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Our work

Brewed to Win

Piazza D'oro Espresso

YEAR

1997 – 2001

CLIENT

Douwe Egberts

INDUSTRY

Foodservice / FMCG

SERVICES

Brand strategy, brand launch campaign, event marketing, experiential design, national rollout campaign, video, media

Barista pouring milk to create latte art in a cup of coffee, showcasing barista skill and coffee quality

The challenge

Douwe Egberts was well known in the Australian market for filter coffee and Moccona. But they weren’t seen as serious players in the café space. Their new brand, Piazza D’oro, needed to cut through fast in a market that was just starting to fall in love with espresso and didn’t have time for corporate coffee. 

Cafés were booming, but the brand wasn’t resonating. It was seen as too safe, too slow, and too … “hotel lobby”. Douwe Egberts needed a big shift in perception and in market share. 

Illustration of a coffee cup with latte art and coffee beans, captioned '50% barista, 25% beans, 25% machine' highlighting Douwe Egberts’ focus on barista craft.

50% barista

25% beans, 25% machine

Discovery 

Working closely with a passionate team of café specialists (Terry Seremetis, Roland Rocciletti, Rocky Veneziano, and Sam Cosentino), we found the heart of the story: 

Great coffee is 50% barista, 25% beans, 25% machine. 

Baristas weren’t just button pushers, they were becoming cultural icons. Yet no one was backing them. That was the gap and the opportunity. 

Design

We created a national competition to recognise the people behind the machines.

Barista of the Year was born. It started with a pilot event in Norton Street, Leichhardt (Sydney’s café heartland), and quickly grew into a full-scale national program. 

We brought in credible judges like John Newton, Lyndey Milan, Matthew Evans and Toby Smith. Built a full campaign around training, performance, and pride. And made sure the brand aligned with the energy, creativity and credibility of the baristas it supported. 

Team of baristas wearing Piazza d’Oro branded shirts posing outside a café, holding a framed South Australia Barista of the Year 2000 award.
Barista working behind a coffee machine during a Piazza d’Oro promotional event, while a camera crew films the scene for media coverage.

Delivery

Spinifex managed every aspect of what became Australia’s first national barista competition from concept to rollout. 

What started as a single pilot in Leichhardt became a national series that spanned: 

  • 5 states 
  • 400 entrants 
  • Hundreds of cafés reached 
  • A groundswell of pride among baristas and café owners alike 

We handled the event design, logistics, media, comms, and video bringing the energy of the competition to life and giving baristas a platform to shine. 

Watch how it all came together

This video captures the energy, creativity, and impact of the very first Barista of the Year.
Part case study, part time capsule. It shows how a bold idea, a passionate team, and a medium budget helped change the way Australia saw baristas.

Big heart. Strong coffee. Maximum impact.

Results

16% market share in just 3 months


GM Bruce Goldman said: 

“We never would have attained this level of awareness and sales without this strategy.” 


Piazza D’oro didn’t just enter the café scene. It helped shape it – by putting baristas front and centre, before anyone else did. 

Got a brand ready to shift perception—
or spark a movement?

Let’s talk