Getting Caffeinated with Bertoncello Coffee!

Yesterday, my husband and I spent a few wonderful hours talking music…and learning about coffee…strange I know for two obsessed tea drinkers!

We met with Michael Bertoncello, who made the life changing decision to give up being a professional musician, and start a coffee roasting business…Bertoncello Coffee.

My husband knows Michael through music, and both studied at the Victorian College of the Arts, so it was great to catch up and reminisce about the old days…and talk coffee!

Michael started learning music when he was about 6 years old, and it became his life….an obsession…

He has worked overseas, and become very well known in the music world for being a world class trombonist and teacher.

But what caused this major change in career path?

Michael says it was because he was burnt out…he was teaching and practising during the day, and performing at night…he was never home, and was never able to fully take part in family life.

And his job as a professional musician in a well known orchestra was becoming mundane for him…there were no fresh challenges……

Coffee was something he has always loved…he has fond memories of visiting his grandmothers and drinking real Italian coffee…with about 15 teaspoons of sugar!

And with a name like Bertoncello…well…need I say more!

It was also something that he was able to use his skills from being a world class musician..practise, discipline, learning…always aiming for perfection!

Plus brass musicians tend to drink a lot of coffee…and alcohol but that’s a whole other story…!

Michael and his wife Kate, with their kids and a gorgeous big teddy bear of a dog,  live in a wonderful old house….with an amazing coffee roasting lab set up out the back!

The roasting machine seemed enormous…yet this is actually on the small size….

It is made in Turkey, and is converted here to meet Australian requirements…have to say as someone who has never seen a coffee roaster before, I love its retro look with the chrome fixtures against the bright red!

Unfortunately Michael wasn’t doing any roasting while we were there, but he spent some time explaining how the process works…from pouring beans into the large funnel at the top, till when they come out the bottom, and eventually poured into a bucket for packing.

It really is an fascinating set up…complete with an “after burner” which eliminates any smell of the coffee roasting process.

Bertoncello Coffee uses ethically sourced green coffee beans from all over the world, including Papua New Guinea, India and Costa Rica!

I asked Michael if he misses the professional musicians life, and he says he misses most the physical act of playing….

He is slowly getting back into some teaching, to see if he can find a life balance between his love for music…and his love for coffee!

Although only in production for approximately 6 months, business is good…there is an online website, and currently there are two cafes that are using Bertoncello Coffee…O.My in Beaconsfield and SoulFuel in Torquay!

And its exciting to hear that Micheal and Kate are planning to branch out into producing their own tea range….we would definitely be interested in that!

Oh, don’t worry if you have a Nespresso machine that requires capsules…there are custom capsule kits available to buy so you can make up your own with your favourite Bertoncello coffee!

So if you are after excellent coffee, prepared with love and care right here in Melbourne, then give Bertoncello Coffee a try!

Click here to visit the Bertoncello Coffee website for more information and to buy online!

Please note: this is not a sponsored post…just spreading the word about excellent coffee roasted here in in Melbourne!