (short black) that you can discover the true qualities of the coffee blend. You must look carefully at the aroma, texture, and flavours that are revealed all around your mouth. It’s not only about the first sip and taste on your tongue, or the aftertaste - it must be a completely enjoyable gastronomic experience!”

As founder Giovanni Spadola would say: “A fine espresso to everyone!"