Italian couple maintains 70-cent espresso price for 25 years

In the small Italian town of Cossato, located in the Piedmont region, an elderly couple has maintained the same price for a cup of espresso for twenty-five years. Rosina Furiati, 73, and Orlando Paldino, 77, operate the “Fante di Cuori” coffee bar, where a “tazzina di caffè” still costs 70 cents.

The couple last adjusted their prices during the introduction of the Euro at the turn of the millennium, when they actually lowered the price from 1,500 Lire (approximately 77.5 cents) to 70 cents. They view the affordable price as a matter of solidarity, ensuring that daily coffee remains accessible to everyone despite rising inflation.

While the couple manages the business without employees and with low overhead to sustain these prices, the broader Italian market is seeing increases. The national average price for coffee has risen to 1.29 euros, a 25 percent increase over five years. In contrast, espresso prices in German cities like Berlin or Munich average around 2.60 euros.