Luigi Di Ruocco
Vice President
Mr. Espresso
Oakland, California
What other coffee jobs have you had?
[Before taking a position with Mr. Espresso, Luigi was the founder and president of Coffee Bar in San Francisco]
These are the only two jobs in coffee I’ve ever had. Mr. Espresso is my family’s business, so I grew up in and around the business working summers in shipping and receiving, delivery, and repair. Coffee Bar was founded in 2007 where I worked semi-regular shifts as a barista for the first 4 years of operation.
What’s your favorite part about working in coffee?
Being involved and part of the overall specialty food community; coffee is just one piece of the bigger picture.
Where do you ideally see yourself in 10 years?
In the same place I am now ”working with my family at Mr. Espresso every day to continue to evolve our unique vision, and hopefully have a few more Coffee Bar locations by then too.
Who and what inspires you?
Hard-working people.
What are you drinking right now?
For espresso, our Neapolitan Espresso; it’s an everyday thing. For coffee, I’ve been drinking our Colombia El Bado micro-lot.
What do you do when you’re not doing coffee?
I like to travel, eat out, exercise, read, and spend time with my family and friends.
Tell us something people would be surprised to find out about you.
Despite my name, Luigi, and appearances, I’m half French. Our mother is French
