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Maurizio, who besides being a na- 2017 his hard work paid off and his team will change: everything, from the layout
tionally awarded barista and certified SCA brought home the gold in the three main of the cafés to the frequency and the
trainer, is also a very curious and inquisi- categories. consumption methods will change.
tive man. He started looking into the Maurizio is considered one of the This pandemic will result in an in-
business model that the coffee corpora- famous coffee connoisseurs and roasters centive to improve and modernize mind-
tions are strong arming bar owners into at a national level. In 2015 he won the sets and methods across the country.
and he decided he was not going to be like Italian Barista Championship and was That’s the point of revolutions
the rest. How do those companies make proclaimed “Best Barista of the Year”. La though, isn’t it? Once the balance is shat-
profit if they are leasing the equipment for Cucina Italiana Magazine puts the Bugan tered and there is a need to rebuild from
free? The answer is honestly quite fright- Coffee Lab among the ten best roasting scratch, perhaps it is appropriate to ap-
ening, those contracts force baristas into companies in Italy and writes: “Calling proach things in a new way rather than
purchasing low quality and scrap coffee in Maurizio Valli’s restaurant a roastery trying to resurrect the dead.
exchange for “free” equipment. would be an understatement. It is a real “The concept of the café must
laboratory where customers can buy but change: no more crowds at the counter
Life Changing Travel also just taste various single origins from and no rush to walk in, chug an espres-
all over the world and learn innovative so and go. You go to your local café with
Driven by his determination, he be- extraction techniques.” the desire to enjoy an experience, just
gan training, specializing, and competing like you would at a restaurant.” says
so that he could conquer the coffee king- Unexpected Changes Maurizio. “Separate the lab and seating
dom. Those competitions were a key area. Have the customer observe the
turning point for Maurizio, since they How does his approach to coffee coffee making process, and have those
became moments of interaction with col- mix with the current changes in coffee who serve it explain the characteristics
leagues, growth, sharing, and innovation. consumption in Italy after the COVID-19 and qualities of the coffee the custom-
During one of the competitions, he opted emergency? Maurizio hopes old habits er is about to drink.”
to use a specific type of Panama sourced
coffee beans. He was the only Italian to
use Panama sourced coffee in a national
level competition. Shortly after the end of
the competition he was approached by a
woman from Panama, a coffee seller who
invited him on a life changing journey in,
you guessed it, Panama. He packed his bags
and spent 10 days experiencing life on a
W e met Maurizio Valli, 40, coffee plantation first hand, something not
a lot of other Italian Baristas experience.
founder and owner of
Bugan Coffee Lab and its
Eleta plantation with a new mindset: his
4 branches, in Bergamo, He came back from his visit to the Cafe
Italy. Passion, determination, and a love goal was not to just be a barista, but to
for coffee are strong within this man. revolutionize the coffee culture in Italy by
In 2000 he opened his first location sharing the knowledge that he had ac-
and he faced the challenges that every quired in Panama.
Italian coffee shop owner has to deal with. From 2012 to 2014 Maurizio toured
The coffee corporations will come knock- Northern Europe, where specialty coffee
ing on your door and try to lease machin- was already an institution. He became an
ery and supplies to you for free, as long SCA certified trainer and opened the
as you buy their coffee. first Coffee Lab, Bugan Coffee Lab, in
This model is the way the Italian Bergamo. You can see his time spent in
coffee industry has worked for over 60 Northern Europe reflected in the interi-
years. The costs of opening a coffee shop ors of his cafés and the designs of his
is high, and leasing is a good way to man- products. He began training teams of
age those overhead costs that can over- baristas to compete in major national
throw your business plan. and international level events and in

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