Entrepreneur looks to the high street for coffee chain expansion

“I GET bored easily,” said Alex Galantino of La Bottega Milanese, as he looks to get started on the next phase of growth for Leeds coffee destination La Bottega Milanese.

Alex Galantino launched Bottega Milanese in 2009, with his first site on The Calls in what he describes as “the smallest coffee shop ever.”

He said that his coffee-loving roots can be found in his hometown of Milan, where he used to earn some pocket money at espresso bars in the capital of coffee.

“I was born in that cafe culture, in Milan we live and breathe it,” he said.

But his route to one of the most well-known homegrown coffee shops in Leeds was a circuitous one.

He was a graphic designer before working in IT for 10 years. “But I have to be doing something creative all the time, and I had a couple of business plans on the go. I have always wanted to challenge myself, and do something I love,” he said.

The arrival of Starbucks caused a shift in the English palette, according to Mr Galantino. From a nation of tea-drinkers, we became indoctrinated into the world of coffee; willing to pay more for a good

Even then, Mr Galantino found it difficult to get the quality of coffe he was used to back in Milan. “I still couldn’t real Italian, speciality coffee,” he said, “so I thought, I’ll do this myself.”

“Now everyone and their mothers are opening coffee shops!”

La Bottega Milanese developed on the back of this love of coffee, and wanting to bring something genuine to Leeds. With sites in The Light and Bond Court, the business is going from strength to strength, and now is the time to move it to the next level, said Mr Galantino, as he looks for an investor to share in his plans to dominate the coffee world.

From day one, Mr Galantino was a jack of all trades in the business, doing design, social media, business development and a little bit of accounting.

“We made big waves in a small pond,” he said. “Now we have another challenge. We want to go bigger, our product is bigger, and we want to attract investment to allow this to happen – if we were in London this would have happened already.

“Our site at The Light cemented our place in people’s minds, and now we pack a lot of punch in the brand – I want a partner in my leap of faith. I had a vision in 2009 to go bigger, and I want to fulfil that.”

Mr Galantino is looking for a partner to grow the business, acquiring outright or ideally investing heavily and becoming a major stakeholder in the business.

“I’ve taken it as far as I can,” said Mr Galantino. “This business could do incredibly well in a growing market. I want someone with the vision to take it to the high street. I want this to explode on a bigger scale.

“Hopefully someone will see the potential, especially with me on board – we could do some damage!”