Owners of a new Italian coffee shop that has just opened in Nottingham promise authentic quality at a lower price point.
Bonincontro, also the last name of the three owners who are all brothers, opened on Sunday January 18 on Pelham street.
Ivan Bonincontro, 33 said: “When you are outside, you are in the beautiful England, but when you step inside our shop you are in wonderful Italy.
“We will deliver the Italian experience at a lower price than average.”
A double espresso Macchiato in Bonincontro costs £3.50, which customer and Nottingham food reviewer Sami Ahsan thought was very reasonable.
The 24 year-old said: “I spent £14 and got two double espresso coffees and croissants
“The espresso was proper creamy, and the croissant was very tasty.”
Stephen Bonincontro, 26 recognises that it may be tough to compete in a city full of coffee chains and many independents.
“The difference between us and big chains is that everything we do is made with love
“Our ingredients are authentic, we love what we do and I believe that will shine through”, he said.
The brothers explained that the majority of the furniture, such as the tables inside the shop, were handmade by them to cut costs.
Stephen said that Bonincontro’s ‘La Marzocco’ coffee machine retails at £16,000, but was bought by the brothers for £2,000 and refurbished by hand.
“It has saved us over £13,000 on setup costs
“We have the skills to fix a broken machine, so why buy a new one?”
The brothers, who have previously run past businesses in Italy, gave away over 1000 items of food away in the opening hours of the shop’s launch day.
These ranged from coffees, beignets and pieces of pannettone.
The Italian hand symbol, known as “Che vuoi?”, is a big part of Bonincontro’s brand.
Stephen said that the hand symbol, which means “What do you want?” is featured around the shop, including on the takeaway coffee cups.
Looking into the near future, the brothers hope they will see success, aiming to target a range of demographics including Italian natives and students.
