From pizza to coffee, entrepreneur diversifies from the family business
COFFEE firm Casa Espresso has invested in facilities and equipment to expand its offering, as owner Nino Di Rienzo moves away from a heritage of Italian restaurants.
Founded in 2000, the Shipley firm supplies coffee and coffee machines to the North.
Mr Di Rienzo and barista Jonnie Drake have invested in a five kilogram roaster to create high quality coffee.
His father Tony Di Rienzo has been described as a “pioneer” of pizza in Bradford, having established the city’s first pizzeria, The Pizza House, in 1974.
He went on to run some of the best known Italian restaurants in the area, including Da Tonino and Zio Tonino.
With all the work involved, the pair needed to hire another team member,barista trainer Matthew Adams.
Bradford’s The Record Café and Shipley Health Store are already putting in regular orders.
Mr Di Rienzo, whose family have been involved in the local restaurant and coffee scene for over 40 years, said: “Supplying excellent products has always been our main priority, and what better way to ensure top quality coffee than to roast our own?
“More and more micro roasteries are popping up – a bit like micro-breweries – but there isn’t one in Bradford so we felt it was a great opportunity to offer an even more bespoke service to our customers.
“We started with a smaller roaster and our coffees were really well received so we have now invested in a much larger roaster to enable us to meet demand.
“Traceability is important to us – we can track our coffee back to the individual farmer and village – and we source ethical green coffee that supports sustainable development of coffee agriculture.”
Casa Espresso is also working on a number of brand collaborations and recently teamed up with cycling clothing company, Pilgrim Cycling Co, for a limited edition range of coffee. The custom Expedition Blend is designed to prepare cyclists for the ride ahead, and has been well received by attendees at industry events such as the London Coffee Festival & Spin London.
