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About us
Caffè Don Cortez ® is a trademark of Caffè Carraro S.p.A.
16000
tonnes/year in production capacity
90
years of history
20
countries of origin
6000
Tonnes/year of coffee produced

Pristine lands, select plantations, slow roasting and 90 years of experience come together in the exceptional flavour of Don Cortez coffee.

For us, coffee means both tradition and innovation. Our company has been on a quest for quality since 1927. We combine the culture and taste of great master roasters with cutting-edge production technology. The resulting coffee is an absolute delight to savour, with an aroma that gets more and more refined with every harvest, year after year. Caffè Don Cortez is built on all of this.
However, there are more than just slogans to this “taste” approach. For us, quality means daily routine, work and selection. Selection of the best origins for supplies of ingredients, selection of blends, selection of coffee processing methods and selection of partners.
An enthusiastic approach to work, knowing that you do it well and constantly striving to improve. These are the values that have made Caffè Carraro into the successful coffee roasting company that it is today.
A story that began almost a century ago.
 

A story that began
almost a century ago.

Photos from company archives tend to have a distinctive taste and flavour. They portray people, work and passion. Our company has a collection of old photos and whenever we come across an old picture, we try to work out who or what it shows. It makes us feel even more closely involved in the history of Caffè Carraro, because the photos may be old, but they are still steeped in the flavour and aroma of good coffee.
They bring back memories of countless anecdotes told by baristas, stories of delicatessen owners, letters from customers, parchment envelopes and representatives in vans proudly sporting freshly painted Carraro logos. Smoke could often be seen pouring out of the vans and lorries as they sped along the roads, most of which were no more than dirt tracks. They were guaranteed to be met at the door by a man with a pencil behind his ear or an old-fashioned waistcoat who was sheltering from the sun in the shade of a pergola. It was a different time, with different flavours. It is only just within living memory. 1927 was a long time ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Many of us still had not been born and coffee was no more than a picture that appeared on stamps from distant lands. However, the culture of good espresso coffee was already taking root in Italy and Caffè Carraro was the main player in it all.
 

Our growth, bean after bean, year after year.

1896
In his grocer’s store in Schio (near Vicenza), Gaetano Carraro started selling a few types of green coffee beans for customers to roast in their fireplaces at home.
1927
On Via Venezia, his son Mario created the first workshop for roasting and packaging coffee on an industrial scale.
1962
The company stayed in Schio but moved to a new factory on Via SS. Trinità.
Output: 120 tonnes/year
1970s
Caffè Carraro stood out thanks to its innovative approach: it was one of the first companies to introduce tinned and vacuum-packed coffee.
Output: 200 tonnes/year
1986
A new business structure and organizational approach laid the foundations for the launch of the company on the national scene.
Output: 270 tonnes/year
1990s
Caffè Carraro rode the wave of the first discount stores in Italy by supplying the country’s leading chains.
Output: 1,400 tonnes/year
1999
A large new plant was opened in the new Schio Industrial Estate, with an annual production capacity of 8,000 tonnes of roasted coffee. It featured cutting-edge technology and systems, as well as processing methods designed to keep up the EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY that had been resolutely pursued and achieved over the years.
Output: 1,800 tonnes/year
2009
Carraro Espresso was becoming increasingly renowned for its quality both in Italy and internationally.
Output: 4,000 tonnes/year
2011
An international sales network spanning more than 50 countries worldwide was developed.
Output: 5,000 tonnes/year
2013
The Schio plant was expanded, with the addition of a new warehouse of approximately 1000 m².
Output: 6,200 tonnes/year
2015
New production and packaging plant. The new expansion took the overall production capacity to more than 16,000 tonnes/year.
2016
Opening of the second production plant in Schio, on Via Lago di Molveno.
Production

Selection of the green coffee beans

This is the first step and it lays the foundations for making top quality products. All of the consignments of green coffee beans at Caffè Carraro are bought following pre-selection of samples that are representative of each whole batch. Every morning, the “Master Tasters” analyse the samples that arrived the previous day from the countries of origin. Only the best batches are selected and purchased.

Selection of the green coffee beans

Roasting: the heart of the process

This is the most delicate production process and it plays the biggest part in establishing the “flavour of the coffee”. Carraro has chosen to use flexible, completely automatic roasting machines with slow cycles for optimum, tailored aroma formation and caramelization of the sugars in every single origin of coffee.
Each origin has its own distinctive features: in order to ensure that every single bean is roasted as well as possible, Caffè Carraro has chosen to roast coffee from each place of origin separately before blending the aromas and flavours of the different origins. However, all of this is only done after it has been left to mature for a suitable period in a storage area with more than 45 silos.

Roasting: the heart of the process

Blending and packaging

After it has been roasted and washed again, the coffee is left to mature for a few days in 47 silos with an overall capacity of 154 tonnes. It is then blended using the recipes created by the “Master Tasters” and sent for grinding and packaging.
Constant monitoring of the grind size and closed loop transport with aroma recovery keep the products as fragrant as possible. Vacuum packing or packaging in a modified atmosphere with inert gas (nitrogen) keeps the flavour and aromas fresh over time.

Blending and packaging
17
PRODUCTION LINES
5
lines for vacuum packing ground coffee
4
lines for packing coffee beans with valves
2
lines for packing coffee in disposable pods
3
lines for packing modified atmosphere tins
1
lines for packing sweetened and unsweetened cocoa
2
lines for packing single-serve capsules
Corporate video

Coffee houses

Our “Coffee Houses” are Caffè Carraro’s crowning glory.
“Coffee Houses” are cafés where the warm smiles of our staff help to create a welcoming atmosphere and make it a real pleasure to savour our excellent espresso on a daily basis.
They are places where the quality that today’s customers demand in ingredients, flavours and service comes first and where painstaking attention to detail is shown in the interior design, colours and lighting.
After enjoying a delicious espresso prepared by our Coffee Masters, you can buy your favourite blend, either in beans or freshly ground on the spot.

Private label

Our extremely dynamic and flexible production department can make the perfect coffee for your private label.
Together with our Master Tasters, we can create products that are tailored to the needs of our partners. We take great care over the research, assessment and creation of the blend, as well as the entire production cycle and the creation of customized packaging.
With green coffee beans from more than 20 different places of origin, ranging from the sweet tastes of Central America to the sharper flavours of Africa and spicy Indian notes, we can cater to any palate.
For more information, contact us at info@caffecarraro.it.

Private labels