A , ; in
Neapolitan ) or pending coffee is a cup of
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
paid for in advance as an anonymous act of
charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
. The tradition began in the working-class
cafés of
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, where someone who had experienced good luck would order a ''sospeso'', paying the price of two coffees but receiving and consuming only one. A poor person enquiring later whether there was a ''sospeso'' available would then be served a coffee for free.
Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the sospeso to increase sales, and to promote kindness and caring.
History
One 2010 account claims the tradition was over 100 years old, but declined during the
postwar economic boom, so that it is mainly observed around Christmas time.
A 2008 article reported the tradition was obsolete, the reporter having visited three bars where it had not been observed for at least 15 years.
Aurelio De Laurentiis is reported to pay for ten ''sospesi'' after each victory by
S.S.C. Napoli, the football club of which he is chairman.
The ''sospeso'' gave the title to a 2008 journalism collection by Neapolitan
Luciano De Crescenzo, , which helped publicise the tradition throughout Italy.
The idea has been reported in cafés in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. The idea received a revival in Italy in 2011 with several small Italian festivals forming a Suspended Coffee Network to encourage solidarity in response to cultural budget cuts,
and a Dutch campaign at Christmas 2011 gave a discount on the price of the donated coffee. In December 2011, Neapolitan authorities declared an annual "Suspended Coffee Day".
In March 2013, John Sweeney launched a Facebook page for "Suspended Coffees", which by 2015 had led to the purchase of over 15 million coffees in 34 countries.
The UK arm of coffee chain
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
signed up for a charity initiative based on the suspended coffee concept in April 2013, in which it said it would match the value of each suspended coffee with a cash donation to the
Oasis charity. The growth of the trend in other coffee shops in the UK also received media coverage around the same time.
On 22 July 2013, a Tuesday, an anonymous customer in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, Canada, paid for 500 large coffees at Canadian coffee chain
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., known colloquially as Tim's, Timmies, or Timmy's, is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain with headquarters in Toronto; it serves coffee, Doughnut, donuts, sandwiches, Breakfast sandwich, breakfast egg mu ...
. This started a trend that spread to a total of 30 locations with over of coffee being paid for by donors.
On 10 September 2021, a Friday, an anonymous customer in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, Turkey, paid for 501 Turkish coffees at Turkish food chain Dönerci Metin Usta, the largest suspended coffee donation ever recorded in 100 years.
There are accounts of the practice reviving in southern Italy, and not just for coffee, as a response to economic hardship caused by the 2020
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
lock-down.
Symbolism
The ''caffè sospeso'' has been identified as a symbol of grassroots social solidarity, prompting its revival in response to the
2008 recession and
ensuing eurozone crisis.
In 2004, a ''giornata nazionale del sospeso'' at Easter was announced by the ''Ronde della carità'' charity. In 2011, a ''Giornata del Caffè Sospeso'' was scheduled to coincide with
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day (HRD) is list of minor secular observances#December, celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.
The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December ...
in December. A collection of Italian arts festivals emphasising social solidarity in 2010 came together under the umbrella "Rete del Caffè Sospeso". An Italian fundraising website started by Luca Argentero is called 1caffe.org.
See also
*
Suspended meal
*
References
Bibliography
* Author unknown (2013-04-22). Give if you wish, get if you want: Suzhou restaurant joins 'suspended meal' movement. Suzhou Daily, 22 April 2013. Retrieved on 2013-04-24 from https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221301/http://epaper.subaonet.com/sr/html/2013-04/22/content_311021.htm.
External links
Web page of the Suspended Coffee volunteer initiativein
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caffe sospeso
Coffee culture
Coffee in Italy
Culture in Naples
Giving