If you live in Melbourne and you love coffee, you definitely have heard of Giancarlo Giusti, the co-founder of Grinders Coffee. It's still easy to bump into him in Lygon Street where he enjoys his espresso every day after lunch.
Giancarlo arrived in Melbourne in 1960 and almost forgot to get off the ship at the pier. Not long after his arrival, he moved to Carlton, where 56 years later, still spends most of his days.
When in 1960 Giancarlo left Verona to board in Genoa a ship headed to Australia, his whole family was there to bade him farewell. Little did they know that Giancarlo would become the founder of one of the most iconic Australian coffee brands, Grinders.
"The day I left was like a funeral. My mother, my sister and some friends were there with me, in Genoa. I was very sad"
In 1962 it was hard to get a good espresso in Melbourne. Like many Italian migrants, Giancarlo was disappointed with the "really weak" coffee on offer. He borrowed 2000 pounds and with a friend, Rino Benassi, opened Grinders Coffee House in Lygon Street. By 1969 he was roasting and grinding his own beans at the back of the shop, selling his Italian-style blends to fellow Italian espresso lovers and university students.
Lygon Street was very different at the time of his arrival, and Giancarlo would contribute to bring some Italian flavour to the precinct.
"In the 60s Verona was full of life. In Australia everything was quiet. On Saturday afternoons the shops were closed. The pubs used to close at 6 pm"
In 2005, with about 2000 trade customers, 50 employees and five state offices the Melbourne institution has been acquired by Coca-Cola Amatil. Giancarlo is now their "coffee ambassador". After a long life in Australia he doesn't have any regrets.
"I think it has been a good experience for me. After all I think I’ve chosen the right way and I am glad of what I did"
Here is a photo gallery that offers an overview on Giancarlo's life: from the port in Genoa, where he left 56 years ago, to Lygon Street, where we met him last week.
Read more:
