cappuccino conquests

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This website presents our research project ‘The Cappuccino Conquests. The Transnational History of Italian Coffee’. The project ran from September 2004 to February 2007 as part of the Cultures of Consumption Research Programme.

The project traced the history of Italian style coffee drinks from the evolution of espresso in the 1900s through to the global popularity of cappuccino and caffè latte today. This success was explained by the properties of the beverages themselves, the surroundings in which they were served, and the meanings constructed around them. By reconstructing the ‘commodity biography’ of espresso, the project demonstrated how innovations in production and preparation of the beverages interacted with changes in social practices and perceptions within consumer societies to create a diversity of local cultures of consumption.

Research was carried out in Hungary Italy, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA using a wide variety of sources including adverts, archives, cultural products (novels, film), the trade press, newspapers, photographs and printed sources. Particular emphasis was placed on the use of in-depth oral history interviews with representatives of over 70 companies and institutions throughout the coffee industry.

We are always keen to talk coffee. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments about the research.

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