AUSTRALIA is known the world over for its meats and dairy products. Manila, for one, imports quite a lot of them. Now, the Land Down Under will also become known for its premium coffee, as the Cravings Group brings premium Aussie coffee indulgence to the Philippines via an exclusive partnership with Di Bella Coffee.
One of the best specialty coffee brands in Australia and definitely one of the best in the world, Di Bella Coffee brings with it not just its sought-after gourmet coffee products but also its “crop to cup” philosophy. Its owner, Phillip Di Bella, is known as Australia’s Coffee King. His passion for coffee and his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start up a small coffee-roasting operation in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia, in 2002. Since he was leasing a roaster part-time back then, he worked through the night and went door-to-door to attract clients by day. His efforts paid off, as his coffee spoke for itself and made its way to the local cafés and Di Bella Coffee gained local and national recognition as a coffee company of choice. Phillip received the Lord Mayor’s Corporate Citizenship Award in 2009 and 2014 and, in 2010, became the world’s youngest recipient of an Italian knighthood, as he was bestowed with the ‘Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity’ for his contribution to the Italian community. Other awards he has received include Ernst & Young’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008, Brisbane Business News’ Young Entrepreneur Award in 2010, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Northern Region Industry Category, in 2012.
The Cravings Group got introduced to Di Bella Coffee when The Cravings Group chief executive officer Marinela ‘Badjie’ Guerrero Trinidad visited her daughter Bea in Australia and the coffee bug hit her when she ‘discovered’ Di Bella Coffee — especially when she found out that Phillip Di Bella’s environmental preservation advocacy to be consistent with The Cravings Group’s own commitment to environmental conservation.
Talks ensued, and now, with the exciting partnership between The Cravings Group and Di Bella Coffee, diners will now get to savor gourmet Di Bella coffee concoctions exclusively in all The Cravings Group restaurants. These include Cravings, Epicurious, Lucia Ristorante, Lombardi’s, C2 Classic Cuisine, B&P, The Blackboard by Chef Michel, Wicked and The Coffee Beanery (TCB) stores.
“The Cravings Group is proud to partner with Di Bella Coffee. Not only do we raise the bar of the café concept by presenting customers with new, world-class coffee choices; we are also more than happy to create a positive impact on Filipino coffee farmers,” says Trinidad.
After all, Phillip Di Bella is known to source his coffee from different parts of the world, talking directly to farmers when he chooses his coffee beans and negotiating directly with estates to source the best beans for his coffee. He combines Arabica, Robusta and Liberica and finds the right blend for them.
“With our partnership with Di Bella Coffee, the Philippine coffee industry also stands to gain so much. Di Bella is very intent in supporting The Cravings Group’s efforts to educate and train local farmers with ethical, sustainable coffee bean growing practices. With the help of Di Bella Coffee, Filipino coffee farmers will have the opportunity to learn and eventually harvest the best quality, locally grown beans which in turn give Filipinos the best cup experience,” Trinidad adds.
For the “cup” part of Phillip Di Bella’s “crop to cup” philosophy, Di Bella will also impart its training philosophy to make TCB baristas world-class. “With the Di Bella standard of training for our baristas, our customers are assured that each cup is flavorful, lovingly made and perfect to the last dip,” Trinidad assures.
The partnership between The Cravings Group and Di Bella Coffee was formally announced over coffee and desserts at Epicurious recently in the presence of Phillip Di Bella and The Cravings Group founder Susana ‘Annie’ Guerrero. Phillip joined the TCB baristas in brewing and serving perfect cups of Di Bella Coffee, complete with latte art, and accompanied by a good selection of chocolate desserts by Wicked and pasta in jars by Epicurious.
