From a small village coffee roastery to a shop that tells the story of Sicily through its products, its artisans and its stories. That’s the journey of Cocciu d’Amuri, the business that Roberta Lepore and her mother Lucia run at via Di Maggio 21 in Isola delle Femmine, built around a clear idea: to showcase local excellence and give visitors an authentic image of the area.
In 2020, Roberta decided to take on a family legacy and turn it into something new. When her brother, who had started the workshop a few years earlier, won a competition, closing the business seemed inevitable. “But I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” Roberta recalls. “By that point we had built a relationship with our customers, and I didn’t want to end it.” So, together with her mother, she decided to take over the business and give it a new identity.
Alongside coffee sales came food products, wines, liqueurs, ceramics, souvenirs and items made exclusively by local artisans and businesses. The idea also grew out of the realization that Isola delle Femmine lacked a space dedicated to Sicilian excellence, one that could give visitors something that truly reflects the local area, steering clear of standardized products in favor of small local producers. Cocciu d’Amuri also works with workshops that have a social mission, and whenever possible hosts the work of local artists, offering the space free of charge for display and sale.
The shop is small, almost like a bazaar, but every corner has been designed with care and hospitality in mind. “If you run a business, you need to put your best foot forward,” says Roberta, convinced that even small gestures can help improve the image of a place.
Running a business, though, isn’t always easy. Tourism is highly seasonal, and in some years the drop in visitors has been keenly felt. On top of that come the difficulties tied to the shop’s location, in an area that has seen its share of petty crime and attempted break-ins. “But I’ve never let myself be discouraged.” It’s partly out of this experience that her connection with Addiopizzo grew. The daughter of a carabiniere who spent years on protective-escort duty in Palermo, Roberta grew up with a strong sense of legality. Recent extortion attempts reported in the area have only reinforced her conviction that a shopkeeper has to stand up and be counted. “I run a business, and I think it’s right to set an example.”
Cocciu d’Amuri wants to show that, in a simple way, even a small business can help change things and help build a network built on trust, healthy relationships and participation.
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