This is not a scandal; just how marketing works to carry heritage & weight.
Walk into a cafe anywhere in Canada or the United States, and you’ll see familiar labels everywhere: Italian Coffee, French Espresso, European Blend. These names carry weight. They signal heritage, expertise, and tradition. But what they often don’t reveal is where the coffee actually comes from.
In many cases, the answer is India.
Indian or Italian Coffee? A Reality Check About The Origin Of Coffee
For decades, Indian Robusta coffee & Arabica Coffee has been exported in large volumes to Italy and France, where it is roasted, blended, and sold under European branding. Once processed, the coffee becomes “Italian” or “French” in the eyes of the consumer, even though the beans themselves were grown thousands of kilometres away on Indian farms.
This isn’t a secret, and it isn’t a scandal either. It’s simply how the global coffee trade evolved.
Indian Coffee Exports By Tonnage (2023 shipment snapshot)- Arabica & Robusta Combined
- Italy: 55,546 tonnes
- Germany: 35,877 tonnes
- Russia: 27,455 tonnes
- Belgium: 19,079 tonnes
- UAE: 18,124 tonnes
- Poland: 15,679 tonnes
- Libya: 13,022 tonnes
India has long been valued for producing coffee that performs exceptionally well in espresso - full-bodied, low in acidity, and consistent across harvests. These qualities made Indian Arabica and Robusta ideal for European roasting styles, particularly in Italy, where espresso culture prioritizes texture, crema, and balance over overt acidity. Over time, Indian coffee became a quiet backbone of many European blends.
What changed was the label.
Coffee Roasting Location Became 'The Origin'
What really happened to the coffee was marketing. Once the coffee was roasted and packaged in Europe, origin took a back seat to processing location. The craftsmanship of roasting became the story, while farming origins faded into the background. Consumers learned to associate flavour profiles with countries that roasted the coffee, not the countries that grew it.
At Stockup Coffee this disconnect stood out immediately. Indian coffee wasn’t unfamiliar to North American palates, it had been there all along, just wearing a different name. The goal wasn’t to discredit Italian or French coffee culture, but to bring transparency back into the conversation. To say clearly: this coffee is Indian, and that’s a strength, not a compromise.
Reclaiming coffee origin matters, especially as coffee becomes more expensive and supply chains more fragile. When origins are hidden, farmers remain invisible. When they are acknowledged, quality, consistency, and sustainability can be discussed honestly.
The irony is that many people who swear by “Italian coffee” already love Indian coffee, they just haven’t been told so. Compare some Italian coffee with Stockup Coffee & you might get surprised.
As sourcing patterns shift and consumers ask more questions about where their coffee comes from, the industry is slowly adjusting. Origins are stepping back into the spotlight, not to replace roasting traditions, but to complement them.
So, the next time you sip a dark, smooth espresso and think “Italian,” it might be worth asking a second question.
Was it roasted in Italy, or grown in India?
Sidebar: Indian Coffee’s Quiet Role in Italian Espresso
India has long been a key sourcing origin for Italian coffee roasters, particularly for espresso blends. Trade studies from CBI Netherlands (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries) identify Italy as the single largest importer of Indian coffee, with Indian Robusta widely used for body, crema, and consistency in traditional Italian espresso. Reports from the Coffee Board of India and EU import data (Eurostat) show that Indian Arabica and Robusta are exported in significant volumes to Italy, where they are roasted, blended, and sold under Italian branding. Major Italian roasters - including Lavazza, Segafredo Zanetti, and Kimbo, have publicly acknowledged sourcing coffee from India as part of their long-term supply strategies, reinforcing India’s foundational but often uncredited role in European coffee culture.Sources:
CBI Netherlands - Coffee sector studies (EU imports)
Coffee Board of India - Export statistics & annual reports
Eurostat - EU coffee import data
Italian roaster origin disclosures