Italy’s Centenarian Barista Still Loves Serving Coffee
- Editor OGN Daily
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Anna Possi knows how to make a mean espresso - and she’s been doing it for around 65 years!
Possi is in one key respect far from the average barista: aged 100, she is the country’s oldest. The centenarian, who recently had bestowed upon her the honorary title of Commander of the Republic, is a familiar face to regulars who have lived their lives alongside the cafe as it has matured from cutting edge to vintage. “I’m always working - Sundays, Easter, Christmas. I’m never on holiday,” she says.
Possi happily runs her own coffee shop and bar in a tiny Italian town overlooking Lake Maggiore, in northern Italy. She opened it with her husband in 1958. After her husband died in 1974, she dedicated her life to raising their two children and the bar. “Since Dad died she never wanted to have another relationship,” her daughter, Cristina, said. “She focused on us and work.”
Her shop isn’t just a place to get a strong caffeine fix, though: It’s a “community hub.” She told CNN: “It’s a bit like a family here. I have customers who are now grandparents and come in here with their grandchildren.” Possi’s customers depend on her for good brews and good conversation, and she’s not retiring anytime soon. Even though she turns 101 next month, she’s only finding more reasons to love what she does.
“I like it because I’m surrounded by people,” she said. “Then when I don’t like someone, I make sure they don’t come back.”
In fact, being in the company of others is what Possi believes is the key to her longevity. “I don’t want to be melancholic,” she said. “I want to live, to be among people.” She has no intention of stopping work anytime soon. “I’ll keep going so long as my health permits,” she said, while advising young people to “choose a job you enjoy”.