Somewhere out there, the new Australian face of Vittoria Coffee could be cultivating their crema, unaware they may soon follow the coffee trail of legendary actor, Al Pacino.

It’s been 14 years since the Academy Award-winning star told the world that Australia’s “Vittoria is good coffee” in a series of captivating ads.

“We’re now looking for Al Pacino 2.0,” Rolando Schirato, managing director of the family-owned Vittoria Food & Beverage, tells Australian Life.

“Australian talent is definitely where our focus lies, as there’s a long-held misconception that we’re Italian or foreign-owned but we want to highlight a lot more to consumers that we are Australian,” he explains.

Vittoria started in Sydney, in 1958 with the first roasting machine purchased by an Italian migrant, Orazio Cantarella. The brand is now owned by descendants of the Cantarella Brothers including Rolando’s father Les Schirato, who married into the family and is a key figure in Australia’s fast-growing food industry.

Since the late 50s, Vittoria has been percolating  through  Australian culture to become one of the top selling ground coffee in supermarkets.

“We’re also the largest capsule producer in Australia,” says Rolando Schirato.  “We were  the  first Australian capsule producer to go into aluminium and we’re also manufacturing  many  of  Aldi supermarkets’ capsules locally, as well as selling under our own brand.”

He’s also proud of the fact that Vittoria is exporting to so many markets overseas including the UK and the US, plus Asia and New Zealand.

“We’re really growing our footprints, especially the US,” he says, including a deal to supply Costco.

Schirato, who completed studies at Harvard Business School, did not have a traditional business education at first.

“When I went to university, I also wanted to study subjects that I was passionate about and which stimulated me intellectually. This included anthropology and philosophy,” he explains.

It turned out to be an interesting choice.

“Anthropology in particular, where you’re learning about people and culture is what coffee is all about,” he says.

Despite the fact that Vittoria was integral in introducing us to the depth of flavour of espresso coffee, the brand is now also producing instant coffee.

“The coffee industry is moving away from purist thinking,” Schirato comments. “Instead of insisting that great coffee can only be enjoyed through an espresso machine, we think Australians deserve high-quality coffee, no matter how it’s prepared. Whether it’s capsules, bags, ready-to-drink options, or instant formats, our goal is to provide the best possible coffee experience across every format.”

In the meantime, Rolando Schirato is not giving anything away about which Australian household name will articulate this message as the new face.

“We haven’t made up our mind yet,” he protests, “it might be an actor”.

The only certainty is that it will be an enigmatic and unforgettable personality, who will keep the Vittoria name in the spotlight.