Phillip Di Bella is getting ready to party with those who helped him build his coffee empire. Picture: Alex Coppel.
QLD BUSINESS City Beat: Brisbane coffee baron Phillip Di Bella is ready to party
Anthony Marx, The Courier-Mail
October 30, 2017 9:33pm
DECAFFEINATED
Three years after offloading his well-caffeinated empire in a $47 million deal, Brisbane coffee baron Phillip Di Bella is finally ready to party with the people who helped make it happen.
He’ll be hosting a lavish affair expected to draw a crowd of 200 to Portside’s Moda event space in Hamilton on Friday night.
Di Bella only officially exited the business on June 30, after a staged acquisition by Retail Food Group, Australia’s biggest multibrand franchisor.
RFG forked out an initial $30 million in cash and stock in late 2014, with the remaining $17 million subject to performance targets.
Di Bella told City Beat yesterday that he had cleared those hurdles and wanted to celebrate with the people who had been part of his 15-year journey.
Starting off in a garage with just $5000 in 2002, Di Bella grew his baby to become one of the country’s largest coffee roasters.
Phillip Di Bella illustration by Tony Bela.
Some of his first staff and suppliers will be there on Friday, along with plenty of local bizoids and pollies.
Former Premier Campbell Newman is on the guest list, as is BDO top gun Steve Sorbello, Hopgood Ganim partner Michele Muscillo and Ord Minnett broker Greg Zappala.
Partygoers will be treated to cocktails, dinner and dancing, along with a bit of entertainment from operatic tenor Rosario La Spina.
“It’s going to be a pretty big shindig. It’s a fitting celebration to say thank you,’’ Di Bella said.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved. I’ve had amazing people around me.’’
Di Bella plans to stay on as a consultant to RFG but has plenty of other irons in the fire, including property investment.
No surprise, either, that the hot black stuff is still central to his thinking.
Di Bella has a coffee roasting start-up entity in New York known as Abbotsford Road, named after the street in Bowen Hills where his headquarters is based.
Joining him in that venture are Buzz Café’s Logan Kedwell and Brisbane property player Karl Jameson.
RFG Price at posting:
$4.38 Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)