You could say Les Schirato had a key advantage in his early business journey… he married the boss’s daughter! The western Sydney born and bred son of Italian and Maltese migrants, Les started work at Vittoria Coffee before he’d even left school, loved it, and was asked back into the business while waiting for his HSC results. Les did indeed marry Luisa Cantarella, but he’d already earned his business stripes in the eyes of her father Orazio Cantarella, who’d started Vittoria in 1947 with his brother, importing Italian foods like cheese, pasta and mineral water. Les also had a successful stint outside the family business, having climbed executive ranks at Fiat.

But since those early days, once Les and Luisa Schirato gained control of Vittoria,  with other family members and more recently their son and daughter, they’ve built Vittoria into one of the largest and most successful family owned and run food and coffee groups in Australia. Along the way they turned Australia into a nation of coffee snobs and espresso lovers.

<p>You could say&nbsp;Les Schirato&nbsp;had a key advantage in his early business journey&hellip; he married the boss&rsquo;s daughter! The western Sydney born and bred son of Italian and Maltese migrants,&nbsp;Les&nbsp;started work at Vittoria Coffee before he&rsquo;d even left school, loved it, and was asked back into the business while waiting for his HSC results.&nbsp;Les&nbsp;did indeed marry Luisa Cantarella, but he&rsquo;d already earned his business stripes in the eyes of her father Orazio Cantarella, who&rsquo;d started Vittoria in 1947 with his brother, importing Italian foods like cheese, pasta and mineral water.&nbsp;Les&nbsp;also had a successful stint outside the family business, having climbed executive ranks at Fiat.</p>
<p>But since those early days, once&nbsp;Les&nbsp;and Luisa Schirato gained control of Vittoria,&nbsp; with other family members and more recently their son and daughter, they&rsquo;ve built Vittoria into one of the largest and most successful family owned and run food and coffee groups in Australia. Along the way they turned Australia into a nation of coffee snobs and espresso lovers.</p>

Candid interviews with successful Self-starters. On Build It. They'll Come, you'll hear from some amazing Australian entrepreneurs who bet big to build great businesses. Journalist Helen Dalley interviews business innovators and visionaries on how they turned their lightbulb idea into a viable, sustainable enterprise. 

This podcast is about the human face behind taking a simple idea and turning it into a business or movement. It's the beating heart behind what it takes to build an empire, from concept to execution, and how they actually achieve it. Fuelled by blind faith and hard slog, how they transform their dream idea into concrete reality.

Journalist Helen Dalley interviews business innovators and visionaries on how they turned their lightbulb idea into a viable, sustainable enterprise.

Advertisement