SINGAPORE — Coffee lovers, take note: Renowned Italian coffee giant Cagliari will be making its presence felt, not only here in Singapore but across Asia too. Yesterday afternoon, OWL Beverage Specialist (OBS), a subsidiary of local coffee brand OWL international, was appointed the sole distributor of Caffe Cagliari products in Asia. The Italian coffee brand also intends to make Singapore its regional distribution hub.

This deal will see Caffe Cagliari’s full range of products made available here. And it’s not just coffee beans such as their award-winning Superoro. It will include ground coffee, capsule coffees and coffee machines as well as biscuits and sweets.

Alberto Cagliari, president of Caffe Cagliari, likened the partnership to a marriage of two different families, and added that the growth potential in coffee consumption in Asia was a factor in their decision to join forces with OWL.

“(Asia) is where the market is,” elaborated Cosimo Pintore, Caffe Cagliari’s export director. “If we grow 0.1 per cent in the coffee market here, it’s the same as growing more than 10 per cent in Europe. That’s the reason.”

“As a brand so deeply rooted in our heritage, we understand the importance of protecting and conserving this legacy, to be appreciated by all,” said Richmond Te, OWL’s group assistant general manager, who added that the idea was to introduce the Italian concept of consuming coffee here, in contrast to the American-style coffee offerings from the likes of Starbucks.

“Italian coffee is all about espresso (and) Asia is important to us because we can create espresso culture here,” said Pintore. “We can create something that no one can copy — Italian experience with Asian knowledge.”

But don’t rush out to fill your coffee mug just yet. At the moment, the beans will only be available to business consumers, such as hotels, restaurants and cafes. But Te said there are plans to make these directly available to the public “closer towards the end of the year”.

Cagliari also signed a franchise agreement, announcing its intention to open a flagship outlet, although Pintore said they hadn’t decided on a location yet. “We have some proposals. It could be China, it could be Japan, but it could be Singapore, too,” he said.