A new coffee shop and café has brought a taste of Italy to the heart of Hamilton.

BruMae Caffe, on the site of the former Bella Caffe in Burnaby Street, is owned by husband and wife team Bruno and Ashly Cucinotta.

Mr Cucinotta said: “We have a fresh product — everything here is home made. We make our own pastry and we make different foods and we have different kinds of bread.”

Ms Cucinotta added that the duo took over the business last month and installed a new coffee machine from Lavazza, a family-owned firm founded in Turin, Italy, in 1895 and now the biggest seller of coffee in Italy and one of the biggest in the world.

She said: “There is a big difference here — it’s completely different to what it was.

“My husband is Sicilian and I studied and spent many years in Europe. Our flair is European.

“All our sandwiches are fresh and made here — that’s how we believe we will succeed.”

Among the treats on offer are a choice of sandwiches featuring breads like authentic Italian-style panini, baguettes and ciabatta.

Ms Cucinotta said: “The emphasis is on fresh and we try to do things that are different from everything else. It’s a Mediterranean flair.”

Lavazza imports coffee from around the world to Italy.

The producing countries include Brazil and Colombia in South America, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras in Central America, Uganda in Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam in Asia and the United States and Mexico in North America. Branded as “Italy’s Favourite Coffee,” the company claims that 16 million out of the 20 million coffee-purchasing families in Italy choose Lavazza.

Ms Cucinotta said: “We’re both trained to make coffee, which helps.”

She added both had long experience in the service industry, with Ms Cucinotta, who spent six months in Italy studying culinary arts, working for years on luxury private yachts, while her husband has worked in the hospitality industry internationally as well as in Bermuda.

Ms Cucinotta said: “Hospitality is what we do and what we know. Our product is our product and we have a passion for it.”

She added: “Coming here is an experience — it’s not just somewhere to go, it’s a good experience, down to the way we serve people and the food they get.”

The café is open Mondays to Fridays from 7.30am to 4pm, but Ms Cucinotta said that opening hours may be extended in the future.