Being born and growing up in the midst of a crisis. That’s what happened to Melee Caféa small bar Bologna outside the walls, away from tourist routes: opened its doors in January 2021still in flood pandemic, with many uncertainties but a great goal, that of becoming a reference in the neighborhood for quality coffee. Today, after some unexpected events and a lot of tenacity, it is a café specialty with a bang.
Melée Cafè, a specialty café outside the walls in Bologna
There is behind the project Miriana Mariotti, creative and volcanic owner who started this adventure together with a partner, but who after a year found herself alone, «our paths diverged and then I seized the opportunity and decided to make more choices niche”. When you opened, Melée was a good quality but rather traditional bar, «between masks, the red and yellow zone, it already seemed like a miracle to have opened». Miriana’s dream was to focus on specialty foods, which she fell in love with while working at the American diner America Graffiti: «I tried all the drinks, I was fascinated by filterso I started studying, then I took my first training courses and met many roasters.”
Specialty coffee at popular prices
At its bar you can drink coffee expressed or filter, cappuccinos And flat whitein addition to the beloved cold brew, «which is very popular», a coffee extracted with cold water perfect for summer. At the base, the beans from the Paradiso roasting company, but also those from Caffè Terzi, Pacamara Coffee Lab and many others micro roastery Italian and foreign. «We are small, for me this is fortunate: we have a loyal clientele, who return, and who over time have understood the value of good coffee». Today we sell a liter of batch brew (filter ready and stored in the thermos) per day, «plus another 5 cups of filter». Not a bad average for a non-central area, “the clientele is mostly traditionalist, there isn’t the modern offer found in the city, the fact that many willingly return makes me proud”.
The prices are popular, too: 1.20 euros for the basic espresso, «a Paradiso blend with 70% arabica and 30% robusta», 1.50 EUR for single specialty origins, not exactly sustainable considering the cost of the raw material and its processing «but the changes are made one step at a time, when the customers are ready I will try to raise it a little».
Croissants, banana bread and the dream of own production
In addition to drinking coffee, at Melée you also eat. There are croissants Pallottia historic Bolognese pastry shop that has always focused heavily on breakfast yeasts, and then vegan dessertscinnamon rollbanana bread and other internationally inspired specialties Anyway, «a recently opened laboratory that creates cookies, American cakes and contemporary desserts». For the lunch break, they are there Club Sandwich, Sandwich, sandwiches and other cold gastronomy products, «but the plan is to one day have a larger room where the kitchen can also be inserted». The dream? «Having a production laboratory, but I’m really dreaming big…». Even opening such a business in the midst of a world crisis seemed impossible, and yet here it was: «After all, every project starts from a slightly crazy desire».
Melée Café – Bologna – via Francesco Zanardi, 9 c – facebook.com/meleecafebologna
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