Australias Italian Heritage Coffee

Quality European coffee has been a staple in Australia for almost half a century and our country boasts one of the most vibrant coffee cultures in the world especially in Melbourne and Sydney.

Australias love for quality coffee is definitely on the rise and this phenomenon can be attributed to the average consumers awareness and new-found appreciation for robust Italian heritage coffee. Out of all the types of coffee available in the market, Italian heritage coffee was always and still is, the most preferred by the average Australia coffee drinker.

The popularity of European roasts can be traced back to the migration boom in the 1950s when Italians relocated to Australia. Along with their families, hopes and belongings, they also brought along the much celebrated coffee culture that has been a distinctive quality of the Italian heritage.

Businessmen and coffee aficionados with Italian lineage like Les Schirato, Australias coffee king, have been instrumental in bringing Italian coffee to the forefront of the Australian coffee industry. Italians have long been known for their excellence in food and beverage, and Australians have fully embraced this culture. Numbers have shown that the most popular coffee ordered in caf©s is the cappuccino, a traditional coffee drink with origins from Viennese coffee houses in the 1700s. Espressos and cappuccinos have been a long standing tradition in Italian culture and in recent years, it has proven to be more popular in Australia compared to a flat white or even tea.

Since 2010, 12.9 billion units of coffee have been consumed by Australians compared to 9.8 billion units of tea. The increase in popularity can also be accredited to the availability of the drink from specialty caf©s in coffee meccas like Melbourne and Sydney.

On top of that, consumers can now easily buy barista/caf©-style coffee off the shelves of supermarkets. Thanks to the efforts of local coffee suppliers like Les Schiratos Vittoria Coffee and other major players in the industry, it is estimated that the Australian coffee industry will reach the AU$4.96 billion mark by 2017.

The Australian/NZ coffee creation, the flat white, has long been a favourite of Aussies everywhere but in recent years the country has seen a shift in consumer demands for pure Italian heritage coffee such as espressos, cappuccinos, and caffe latte. This is only the beginning towards an upward trend and growth in Australias love affair with Italian coffee but it is certainly one that will continue to grow well into the future.