GICHATHAINI AB / KENYA

Dafne Spadavecchia co founded Aliena Coffee Roasters in Rome in September 2021, drawing on a specialty coffee journey that began in Melbourne in 2010 and passed through Allpress and The Barn Berlin before the team opened their first coffee shop, Faro, in Rome in 2016. The roastery runs a 15 kilogram Giesen roaster under the care of Andrii Shvartz, who manages roasting and quality control, while Dario Fociani handles coffee selection alongside the founding team. Aliena roasts exclusively single origin coffees under its main product line using light profiles to develop acidity and sweetness, complemented by the Umana line which offers medium roasted options for those who prefer a more traditional approach. The brand's playful sci fi identity extends to their Tesseract line of ready to drink cold brew launched in April 2025 in aluminum cans, produced using Hardtank equipment. With two coffee shops in Rome and a roasting philosophy that refuses blends in favor of individual origin expression, Aliena has brought a distinctly international specialty sensibility to the Italian capital.