Interview with Riccardo Caruso, CEO and co-owner of international logistics company and of Don Caruso Caffé Italiano, which is a part of the company, and laureate of the title Leader by Vocation in the categories Leader in Business and Leader in Social Matters, on passion as a recipe for success and a happy life.
You were born in Sicily, which aspect of it do you love the most?
The sea. The smells. The flavors. Sicily is very rich in everything that nature gives. It is where my 94-year-old mother and part of my family live.
When did you drink your the first ever sip of coffee?
I certainly tasted it with my grandfather when I was still a young child, maybe 5 years old. My grandfather prepared the coffee blends himself and served them for tasting. That moment of tasting a new composition was extremely important, as well as the preparation process. Grandpa passed on his passion to my father, all my relatives and me; I was grown and brought up in a culture and true affection for this extraordinary beverage. On my way I met people who had a small artisan coffee roaster. We became friends. The result of this meeting was the creation of the Don Caruso brand. I decided to continue the legacy and coffee traditions of my family, to share the flavors known from my childhood, the ways of brewing and drinking coffee. I want to emphasize that Don Caruso is for me not so much a business as a passion. Coffee is my passion.
Where do your beans come from?
Coffee is grown all over the world. Each year an expert selects the best beans which then go into our blends. We specialize in high quality products. Our coffee is a carefully selected composition of beans. The secret of success is choosing the right 7-8 kinds of beans and combining their flavors together: the final product depends on the right ratio. Each new type or line of coffees always requires a long process of selecting every detail of the blend, which will ultimately affect the taste of the drink.
How do you test new flavors?
Testing coffee doesn’t quite mean drinking it. You need to be able to sense the taste, taking it on the tip of your tongue, let your taste buds feel the flavor as it develops, after which you may, or may not, swallow it.
How many varieties of coffee are there in Don Caruso offer?
We have 8 different blends and we are constantly working on and testing new ones. We sell them in Poland to the HoReCa food service and office sectors. We also provide training on knowledge about coffee and teach how to brew.
How long has Don Caruso been operating in Poland?
The company was established in 2014. In Poland, we have a team of 10 associates who share my passion for coffee. This factor is essential because it is the only basis on which any true collaboration can be created. We have a family-owned roasting plant in the north of Italy, where we employ 40 people. The transportation of the beans starts from the port of Trieste, so that the coffee is then transported in specially adapted containers to the roasting plant located in northern Italy, where traditional coffee roasting methods have been used for generations.
What made you decide that you want to establish your first company in Poland?
I first came to Poland in 1994 as the logistics director of a company that manufactured household appliances. That’s when everything started. I saw some opportunities and perspectives here and in 1997, together with my partner, I opened my first logistics company – Partners. Over time, the company has grown, and at the moment we employ more than 2,000 people. We offer a full range of logistics services: domestic and international transports, co-packing, container transportation and storage of goods in controlled temperature and humidity, as well as outsourcing. We have our offices and warehouses in central Poland. PartnersPol Group consists of 16 companies, including transporting luxury products, importing from Italy and co-producing kitchen hoods, representing prestigious Italian fashion in Poland and many other entrepreneurial activities. The company’s main office is located in Warsaw. We cooperate with many international companies and employ workers from Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. A hostel in Łowicz, which we own, can accommodate up to 300 people. When the war broke out in Ukraine, more than 70 mothers with children found shelter there.
You are also involved in social activities….
We actively help orphanages by funding gifts for Christmas and Children’s Day, organizing events for children and trips to Warsaw, or equipping the institutions with computers. We are also interested in the education of these children and in their perspectives for future careers. We sponsor the publication of „Gazeta Italia,” the only monthly magazine in Poland published in Polish and Italian. Don Caruso was a partner in the Miss Poland contest. And because Italians love not only coffee, but also music, we have a rock band in the company. The president of one of our companies is a rocker, he used to play with Sting and Zucchero, another person writes lyrics and composes, others perform the music. We release an album every year.
What advice could you give to young leaders?
Listen to your passion and follow its direction. If you want to be successful, you have to be passionate about what you do.
What are you most proud of?
I am proud of my life. I have a beautiful family: a wife, two sons and a daughter. The company – it’s my family too, and I’m proud of it as well. If I didn’t have good co-workers, all I have wouldn’t exist.
What are your plans for further development?
We remain young when we are curious about life and still want to explore it. I want to take care of what has been created in the company and open the way for those who would want to continue my path.
How do you recharge your batteries?
Once in a while I take my motorcycle and tour the world. These are usually 10-day trips to Africa, America, Asia; often in difficult conditions. I have ridden every pore of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia on a motorcycle. I also relax through cooking, and traditional Sicilian dishes took over the menu in my kitchen.
Dorota Kolano
Beata Sekuła
