As a teenager, Rosa Gallo was always fascinated with fast cars. She was that girl who had posters of Alfa Romeos, Porches and Ferraris on her walls. Being of Italian heritage definitely had something to do with that as Rosa grew up around uncles and cousins who owned Alfas and other sports cars.
Rosa’s family car is currently an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and as a mum to two wonderful boys who are now young adults, it’s served her well. Rosa is also a wife, a producer, an investor, and the co-founder of Cafè Bellezza, the world’s first coffee blends designed by women for the female taste profile. Most of Rosa’s day-to-day time is spent working across our production company Delicious Film & Content, producing television commercials and TV series, alongside growing the coffee brand.
“My weeks are busy, but I always make time for the things I love, like exploring different cuisines, travelling, and taking my Porsche out for a drive. I have fulfilled two out of three of those brands previously on my wall, so I’m happy with that!” Rosa recently told Driven Women Magazine.
The links between a high-performance car and a high-quality product like Cafè Bellezza are remarkable according to Rosa, “With any product, you have to remind yourself who you’re making it for. Porsche makes cars for drivers, people who love the experience of driving. We wanted to make the best coffee for our customers, so we had to understand exactly what they wanted.”
With the development of Cafè Bellezza, it was all about refining, testing, and refining again just like the makers of high-performance vehicles. Working in advertising and TV production gave her company an edge because they already knew the steps needed to build a successful brand from scratch. But the most important starting point is always the product itself, making sure it’s the best possible experience for your audience.
“Look at Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, they all share the same principle. If their products weren’t meticulously refined and perfected, they wouldn’t be the icons they are today,” added Rosa.
Cafè Bellezza was born from pure observation. After returning back from Sicily one year, Rosa struggled to find a decent coffee. She couldn’t understand why everywhere she went with her husband that he didn’t mind it, but Rosa couldn’t drink it and everything she tried was bitter.
That got Rosa thinking, and she did some research that led to her discovery that there’s real science behind it. Women have more taste buds than men and are more sensitive to spice, heat, and bitterness and there’s even a name for it, women are often referred to as supertasters.
Whiskey companies have been using women for years to help discern and refine flavours in their blends, so it all started to make sense to Rosa. After venting her frustrations to two of her girlfriends and now business partners Danielle McMaster and Claire O’Donnell, who were also struggling to find a coffee they truly loved, they decided to make their own blend.
“At first, it was just for us. But that quickly turned into creating blends designed for all women to enjoy. And that’s how Café Bellezza was born, which literally means Beautiful Coffee,” explained Rosa.
The name has a story too. That same year in Sicily, Rosa went to the same café every morning, and the barista would greet customers with, “Ciao Bellezza, dimmi,” which translates to, “hello beautiful, tell me what would you like?” He greeted every woman that way, and the men too, calling them “Bellezzo.”
“It was more than a greeting it was warmth, familiarity, and a little moment of joy before the day began. We realised that’s exactly how we want our brand to feel. Not just coffee, but a ritual. A gentle lift. A beautiful way to begin. So, Café Bellezza became our own daily greeting an invitation to feel seen, celebrated, and savoured with every cup. We decided our brand should feel like that too, a greeting that makes people feel good the moment they arrive,” shared Rosa.
The team at Cafè Bellezza wanted coffee that genuinely reflected what women wanted in a blend, how they drink it, how it tastes to them, and how it makes them feel as a brand. From the very start, the blends were entirely curated by women, using female focus groups.
Over that 18-month period, dozens of women were involved in tasting and testing different beans and blends from all over the world. Their master roaster, Marcello Nadilile from Euroespresso, has been an absolute champion throughout the process, helping them refine and develop the blends. After countless iterations, they finally landed on local beans that were naturally sweeter, smoother, and full-bodied, without the bitter aftertaste.
Once the blends were right, they turned their attention to the brand and again, they used the same approach. Working closely with female focus groups and asking them what they wanted from a coffee brand: the imagery, the colours, and what having a coffee actually means to them. The responses were profound. The vibrancy was impossible to ignore, escapism came through strongly, and European café culture was a clear influence.
“When we settled on the name Cafè Bellezza, our graphic designer brought all the pieces together and we presented it back to the group. It was an incredible moment, and I’m genuinely proud that we built the brand this way,” said Rosa.
Having always had a passion for cars, it’s no surprise then that the Porsche in Rosa’s garage is also quite special. It’s a 2013 911 Carrera S the last model with a naturally aspirated engine fitted with all the extras, the PDK Sports Pack, and a convertible roof.
“It’s an absolute thrill to drive, and the best part is you don’t need to drive fast to really enjoy it or feel what the car is about. It also has a pretty interesting history. I’m the third owner. The previous owner barely drove it and kept it sitting in a garage for a year, but before him, it was owned by Cate Blanchett. Her name is in the logbook. She must have been a bit of a rev head, because this car has everything,” said Rosa.
For Rosa the best thing about this car is the way it makes her feel every time she gets behind the wheel. Effortless on the freeway, agile in the city, and thrilling wherever the road takes her. Long drives down the South Coast of NSW, where the roads stretch out and open up, inviting Rosa to explore the car’s handling around sweeping bends and winding curves, are a favourite with Rosa and her husband.
“I never imagined I’d own a car this beautiful it was once just a picture on my wall as a teenager, a dream far out of reach. But sometimes, dreams do come true. You just have to chase them, work for them, and make them happen. And when that dream becomes reality, the joy of the drive is even more incredible. For me, cars have always felt more like pieces of art than speed machines.
Looking back to my teenage years, those posters on my wall may have seemed silly at the time. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that no dream is too big or too crazy to chase. You Just have to work at it, work for it, keep learning, keep adjusting your strategy in your business and your own personal strategy and never give up,” concluded Rosa.
Cafè Bellezza is available on their website at cafebellezza.com and they deliver Australia wide. It is also available at all Pannetta Mercato stores and some select Friendly Grocer stores in Sydney’s inner west. Having only recently launched the opportunities for expansion are still opening up, just like road ahead for Rosa in her Porsche 911.
Photographs Supplied.