Di Bella has announced it is consolidating its position in the Australian coffee industry with the merger of four national and international coffee brands to become Australia’s second largest roast and ground coffee enterprise in Australia.
Di Bella is owned by Retail Food Group, Australia’s largest multi-food franchise operator. Four coffee companies merging to form Di Bella include Di Bella Coffee, Roasting Australia, Di Bella USA and Evolution Roasters.
Announced on 9 July, the company decided to restructure and consolidate so that it was better positioned to continue its growth trajectory. This new model allows the company to scale up for new markets, opportunities and partnerships without losing its core focus on craft roasting.
“As a brand, our unique selling proposition has been both our crop to cup philosophy and our bespoke roasting capabilities. Bringing these together into one larger entity means we can leverage larger roasting capabilities from our different plants, as well as ensuring that the product and service, the true star of our brand, is more widely available as we expand into new markets and new market segments,” says Di Bella CEO, Darren Dench.
Di Bella will continue to offer clients customised blending services and micro-roasting capabilities across key channels – independent food service, office market, and the in-home market.
The company works hand-in-hand with a number of communities sourcing green beans from leading growers around the world that deliver beans farmed under ethical and sustainable conditions.
“We know that coffee is similar to wine in that individual characteristics work together to create blends with different notes and tones. Without skilled roasting, the coffee bean doesn’t shine and flavour complexities collapse or disintegrate,” says Darren.
“For us at Di Bella, our focus is on bringing these different blends to the discerning consumer whether at home, at work, or when out dining at restaurants and café.”
Phil Di Bella, Founder of Di Bella Coffee in 2002 says he is excited about the new possibilities this merger presents.
“The coffee company that I worked hard to create here in Brisbane is a local success story and I am proud of the business that it is now becoming.
“By staying true to the original roots of my vision – that of being a craft roaster with great service – Di Bella is now in a position to bring its premium coffee to a broader market,” says Phil.
“I believe that the integrity of the bean and the authenticity of the Di Bella coffee range will create exceptional opportunities for this new unified and integrated coffee company to grow, expand and diversify.”
Phil sold the company in 2014 and is currently focused on continuing his entrepreneurial journey. He works closely with Darren as a consultant to the Di Bella coffee company.
Di Bella currently produces 3480 tonnes of coffee per year which equals 150 million cups of coffee served.
