Dubai: Costantino Bertuzzi landed in the UAE a little more than two years ago.
And the primary reason he came here was because of his Attibassi coffee.
Since slowly weaning away from racing and allied activities in 2011 he became a partner of Ararat International where now he is working full-time in the Dubai office by representing top Italian brands and famous franchising chains including: Ferrari Store, Lamborghini Apparels, Attibassi Coffee, Bice Restaurant and Hollywood actor Robert De Niro’s ‘Ago’ restaurants.
“Various surveys had shown us that this region was the fastest-growing in the coffee business and in 2014 we decided to come to the UAE,” Bertuzzi recalls.
“Our Attibassi brand has more than 2,000 coffee bars all over the world but these are not the standard Starbucks or Costa-type coffee shops and outlets. We went on to create a niche concept that would be a standout and very Italian. And in everything that we do at Attibassi, we give the customer the assurance that we are indeed different,” he says.
Following their entry into the Middle East, the Attibassi growth has been swift as in under two years there are 24 outlets in Dubai, along with one in Oman, three in Saudi Arabia and three in Qatar.
“We have plans to expand in Egypt and one of my American friends is opening ten locations in Los Angeles. Honestly, we have very little competition from anyone, and we have had so much success that we are going to compete against giants like Starbucks and Costa very soon,” Bertuzzi believes.
But the racer that he is, Bertuzzi wants to still dabble in his first love of racing.
In fact in 2014, he was back for two races of the Ferrari 458 Challenge, and he finished both with podiums — a third in Istanbul and a second at the Ferrari World finale in Abu Dhabi.
“Now that I live here and run my business I will focus on some championship here. Maybe the new Touring Car Championship that is being launched here next year appeals most to me. Or probably, I will convince someone from Italy to lend me an Alfa Romeo so that I can race over here with it. I really would like to be present in the winter series over here and next year 90 per cent I will be entering the 24-hour race in Dubai (in January),” he says.
“In the past I have slept overnight at racetracks. I don’t mind doing it all over again here. And waking up in the morning will never be a problem for me as we have Attibassi coffee wherever we go,” Bertuzzi quips.
