By Chiara Pietrella
The air you breathe at the GM roastery in Pienza is powerful: and it is not only for the intense smell of coffee, which would already be enough, but for the enthusiasm of the team that gives us its warm welcome as soon as we cross the entrance, still unaware of the extraordinary world that is about to open.
Founded many years ago as a small artisan company of excellence, already appreciated and well rooted in the territory, GM became part of the Margheriti Group five years ago. The owner, Alberto Margheriti, immediately grasped its value and potential, starting a growth path aimed at strengthening both the production and the brand identity, confirming its prestige in the panorama of artisan roasters.
Working here are all young people who, with the freshness that distinguishes those who do their job with passion and enthusiasm, guide us to discover what we could never have known simply by enjoying a simple cup: “When I say coffee I don’t mean just a drink: I mean sociality, ritual, welcome, invitation, presence”, begins Filippo Baglioni, manager of the plant.
In fact, coffee is so connected to so many anecdotes and clichés that we could almost dare to call it a ‘gregarious’ drink, if we wanted to joke about it. But in fact, few know how to get to the final result and where it starts. Filippo explains that what makes Italy the greatest admirer of this drink is roasting: “In our country the coffee plant is not cultivated because the climate is unfavourable. We are talking about a red berry whose stone, after processing, will be the grain that we all know. Once extracted, it is placed to dry and then marketed; therefore, we buy from abroad seeds that are practically ‘anhydrous’, i.e. without water, but in fact still green and without any smell. It will then be the roasting that, through a sequence of careful cooking steps, will allow the different aromas to fully express themselves: a gastronomic art of which we are authentic lovers in Italy”.
Filippo explains that at GM they use an oven in which time and temperature are two parameters still selected and controlled by man, as opposed to large industrial production, where the green bean enters the machinery and leaves immediately as a roasted bean ready for use, all in a completely automated way. “Here we use only oak wood, which is typical of our lands, but above all we still control the roasting by hand, which requires attention and experience. Once the right level is reached, the beans are placed in food bins, and here we almost do ‘cellar’ work, in the sense that we let the coffee rest for several days so that all the different fragrances can come out”.
“Another important thing,” he continues, “is that inside the oven we never mix different crops, but we always roast them separately. The blends are made later, which allows us greater precision of flavours and therefore greater quality control. Finally, and this is the most important thing, not only are we very careful about the choice of suppliers and the traceability of the product, but we do not add any type of additive: our bags contain nothing but pure coffee”.
We then visit the store, where in addition to various types of blends packaged in bags and jars of indisputable elegance, we see a myriad of coffee products that we would never have imagined, from air fresheners to honey produced by the friars of Camaldoli, from spreadable cream with hazelnuts and chocolate to liqueurs. The guys guide us to the tasting and tell us how this department is an added value, if not a real flagship of the roasting, as these are exclusively ‘made in Tuscany’ products.
But who are GM’s customers and how can their products be purchased? Filippo explains that in addition to the bar and restaurant channels, the roasting company serves accommodation facilities and private clients of the highest level, who can buy on site or online thanks to an accurate e-commerce software. Then there are the various points of sale: in addition to the one in Pienza – where we are now – all the wine shops of the Margheriti Group “Vini di Toscana” host small corners dedicated to coffee. In particular, the wine bars of Siena, in Piazza del Campo, and Montepulciano, near San Biagio, offer a complete proposal with the most representative products of GM.
To complete the network, there is also the shop dedicated exclusively to coffee in the historic centre of Montepulciano, in Via di Voltaia, in the main street.
To close the itinerary, but certainly no less important, there is the attention with which the team accompany visitors to discover the world of coffee, as they did with us today: from roasting to preparation. Each tour ends with a tasting of GM products that allows you to savour firsthand all the excellence of the company’s supply chain.
“Those who come here to visit are not considered customers, but guests,” Filippo says proudly. “There is a huge difference between the two figures: the guest must first of all feel welcomed. Only when we have won his trust can he become a customer”.
Info: CAFFÈ GM,
– Coffee Roasting and Shop: S.P. 146, km 35,500 – Pienza (Si)
Tel.: +39 0578 265188 / info@caffegm.com / www.caffegm.com
– Shop: Via di Voltaia nel Corso, 36 – Montepulciano (Si)