STORY BY SIMON DIMATTINA
I was lucky enough to be born into a coffee family. My dad was one of the early coffee pioneers in Australia. He purchased Mocopan in the 1950s. At that stage, coffee was not a big focus, but as he ran the company for close to 40 years, he developed its progression from a small family company, into to a large national coffee company. Through that time, a lot of the people he employed and shared his knowledge with also went on to start their own coffee businesses.
He was always big on quality, technology and customer service. He introduced a lot of coffee brands into Australia. He travelled frequently to Europe and other countries, bringing back new ideas. He also had very loyal staff. He thought of these people as his family, and in return they would do anything for him and his customers. He passed away tragically when I was fairly young – but he remains an inspiration to me.
I have fond memories of going to work with him. As a kid, we used to spend hours at the factory, where we would have huge games of hide and seek amongst the roasting equipment and scale the pallets of green coffee. It was a great playground. I also recall warmly waiting in cars at the back of restaurants, while he would be delivering coffee after-hours, or fixing an espresso machine on the weekend.
At one stage or another, most of the family did some part-time work at Mocopan. My cousin Paul was Sales Manager at the time, and he would pick me up and bring me to work. Lino Bettiol, who was the Production Manager and is now my partner at Dimattina Coffee, would have all the employees’ kids working for him during the holidays, packing coffee, putting labels on bags and doing other odd jobs.
After the obligatory studies and travel, I started working full-time at Mocopan. I’d been there for a couple of years when the family sold Mocopan to Cerebos. I was able to experience working for a larger multi-national company for another few years. However, in 1998 I lost my license for demerit points … I don’t drive as fast now! Company policy for their sales representatives was that loss of license led to dismissal, so Mocopan fired me. No exceptions. As anyone who has been fired knows, it can be fairly demoralising – probably more so, considering my father started roasting coffee for the company.
I guess I was always going to continue in the coffee industry, and as they say, ”One door closes and another one opens”. So getting fired probably provided the launching pad to start Dimattina Coffee. Shortly after leaving Mocopan, my cousin Paul also departed, and he began Dimattina Coffee – where I was able to join him. Both of us, with Lino, really wanted to get back to basics, with our focus being on the coffee and the clients. For two years I helped them establish Dimattina Coffee in Melbourne, before heading to Perth to launch Dimattina Coffee in WA.
The original plan was to set up Dimattina Coffee in WA under management and head back to Melbourne, but then a girl came in to the equation. I met my wife Rachel, and we decided to stay in Perth. Ten years and two kids later, I almost consider myself part West Australian; although, I still barrack for Richmond. Over time we’ve managed to relocate from a small office to a large factory in Osborne Park. We produce locally roasted coffee, with the establishment of a small Probat Batch Roaster. We’ve also set up coffee training facilities, café and showroom and an equipment service division. The whole industry is growing at a rapid rate, but I think we’re still trying to stay true to the basics, which revolve around buying good coffee, developing great blends and providing excellent backup service for our clients.
The Perth coffee scene has grown amazingly in the last 10 years, and its best is as good as any of Australia’s. I have huge respect for some of the pioneers who brought coffee to WA, such as European Foods. And there are also some great WA companies striving to raise the bar even higher, such as Five Senses and Kamran at Fiori. I’m trying to continue in the same spirit of improvement.
Hopefully the next few years see a bit more of an investment in roasting and lab equipment. I’m always trying to match the art with the science of roasting. It’s a bit clichéd, but you never stop learning. I was lucky enough to meet Tracy Allen this year and complete my Q Graders Certificate with him. Our team are also always working on improving their skills, which we can then pass on to our clients. I’d also like to be able to travel a bit more over the next couple of years, hopefully attend a Cup of Excellence competition – and discover some new and exciting coffees.
As most people who work in the coffee industry know, it can be all encompassing. I love coffee, but I also really love the people. Some of my best friends are colleagues and clients. I guess with a job that can almost be described as a lifestyle, I’m pretty lucky.
