Andrea, expert machinist at the Ernani roasting company in Milan.
Certificates:
- Technical diploma in hotel business
- Tasting Course at Caffè Ernani
- Course of knowledge of the world of coffee at Caffè Ernani
Hi Andrea, your time has finally come! I kept the barista of excellence for last, the only one who has always turned his back, but who recognizes all clients by the sound of his voice and who remembers the tastes of each of them.
Thanks Marti, I’m happy that my turn has also come and I can’t wait to be able to express myself in front of our customers who read us.
Let’s get straight to the point: what did you do before joining the Torrefazione Ernani? Both on an educational and professional level.
I come from the Hotel Institute, where I specialized in dining rooms and bars in the first 3 years and in hotel business technician in the last two before graduating.
As soon as I finished my studies, I immediately started working in tourist villages. This experience for me was perhaps the most important one of my entire life. Not in itself for the role I had or for my duties, but because it hardened me as a worker.
During these years I have in fact accustomed my body to resist even under pressure, or with a few hours of sleep and without ever losing the desire to entertain the customer.
Let’s say that these were my years of apprenticeship, I started from the bottom to fully understand what it meant to work hard, and I’m very proud of this.
These jobs are always good memories. Sure, they are stressful and exhausting, but they teach you so much and it’s nice to have such meaningful experiences behind them.
When did you arrive here in Milan then?
I arrived back in 1990. In that year I finally made the qualitative leap at a professional level.
This is where I started working behind the bar.
My first boss at one point moved me to the coffee machine and I haven’t changed jobs since that day. A passion was born that I could no longer give up. Even if I have held all the roles over the years, nothing is like being the creator of product creation. It gives me immense pride to see the satisfied faces of the customers.
I know well Andre! Your cappuccinos are incomparable, they are light, greedy and delicious desserts. You are unique in your work and I will never stop repeating it!
Thank you very much, for me this recognition is important, it gives me the motivation to continue and do better and better.
Then, however, I also had other work experiences of different types, such as that in the Canaries. I moved there with my wife to create our own ice cream bar.
Working abroad opened my mind and I also experienced a different way of experiencing the bar. For example, the counter almost does not exist, customers are more relaxed and prefer to take the time to sip their drink calmly. There is no Italian frenzy.
Also there I really learned how to organize my work, one thing I have not forgotten anymore. In fact, I prefer to start half an hour earlier in the morning and have everything tidy and clean, ready to best serve even the first customer of the day.
Well, it’s nice to find out how many different experiences a person has behind him and to understand how he got to us, to know what’s behind a career like yours. So, how did you join Ernani?
I remember it like it was yesterday: Luca, one of the owners of the Torrefazione, called me in December 2013 to start working exactly on January 2, 2014 at 12.30, as a substitute for an employee who was changing jobs.
That call was the opportunity of a lifetime. Being able to come to work in a place like this, a Torrefazione, a Cafeteria with a capital C, was the crowning glory of an entire career.
And above all, with the whole Ernani team I was able to really discover the world of coffee, go deep into the drink, train and grow.
In these 7 years I have had the opportunity to see a continuous growth at the organizational level of the company, in the offer to customers and in product quality. We are becoming a real company, as well as a brand, and I could not be more motivated to continue this adventure with the management.
But there will be at least one thing you would like to change, right?
Yes, it’s actually a bit of a strange idea: I’d like to be able to open the large display and add another counter. In this way we could better serve both customers who are in a hurry and are just passing through, and customers who instead want to taste the coffee guided by us more calmly.
Well, thank you very much Andrea for your time and for always being so focused and professional, I admire you!
Martina Mazzoleni
Marketing, E-commerce e Social Media Manager
Coffee Lover