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For Simon Dimattina, coffee has never simply been a career. It's been woven into family life for generations. We sat down to talk about growing up in the coffee industry, how Dimattina Coffee came to be, and the origins of one of our favourite traditions, Share the Love.
Starting off with the big question… what’s your go-to coffee order?
My go-to coffee is a batch brew. I really enjoy our single-origin coffees, particularly those from Central and South America. They tend to have those rich, caramelly, chocolatey flavours that I think just about everyone enjoys.
Most mornings I'll brew a batch on my Moccamaster before work. Once I get to work, though, I leave it to the experts. I have an espresso machine at home, but our baristas make coffee far better than I do, so I’ll usually have a latte made with our Easy St blend. Then it’s back to batch brew for the rest of the day.
For anyone who doesn’t know, can you tell us a little about your journey with Dimattina Coffee? How did it all begin for you?
Coffee has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
My family’s journey began in 1954, when Dad bought into Mocopan Coffee in Melbourne. Back then, it was primarily a smallgoods business with a relatively small coffee-roasting operation, which Dad grew over the following decades.
I started working there part-time as a teenager. I travelled and studied, but always seemed to find my way back to Mocopan before eventually joining the business full-time in the ’90s.
When the business was sold to Cerebos/Suntory, we stayed on for a few years. Then I lost my licence accumulating too many demerit points. Under company policy, that meant I also lost my job. It felt like the end of the world at the time, but looking back, it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.
My cousin Paul was the Sales Manager at Mocopan and me getting sacked became the catalyst for us to back ourselves and start Dimattina Coffee together.
We chose Dimattina because it’s our family name. It was a nod to our parents, our family’s history in coffee and everything they taught us growing up. We also knew that “Mattina” means “morning” in Italian, which we thought was a pretty nice bonus for a coffee company.
My earliest coffee memories are of playing around the factory, climbing coffee pallets and going with Dad to cafés while he delivered coffee or repaired machines. I probably thought it was all a bit boring at the time, but looking back, they’re pretty special memories.
What’s funny is that I now find myself dragging my own kids around cafés, roasteries and coffee machines. Hopefully, one day they’ll look back on it the same way I do.
Dimattina has been around for over 70 years. What do you think has stayed the same and what has changed the most?
To be honest, I think more has stayed the same than changed. We’re fortunate that so much of the groundwork was laid by our parents’ generation.
Seventy years ago, Australia didn’t have the coffee scene we know today. It was predominantly a tea-drinking country and instant coffee made up most of what people drank at home. My parents, along with many others in the industry, had a vision to introduce Australians to fresh espresso coffee, espresso machines and café culture. They worked incredibly hard to help build what has become one of the best café scenes in the world.
By the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, Australia had developed a unique espresso culture that is now recognised internationally. We’re incredibly fortunate to have been part of that journey.
Coffee has always brought people together. Whether it's with friends, family or over business, it's a reason to slow down and connect. That hasn’t changed, if anything, it has only grown.
Today, the coffee world has opened up enormously. We have much easier access to incredible coffees from around the globe, along with the information, science and technology needed to roast and brew them at their best. Equipment has improved dramatically too, and the consistency we can achieve today is incredible compared with years ago.
Even with all those changes, our philosophy remains simple: buy great coffee, roast it well, look after your customers and staff, and provide genuinely great service. That hasn't changed in more than 70 years.
If someone is trying Dimattina Coffee for the first time, which blend are you handing them, and why?
It depends how they like to drink their coffee.
For espresso or milk-based coffee, I'd recommend Easy St. It's smooth, chocolatey and really approachable. If they wanted to try a little piece of Dimattina history, I'd hand them Prima Tazza, our original blend.
For black coffee or batch brew, I'd go with one of our single origins. Right now, our Honduras from Roy Hernandez is a standout, with rich dark chocolate and hazelnut notes.
At times, we’ve showcased Cup of Excellence winners and other award-winning, highly graded coffees on batch brew. They offer exceptional quality and incredible value for coffee of that calibre, so I’d definitely encourage people to explore them.
Can you tell us what our annual Share the Love campaign is about and what inspired it?
Share the Love has become something really special to us.
The idea began during the COVID lockdowns. In that initial, frightening period when the world shut down, we had a lot of freshly roasted coffee and weren’t sure what we were going to do with it. It was a difficult time for everyone, and we wanted to do something simple that might brighten someone’s day.
We decided to give the coffee away by inviting customers who purchased online to send a complimentary bag to a friend or loved one on us. If people couldn’t catch up with family, friends or workmates over a coffee, perhaps we could help recreate that experience from a distance.
The idea was simple: buy a bag of coffee, and we’d duplicate the order and send another bag to someone you care about anywhere in Australia, completely free. It was amazing to see people sending coffee to parents, grandparents, mates, neighbours, colleagues and other family members. People were organising virtual coffee dates, and some of the stories customers shared about reconnecting with loved ones were genuinely heartwarming.
It wasn’t really about the coffee, it was about letting someone know you were thinking of them and finding a way to stay connected. The response was so positive that we decided to bring the campaign back each year and connect it with International Friendship Day. It reminds us that coffee is about the people you share it with just as much as what’s in the cup.
Coffee has always brought people together. Who would you share a bag of coffee with, and why?
I’d probably send one to Mum, or to family and mates living interstate.
We’ve shared a lot of coffees over the years, so it’s a nice way of saying, “I’m thinking of you.” Hopefully, when Mum sits down with her next cup, she’ll think of me too. Even though we’re on opposite sides of Australia, it’s a simple way to still feel connected.
To me, coffee has always been more than something we drink every day. It may be part of our daily routine, but so many conversations, catch-ups and memorable moments with family and friends have happened over a cup of coffee.
That’s what I like about Share the Love. It’s a simple way to let someone know you’re thinking of them and, hopefully, give them a reason to slow down, enjoy a good coffee and think of you too.
