THE BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL AWARD FOR CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
WINNER: DI BELLA COFFEE
“Phillip Di Bella was unavailable to attend the awards last year, however I attended in his place. The event was very well organised, the entertainment was exciting and the service from the catering company was great. I am sure that I sent an email afterwards to congratulate the Lord Mayors office for such a great night.
Due to Di Bella Coffee winning the Corporate Citizen award, there was publicity for the company that put Di Bella in the forefront of public perception of the coffee industry. There is no monetary value that can measure the success of the award.”
ADRIA DOWSETT, DI BELLA COFFEE
About Di Bella Coffee
Di Bella Coffee is Australia’s fastest growing coffee company. The company has been named on BRW Magazine’s 2006 and 2007 Fast 100 List as the fastest growing company in the country and as a finalist in the 2007 and 2008 Telstra Business Awards. Founder, Phillip Di Bella, was also named the winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Award for 2008.
Based at Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Di Bella Coffee supplies over 900 cafes throughout Australia in their wholesale operation and also retails coffee to private coffee lovers from online sales and their own signature cafes in Brisbane. Together these divisions bring over one million cups of coffee to Australia each week.
Founded by Phillip Di Bella in 2002, his mission was to supply the best quality coffee at competitive prices. Phillip wanted to fill a niche he observed from his experience working in the industry. Di Bella has an integrated service and networking system that allows clients to access products, machines and accessories, training and maintenance all at fair prices.
Phillip began working alone with only two wholesale clients and using another company’s coffee roasting equipment. He has spent the last seven years building up wholesalers, direct sales, services, accessories and equipment.
The expansion of the brand was primarily achieved through penetration into the Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne markets. Last year Di Bella opened a second corporate headquarters and roastery in Melbourne to sustain and develop this goal.
The company offers its clients daily hand roasted coffee beans created into eight blends - the Espresso, Premium, Felici, Novello, Dolce Sapori, Modena, Serafini, Arnika’s Reserve, Mocha and Caramel blends. Di Bella also offers Swiss water decaffeinated and certified organic coffee.
Additionally, the Di Bella range includes coffee machines, cups, sugar sticks, syrups, dusting chocolate and everything needed to create the perfect brew.
For the café owner, Di Bella also covers services such as machine maintenance, professional barista training and masterclasses. Cafes, restaurants, mobile coffee carts and delis all over Australia enjoy this full range of services.
The home coffee maker can also purchase these products and attend workshops and masterclasses. Every home machine sold by Di Bella includes professional training. This concept expanded with the launch of Coffee Central, a website for Australia-wide online ordering of coffee for commercial and private clients.
Phillip Di Bella believes in forming strong partnerships as a base for business growth. These include partnerships with Freedom Fuels, supplying their convenience store cafes, and Xpresso Mobile Coffee vans.
In partnership with Xpresso Mobile, Di Bella Coffee launched a new national franchise, CBD (Coffee by Di Bella - a new retail concept in the coffee business, selling coffee machines, accessories, beans and wet coffee. Found in free standing outlets, kiosks and shopping centre spaces, the stylish outlets are a fitting setting for the ‘ultimate coffee experience’.
CBD’s (including Di Bella’s renowned intensive training program), are priced well below other coffee franchises and strong growth is expected in the next five years.
Brisbane coffee lovers can also enjoy Di Bella at Vue (New Farm) and the café at the Bowen Hills head office, which also has its own Drive Thru outlet.
Di Bella has an innovative ‘grass roots’ approach to marketing. The company has a high profile in the market place by its presence at Jan Power’s Farmers Market at the Brisbane Powerhouse at New Farm every second Saturday, the weekly Wednesday Brisbane City Mall market and the Mitchelton market on the last Sunday of the month. Di Bella Coffee also has a regular presence at the Chandler Market, North Side Market and the Northey Street Organic Market.
Their own cafes and the coffee education events aim to raise the quality coffee bar in the target market. Phillip believes that if coffee drinkers taste good coffee and make it themselves at home then they will demand it at their local café or deli.
The company is active in philanthropic and community work globally. This includes sponsoring children in the Philippines, motivational speeches and mentoring at high schools. Di Bella Coffee also donates all coffee products to Cafe One on Wickham, which is a project of Mission Australia.
In 2009, Phillip launched his book, “Roasted Passion,” a detailed account of his journey in the industry and his rise to success as the fastest growing coffee company in Australia.