For almost a century, Diemme Industria Caffè Torrefatti has been playing a successful role in the history of roasted coffee for the Ho.Re. Ca district, but has also been a smart interpreter of the challenges posed by crucial times and issues. Founded in Padua in 1927 by Romeo Dubbini, it is currently run by the grandchildren Giannandrea and Federico: a family-run company, rooted in its tradition and still gazing to the international market. The roasting company is today supplying bars, restaurants, hotels and offices in Italy in over 40 foreign countries with the key brands Caffè Diemme, Gli Speciali Diemme and Artisti del Caffè. What is more, the company it is also well-known for creating the only Italian brand exclusively dedicated to the pastry sector, Torrefazione Dubbini.
An expanding activity that inevitably stopped as the the closure of public establishments was put into force due to the Coronavirus emergency. However, Diemme has promptly reacted to this unexpected crisis, relying on a well-rounded knowledge of the Ho.Re.Ca channel: it is in fact part of a group that boasts transversal skills in the sector, pairing the direct management of the premises with the experience concretely developed in the field. The coffee-shop chain Caffè Diemme Italian Attitude, opened in the last two years between Veneto and Friuli, is just an example of an innovative project created to bring the coffee product back to the center of consumer attention, proposing high-profile blends and single origins in different ex- traction methods, combined with fast food specialties and gourmet pastries. These are spaces where caring for the gastronomic offer is closely combined with a proper accueil of the customers and a highly trained staff, in order to provide an extraordinary consumer experience. Strongly investing in training and professional updating has been detected as the necessary step to achieve the current outcome, to face the market and come as an outstanding player.
Diemme Academy is the result of this achievement, a new specialization center for operators in bars, restaurants and the whole hospitality world: a center that aims to spread a culture of excellence through multi-level insights on cafeteria, food and catering, bartending and bar management.
Many teaching activities held by SCA certified Coffee Trainers, consultant and experts in the food & beverage field have involved managers and operators of public businesses in the last two years, whereas the already planned activities have been now postponed as a consequence of the restrictions posed by the lockdown. However, this scenario has not prevented Diemme from siding with its customers and all the professionals in the Ho.Re.Ca world: indeed, on the basis of the skills acquired, it has strongly supported their interests, becoming the spokesperson for their requests, continuing to offer advice and concrete support for the most affected establishments.
To cope with the crisis, Diemme first suspended payments for supplies and paid attention to the rental costs President and CEO Giannandrea Dubbini himself comments: «We will not get out of the dramatic situation of the last few months without amending the costs. We all have to do our part, including the real estate sector, and the damage has to be splitted and shared. For this reason, we have canceled the rent amount to our renters during the closure and we will halve it from the moment of reopening until the end of the year. We also provide free training video-sessions on Diemme Academy social channels, with practically advise on how to deal with the recovery».
In Diemme’s view, the recovery game will now be played on the reorganization of the venue and the containment of expenses, as well as on a close collaboration and mutual understanding between all the actors involved: managers, staff, suppliers and customers.