Leslie J. Schirato (born 1955), nicknamed “Australia’s Coffee King”, is an Australian entrepreneur and the chief executive officer of Vittoria Food & Beverage (Cantarella Bros), an Australian supplier and distributor of European food.
Biography
Leslie J. Schirato was born in Sydney, Australia in 1955 to Italian immigrants. At the age of 16, he started working for the Cantarella Bros as a part-time employee over the school holidays, and began working full-time with the company in 1972.
In 1976, Schirato left the Cantarella Bros to work for David’s Holding and later on he secured a position with Fiat Australia as a sales manager. After a 5-year absence, he returned to the Cantarella Group in 1981. At this point, Schirato was working in a sales and marketing capacity, and one of his first projects was to introduce espresso coffee to the Australian market.
In 1993, Schirato was promoted to group managing director.
Awards
Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year 2001 (Retail, Consumer & Industrial Products)