Welcome back to The Sprudge Twenty interview series! The Sprudge Twenty is an annual initiative by Sprudge presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series that honors and amplifies 20 extraordinary individuals in teh global specialty coffee community. You can view this year’s Sprudge 20 honorees here, and catch up on all our interviews to date.
Luciano Repetto is one of the last true old-world coffee craftsmen in America.
An immigrant from Liguria, Italy, he came to the United States as a boy, grew up in his father’s shop, and devoted his life to a singular vision of coffee. After taking over the family business in 1978, Luciano made the rare and prescient decision to invest in fluid-bed roasting, embracing its temperature-driven precision long before most of the coffee world understood its value. He helped pioneer artisan roasting and is a true market intuitive—knowing which coffee innovations matter and which are merely passing fashions.
For decades, he has stayed faithful to Graffeo’s disciplined philosophy: one blend, two roasts (plus a Swiss Water decaf) roasted with extraordinary consistency, in service of what he calls “Simply the world’s finest coffee.” Behind that simplicity is thousands of hours of Luciano’s tinkering, experimentation, to create Graffeo’s signature smooth and integrated Dark Roast.
I bought Graffeo from Luciano, but he remains an owner and still comes into work every day. Even now, in his 80s, he is there making sure his famed fluid-bed roasted dark beans are done exactly right. His coffee has earned the loyalty of Michelin-starred restaurants, Bay Area institutions, and admirers such as The New York Times’ Ruth Reichl.
Luciano is an artisan genius. He represents something increasingly rare in coffee: a life spent in total devotion to craft, one standard, and a crystal clear vision for excellence.
Nominated by Walter Haas
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
Since I was a teenager. I started at sixteen. (Luciano is 81)
What was your first coffee job?
Sweeping the floors in my father’s shop.
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
I had to work at it until I was in my thirties. Then I discovered Fluid-Bed Roasting. That was the real moment.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
Early on, my father. He had a tremendous work ethic. Working ten hours a day, six days a week was a walk in the park to him. You have to work the place, or it’s not going to happen.
After that, Mike Sivetz. Mike opened up a whole new world. He exposed me to the science of coffee. Anything done well is an art, but roasting coffee is also a technology. He opened my eyes to an accurate way of doing it.
What is your current role in coffee?
Filling in where I can with the current management.
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
The exposure to young consumers. Younger people are taking coffee seriously now.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
The greatest joy is when a consumer comes in, or calls Graffeo, and tells us, “Your coffee is the very best I’ve had.” Every time I hear that, I get high.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
You have to be careful not to insult anybody.
But I would like to see more serious training. There are many people in the industry who have never been properly trained.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
The first time I saw coffee being roasted in a Fluid-Bed roaster. I was completely amazed.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
Right now, I use a drip system. No paper filter, of course. Metal filter only. I also love the Moka pot — it is one of my favorite methods, but you have to watch it. With drip coffee, I have the luxury of letting it go by itself.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
A 1940s tune called “The Coffee Song.” Frank Sinatra has a great rendition of it.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
Every time I see a consumer smile at our product, that is happiness.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Dante Alighieri, the great poet. He wrote one of the greatest works of all. Heaven, hell, and everything in between. In that, you see the entire scope of human nature.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
Whatever part of the coffee industry you enter, roasting, green coffee, retail, take it very seriously. Read about it. Learn every part of it. It is a very serious business that, in many cases, is not taken seriously enough.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
