Lion acquires stake in Australian coffee company
Lion has acquired a minority stake in Schibello Coffee, owners of the Schibello, Arte Caffé and Cleanskin coffee brands, Paddington Fine Tea and Chocoloco hot chocolate.
Schibello Coffee will continue to operate independently under the leadership of the founders of the business, Ross Schinella and Anthony Sorbello, with Lion’s investment providing the capital necessary for Schibello Coffee to accelerate its growth.
Lion CEO Stuart Irvine said.
“We have a long history in beer of partnering with entrepreneurs and helping their businesses flourish. We are looking forward to working with Ross and Anthony to build their great brands in the growing hot beverages category and realise the synergies the Group has with Lion’s alcohol, dairy and juice businesses.”
Schibello Coffee CEO Ross Schinella said.
“This is a fantastic development for us. We’re at an exciting stage and Lion’s investment will allow us to continue to accelerate our growth trajectory. While we will still operate independently, we’re looking forward to working with Lion on various joint initiatives where both Lion and Schibello Coffee will benefit from utilising our combined skill sets to create new opportunities for both parties.”
The partial acquisition is consistent with Lion’s strategy of making strategic investments in related growth businesses in the food and beverage sector. It follows recent similar investments in order management automation solution Ordermentum, Barcats, a platform linking hospitality venues to short-term workers, Made By Cow, a high pressure cold pressed, unpasteurised milk product and Good Buzz, a crafted kombucha brand based in New Zealand.
Established in in Sydney in 1999 by founding partners Ross Schinella and Anthony Sorbello, Schibello Coffee has grown into a substantial coffee business supplying close to 2,000 customers nationwide.
