It was in the admissions queue on Griffith's Nathan campus that Mark Bignell met Michael Koo in 1994. Mark was withdrawing from the law component of his double degree and Michael was behind him in the line enquiring on behalf of his girlfriend. They started chatting and realised both were studying the same course—a Bachelor of International Business, enrolled in identical subjects and lectures.
Mark and Michael quickly became friends—they were part of a wider friendship circle and remained tight throughout their degrees, studying business, brainstorming ideas and planning to have their own business one day.
Mark graduated in 1998 from a Bachelor of International Business / Graduate Diploma in Japanese. He worked in government for a number of years and spent time living and working in Japan. Michael graduated in 1997 and pursued a small business, owning an internet cafe and then a Brisbane nightclub. Mark and Michael remained firm friends with Michael travelling to Japan to visit Mark in the late 1990s. They continued to aspire to have their own business together.
In 2008, ten years after their graduation, Michael came to Mark with an idea for a coffee roastery. Conversations became serious quickly and the two—along with Michael's friend from primary school John Massimissa—spent a year researching and developing the business. Bellissimo Coffee launched in 2009, as 'three mates having fun with coffee beans and a little roaster purchased on a whim.'
Mark reflects 'At University, studying with such a diverse group of people from different countries and backgrounds meant we could jump into business with an ability to relate to and communicate with people'
Bellissimo has grown to now operate three cafes in Brisbane and one on Griffith's Gold Coast campus called The Commons. They provide wholesale and corporate coffee supply, retail beans and barista training along with a commercial kitchen, catering and event venues.
"We started Bellissimo with a foundation of fun, friendship and trust, which originated from learning together at Griffith in the 1990s. We have a desire to continue to challenge ourselves which is testament to the survival of our business for 15 years"
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