No Filter with Paul, Liam and Chris Dimattina

For Paul, Liam and Chris, coffee and family have always gone hand in hand. Based in Melbourne, the father-and-sons trio are part of the Dimattina team bringing our coffee to cafés across Australia’s eastern states. With Father’s Day around the corner, we caught up with them for our second edition of No Filter to chat about working together, what they’ve learnt from one another and, of course, coffee.

Starting off with the big question… what’s your go-to coffee order?

Paul: Pretty simple for me. I start off with a flat white in the morning, and then as the day progresses, straight to espresso.

Liam: Like a double ristretto takeaway latte.

Chris: It’d be a long black with some full-cream milk.

For anyone who doesn’t know the family connection, can you tell us a little about your relationship with each other and what it’s like being part of the family business together?

Paul: I’m the dad. My son Chris, my son Liam. The Dimattina family have been involved in the coffee industry since 1954. I represent the third generation, and the two boys represent the fourth generation. It’s an honour to work with my kids, and I feel very fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to share the industry with both of my sons. There’s a lot of pride that comes with seeing your children become involved in something that you’ve spent so many years building, and it’s great to be able to share that experience with them. Having said that, it can also be extremely frustrating at times! When you work with your family every day, you know each other very well, so you’re not afraid to have honest conversations or disagree with each other. But I think that’s also part of what makes it work. We can challenge each other, have different opinions and then move forward together. Ultimately, it’s great to share the industry with my two sons and to see them bring their own ideas, personalities and strengths into the business. I’m very proud of both of them, and having them involved means that we can continue to build on what the family has created together and hopefully carry it forward for the next generation.

Liam:  Being part of the family business together definitely has its pros and cons. One of the biggest positives is that you can genuinely be yourself at work. You don’t have to put on a different persona or pretend to be someone you’re not because you’re working with people who have known you your whole life. There’s a level of trust and understanding that comes naturally from being family. At the same time, the work can follow you into every aspect of life. It’s not always easy to switch off because the business is such a big part of our conversations, our family life and our day-to-day thinking. You might finish work for the day, but you can still find yourself talking about a customer, an idea, a problem or something that needs to be done. Over time, the business becomes more than just a job. It becomes part of your identity and your DNA. There’s a real sense of pride and responsibility that comes with being part of something your family has built over generations. You’re not just working for the business - you feel like you’re helping shape its future and continuing something that is much bigger than yourself.

Chris: It’s a really great relationship and I think one of the strengths of working together as a family is that we all bring something different to the business. We work very well together and balance each other out which has made the experience really rewarding. There’s obviously a unique dynamic that comes with working alongside your brother and your father and it’s something I’m very grateful for. Being able to see my family every day, work towards the same goals and build on what previous generations have created is a real blessing. It can be challenging at times, as it is with any family, but ultimately there’s a level of trust, understanding and respect between us that makes working together special. I’m very grateful to have that experience and to be part of the family business.

What’s something you’ve learnt about each other from working together?

Paul: I’ve learnt that Liam is extremely structured, detailed and a very good planner. He likes to know what’s happening, thinks things through carefully and is always looking at the details. He has a very methodical way of approaching things, and I’ve come to really appreciate how much value that brings to the business. He makes sure things are organised and that we’ve thought ahead rather than just reacting to what’s happening in front of us. Christopher is very different in that way. He’s incredibly creative, magnetic and versatile, and he has a very natural way of dealing with people and situations. He’s easy-going, but at the same time he has very strong intuition, which is something I’ve learnt to trust because it’s always pretty spot on. He’s able to read situations and people very quickly and adapt when things change, which is a great quality to have in business. I think what I’ve really learnt from working with both of them is how different their strengths are, and how well those differences can complement each other. Liam brings structure and planning, while Christopher brings creativity, flexibility and intuition. They approach things differently, but that’s actually one of the things that makes working together as a family so valuable.

Liam:  I’ve learnt that Dad operates eight days a week, 25 hours a day! He’s always thinking about the business, always planning ahead and always finding something that needs to be done. It’s definitely taught me that there’s no real off switch when you’re running a family business, and I think that level of commitment is something I’ve come to appreciate even more as I’ve gotten older and become more involved myself. I’ve also learnt that if you’re planning anything with Chris, Mr Bundy, the dog must be considered and included in the plans!

Chris:  Liam still doesn’t really have moods - he’s very stable, and it’s quite hard to knock him around. He’s able to stay pretty level-headed, even when things get stressful or don’t necessarily go to plan, and I think that’s a really valuable quality to have in business. He is also still very stubborn, and that’s something that has been there since childhood!. I’ve also learnt a lot from watching Dad. I have always known that he has a great ability to connect with people, but being around him in the business and seeing it firsthand has made me appreciate that even more. He has a natural way of making people feel comfortable and valued, whether that’s a customer, an employee, a supplier or someone he has only just met. He genuinely takes the time to understand people and build relationships with them, and I think that is a really important part of what has made the business successful. Working together has also given me a much greater appreciation for the different strengths that each of us brings to the family and the business. You get to see each other in situations you probably wouldn’t experience outside of work, and over time you learn how to understand each other better, work around each other’s personalities and make the most of everyone’s strengths.

What do Chris and Liam bring to Dimattina that you think is different from your generation?

What’s the best piece of advice your dad has given you?

Liam:  "Those that you meet on the way up are the same ones you’ll see on the way down"

Chris: It would be, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil"

What does Dimattina mean to you, outside of coffee?

Paul: Outside of coffee, Dimattina to me means family, friendship, relationships, sport, food and fun.

Liam: Definitely the three Fs: food, family and football.

Chris: It would be a sense of community, love for ech other and a lot of passion.

Who would you trust most to make your morning coffee, and who would you trust least?

Chris: You’ve got to trust Pappy the most, for sure.

Paul: Oh, I think, yes, Paul Papaioannou. I’ve worked with Paul for over 40 years and he’s never let me down. We’ve got some fantastic barista trainers and coffee experts, like Laura Patsiner, in our company, who makes a great coffee as well.

Liam: The person I’d trust most would have to be our chief barista trainer, Laura Patsiner.

Liam: And the person I’d trust least would have to be Jim Perry.

Chis: The least would be Anne Pirera.

Paul: The least would have to be Peter Pirera.