History of the hidden specialty coffee shop in an agricultural market in Rieti

In Rieti, in Sabina, from Monday to Saturday, there is a zero-kilometer market that gathers the best of the local produce: it's called MAKO and among its stalls, it also hosts a specialty coffee bar with research coffees, artisanal croissants, and an owner with immense passion for black gold. Holy Hemp is the small kingdom of Marco De Michele, a barista and roaster who in life wanted to do something else, but for the past five years has been working to better understand what lies behind a cup of coffee.

Holy Hemp, the specialty coffee shop in the market of Rieti

So far, he has done rather well, considering that in the area the concept of specialty, and in general that of a contemporary café, is not so widespread. Initially, customers looked at the drinks with skepticism, today they ask for specific single origins, among the many that Marco has on the menu. After all, espresso "is a tailored beverage, made to measure according to tastes," explains the barista. And for those who want, there is also filter coffee, "and then the moka pot, the Neapolitan... we drink what we like, often those passing by the counter are intrigued by seeing the tools and then the next time they come back, impressed by the taste".

A wooden table, four chairs, and twenty packets of coffee bought from a friend. When he started this adventure in 2019, just before Covid, Marco wouldn't have expected to become a point of reference in the area. "We're in a working-class neighborhood, at the beginning there were days when we served only one cup." Fortunately, today there are many customers, and they're becoming increasingly demanding. This is also thanks to the great communication work done by Marco and his team, both through social media and in person, because explanations are never lacking here: "We're not in a rush, the important thing is to make people understand the value of the product."

That trip to India

As in the best love stories, the spark was struck by chance. At twenty-three, he packed his bags to go to London, where he worked for the Caffè Nero coffee chain, "I had never made an espresso in my life, I didn't even like coffee." Then something changed, he won an industry competition, started doing Latte Art (the art of decorating cappuccinos), visited the coffee shop's roastery, "it was love at first sight" and since then he hasn't stopped.

The first trip to India was the beginning, alongside Marc Tormo ("one of the leading experts in Indian specialty coffee") with whom he helped local plantation workers. A particular area, nestled in the Himalayan mountains, "where there are even sporadic snowfalls, an uncontaminated environment where oranges were once grown and now coffee is grown, thanks to a meticulously planned production plan".

The coffees of Holy Hemp

Even this particular coffee - along with others - can be found at Holy Hemp, named because initially it was born as an agricultural company producing legal cannabis, "22,000 plants in a nature reserve in Rieti, a quantity too low for wholesale trade and too high to be sold all at once, so I seized the opportunity of the market". Today, he is thirty-five years old, he continues to make trips to India whenever he can, and in the meantime, he has become an SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) trainer. There are always 7 single origins on the menu, "plus others depending on the moment".

No dishes or sandwiches, "we only do small appetizers", for breakfast there are croissants from La Forneria di Rieti, but soon the bar will move to the La Galleria shopping center, and in the meantime, Marco is also working on a new location in the heart of the city. "I will miss this place, we have done so many tastings here, even free ones... the passage is so much, often customers stop to ask for information and then I can't resist, I have to let them try everything".

Now, however, it's time to turn the page, "we should open by the end of May". And definitively conquer the people of Rieti, one specialty at a time.

Holy Hemp - Rieti - Piazzale Nicola Fusacchio Fusati - facebook.com/theholyhemp/