The Story
Ditta Artigianale was founded in 2013 as a micro roastery by Francesco Sanapo and Patrick Hoffer.
Francesco Sanapo, a three-time Italian Barista Champion (2010, 2011, 2013) who had worked in his father’s coffee bar from age fourteen, partnered with Patrick Hoffer, president of Caffè Corsini. The name translates to “factory of artisans,” embodying their mission to bridge traditional Italian coffee culture with the specialty movement.
Francesco founded Ditta Artigianale with the ambition to put up the Italian flag in the world of specialty coffee.
He’d grown up in the industry as his father ran a coffee bar in Puglia, and he knew Italian coffee could be better. After winning his third national championship and placing sixth at the World Barista Championship in Melbourne in 2013, he opened the first café in Florence’s historic center on Via dei Neri in 2014. The company has since expanded to seven venues in Florence and one flagship in Milan’s Corso Magenta.
Sourcing & Relationships
Ditta Artigianale is based on the search for the most exclusive micro lots, generating direct relationships with individual producers.
Francesco spends three to four months a year in origin countries.
Most of the coffee they serve is the result of direct trade and relationships with coffee producers.
While there they try raise the quality of the producers coffee, engaging in new educational classes or by suggesting new agricultural technologies.
His scope of activity includes a self-made documentary series that follows him as he tours coffee origin countries.
The first two episodes, featuring his visit to Uganda, were aired on Italy’s national TV channel at the end of 2021.
These change seasonally based on harvest cycles and what Francesco discovers during his months at origin, when he travels to meet producers face to face. The company emphasizes transparency in pricing and origin information, providing detailed narratives about farms and producers on their packaging and marketing materials.
Roasting Philosophy
Michele Anedotti, who won the 2019 Italian Roasting Championship, heads the roasting team.
In fact, we won the title of best Italian roaster in 2019, with our Michele Anedotti, and the title of best Italian coffee taster with our Francesco Sanapo.
The roast style generally leans lighter than traditional Italian roasting, but not far into Nordic territory. Ditta Artigianale are aiming for balance, preserving origin character and processing notes while maintaining body and sweetness that Italian palates appreciate. It’s a middle path, deliberately positioned to bridge tradition and innovation.
Their philosophy is to enhance the natural characteristics of each coffee through roasting, never to mask them. That might sound obvious in specialty coffee circles, but in Italy, where dark roasts have historically been used to hide defects and create uniformity, it’s still not a common stance.
Ditta Artigianale primarily roasts an omni-roast profile.
To ensure you have an exceptional taste experience, we roast the coffee only after receiving your order. This means that your coffee is always fresh, even if the delivery times may be a bit longer compared to other products.
What to Try
Their signature blends include Mamma Mia, a medium-low acidity coffee blending Peru, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Honduras to achieve intense notes of chocolate, dried fruit, and spices.
MammaMia is a blend that Sanapo dedicated to his mother and to all women; even the beans used for this blend are cultivated by three different female coffee growers, whom Francesco personally met in their respective farms in Peru, Costa Rica and Honduras.
The blend Jump takes a different direction with notes of marzipan, caramel, and honey. It’s designed for people who want approachable sweetness without the fruit-forward acidity that can dominate lighter roasts. Think of it as a bridge coffee, something that can win over traditional Italian espresso drinkers while still delivering specialty-grade quality.
The single-origin selection is rotating and often includes coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Costa Rica, and Honduras. These change seasonally based on harvest cycles and what Francesco discovers during his months at origin.
El Manzano is a mono-origin from El Salvador, specifically the Pacamara variety, cultivated at high altitudes in volcanic soil. This coffee has typical tropical mango and pineapple fruity notes, rotund body and a floral aftertaste.
The Special Edition line features exclusive micro-lots like the Nestor Lasso coffees from Colombia. These treats represent the upper end of their range, coffees selected for rarity, unique processing, or exceptional cup quality.