Inside La Prima Espresso Firm’s roastery in Pittsburgh. All pictures courtesy of La Prima Espresso Firm.
Pittsburgh-based La Prima Espresso Firm is approaching its thirty eighth anniversary with an expanded roastery, new retail packaging and a refined choice of seasonal and limited-release coffees.
The expanded 6,000-square-foot “Torrefazione La Prima” now contains further workplace house and a brand new weigh-and-fill machine alongside the corporate’s Loring S35 Kestrel, helmed by La Prima Head Roaster Chuck Connors. The corporate has additionally launched new branded hats, T-shirts, mugs and different merch.
“[Connors] has been with us for 25 years and continues to streamline our espresso program by sustaining relationships with farmers and choosing new coffees,” La Prima Espresso Advertising and PR Director Gigi Harris instructed Every day Espresso Information. “The brand new house permits us to combine the required instruments we have to be extra environment friendly and correct.”
La Prima labored with Bootstrap Design Co. for the packaging redesign. Large areas of strong colour distinguish the brand new luggage whereas decreasing the necessity for manually utilized stickers. The brand new absolutely printed bag is made with 60% compostable materials whereas reflecting colours and different aesthetic components of La Prima’s 5 cafes.
“Our cafes include a concise colour palette that ranges from white to various shades of blue, together with the signature La Prima blue,” Harris mentioned. “Our new luggage use the totally different shades to distinguish between espressos, single origins, decafs and drip coffees. This manner it’s simpler for patrons to seek out what they’re on the lookout for and creates constant branding throughout our places and merchandise.”
La Prima has additionally narrowed its rotating single-origin lineup, specializing in fewer seasonal and limited-release coffees.
“A number of months in the past, we made the choice to reduce on what coffees we bought, going from round 10 single origins at any time to 3 or 4,” La Prima Espresso Firm Manufacturing Supervisor Robert Moeller instructed Every day Espresso Information. “As an alternative of simply providing no matter we had round and roasting espresso that was handy, we might make each single-origin providing particular.”
The smaller lineup is designed to mirror distinct espresso sorts and taste traits, similar to extra sturdy natural-process coffees, clear washed-process coffees and chocolatey or fruit-forward examples. The espresso program additionally leans towards microlots, licensed coffees and coffees reflecting shut relationships with producers.
“We slender it down extra to one thing that gives distinctive advantages to each the farmers and our prospects past simply tasting actually, actually good,” Moeller mentioned.
Sam Patti based La Prima on Oct. 1, 1988, combining industrial espresso gear gross sales and repair with a public espresso bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Patti stays firm president, contributing to inventive selections and buyer relationships whereas additionally working weekend shifts behind the bar on the unique cafe.
“Sam is a large a part of what makes La Prima so particular, and we’re past grateful to see him on the roaster each single day,” Harris mentioned. “Whereas Sam is an integral a part of our firm, succession planning discussions have began for when he ultimately retires.”
La Prima plans to proceed creating its roastery operations and rotating single-origin program whereas supporting its 5 cafes and wholesale enterprise. The corporate has additionally ordered a second Loring S35 Kestrel that it expects to put in throughout the subsequent yr.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the affiliate editor of Every day Espresso Information by Roast Journal. He’s based mostly in Portland, Oregon.
