Piazza D’Oro explains how it develops an end-to-end solution for its café customers and why consistency is key.
Quality and reliability are key for any café looking for consistent customers, but it’s no longer the only consideration.
Adopting a ‘coffee for every cup’ mentality, roaster Piazza D’Oro is focused on creating blends that appeal to a broad variety of coffee drinkers around Australia, and also carry a sustainable focus.
“People care about not just the taste of the coffee, but also where it comes from,” says Piazza D’Oro Coffee Ambassador Shaun Kumar.
“By providing consistent and sustainable coffee, cafés can attract a reliable customer base that keeps coming back.”
Piazza D’Oro’s wholesale Mezzo and Organic blends are Rainforest Alliance certified (RFA) – a certification that supports the sustainability of both workers and the environment through aid levied to the communities in and around where the coffee is sourced.
Piazza D’Oro also champions an inclusive and regenerative approach to sourcing coffee for blends, acting through the principles of responsible sourcing, minimising footprint, and connecting people.
“We want to deliver an end-to-end solution with our café customers,” Shaun says.
“From farmers to consumers, we are acting intentionally to ensure every cup contributes to a better future.
“We do this by sourcing from farms with traceable coffee that uphold sustainable practices.”
At the roastery, stringent quality control procedures are followed to ensure a high level of product is consistently delivered to market.
“We make sure to have less than 3 per cent oxygen in the bag and that the seals are sealed properly when the bags are packed,” Shaun says.
“We also measure the moisture level and limit the amount of moisture inside the bag because oxygen is the biggest fear when it comes to the quality of the beans. Lastly, we ensure that the colour value of the beans is correct to make sure the blend is medium bodied.
“The work we do with quality processes is so important because the Mezzo blend is made for the café market, and cafés do best when they have customers who know the coffee is consistent and come back for that specific blend.”
Mezzo is Piazza D’Oro’s number one selling blend in Australia.
“As a medium roast coffee, it’s a real crowd pleaser,” Shaun says. “The flavour profile is milk chocolate caramel and toffee, which is really popular with the Australian market.
“Part of our research and development process in Europe is identifying the flavour profile of our markets and for Australia. It was also really important that the blend paired extremely well with milk and dairy alternatives.”
Shaun says the milk chocolate and toffee notes of the Mezzo blend cut through dairy and plant-based products, complementing rather than overtaking the coffee profile.
“Whether it’s with milk, a dairy alternative, an eight-ounce or a 16-ounce coffee, we have made the recipe for the Mezzo blend to ensure that regardless of when people get their coffee from their favourite café, the coffee tastes the way they love,” Shaun says.
“People come back for consistency and that philosophy is integrated into how we develop our blends.”
Piazza D’Oro’s Organic blend – RFA and Australian Coffee Organics (ACO) certified – also carries a milk chocolate note, which is balanced with caramel and honey sweetness.
“Being able to give cafés the tools to make a coffee that all customers can enjoy, is central to our goals at Piazza D’Oro,” Shaun says.
“The development of the Mezzo and Organic blends came from a desire to provide cafés with great tasting coffee that they can assure will taste the same every time customers visit.”
For more information, visit www.piazzadoro.com.au
This article appears in the June 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
