Kenya Gathiru-Ini

Tommaso Bongini, a fourth generation coffee roaster from the family behind Caffè Mokarico, a historic Italian roasting company founded in 1936, launched Gearbox Coffee Roasters in 2018 in Borgo San Lorenzo near Florence. Before returning to coffee in 2015, Tommaso worked for a European Commission satellite agency in Brussels dealing with natural gas, an unusual detour that brought analytical rigor to his roasting approach. The name Gearbox combines his two passions, coffee and cars, and the operation focuses exclusively on specialty coffees with omni roast profiles, selecting each coffee according to its harvest period to guarantee maximum freshness and aromatic complexity. Traceability sits at the foundation of the business, with Tommaso emphasizing the story behind every coffee purchased over scores or roasting degrees alone. Gearbox supplies notable Florentine establishments including Coffee Mantra in the Santa Croce district, quietly building a reputation among baristas and professionals who value craftsmanship rooted in nearly a century of family knowledge.