Growing up in Sao Paulo, Daniel Cezare has lived for coffee his whole life. He may be new to the Five Senses’ team, but he’s no stranger to coffee. Based in the beautiful sunshine state, our Queensland customers will probably meet Daniel dropping by to see how their coffee program is going!
Coffee in the blood
It all started a couple of generations ago. Although I come from Sao Paulo, one of the biggest cities in the world, my grandfather was a famer and one of his crops just happened to be … COFFEE.
Every year, I spent four months on the farm, riding horses, milking cows and, of course, picking cherries for my grandpa. Most of all, I loved to eat the cherries. Since the tender age of five, I’ve been drinking black coffees and enjoying delicious homemade batch brews.
Later, I started serving at my uncle’s café in Sao Paulo – working the till, cooking cheesy bread and, the best bit of all, making coffee.
The Australian dream
When I moved to Australia, I decided to become a coffee professional, simply because coffee is my true passion. Australia gave me the opportunity to make it my career.
I started as a waiter at a small restaurant in Mosman, Sydney making no more than 30 coffees a day. Then I moved to a beach front coffee shop in Mona Vale, making coffees while watching humpbacks whales swim by. This time, I was pouring 200 to 300 coffees a day. Way busier!
Pulling the shots
Next up, I found The Grounds of Alexandria. At first, I wasn’t even allowed to make coffee there – only to deliver them. After a month, I started pulling some shots, and within a week, I was making more coffees then I’d ever made in my entire life, on average 1500 coffees per day. It was insane! Regrets? Not one. I loved the opportunity to gain significant experience in coffee. I became a senior barista within six months and then was promoted to Wholesale Operations Manager and in-house trainer. Next on the agenda was looking for a coffee company with great values – and that’s when I was pumped to join Five Senses.
L-R: Jeremy Hulsdunk (National Sales Manager), Daniel Cezare (QLD Sales & Account Manager), Lena Richrath (WA Barista Trainer).
Barista Comps
In 2018, my friends in the industry encouraged me to get involved in barista competitions. I started off as a volunteer – swept floors, installed power cables, wiped stage benches and helped with cleaning. It was great just to be with people who shared my passion and enthusiasm for coffee.
As the ASCA crew started to get to know me, I was asked to help with commissioning the coffee machines and dialling in grinders. Then some friends who are also ASCA judges invited me to volunteer as a judge. I loved it! Given that I love details and had so much previous experience as a trainer, I found being a Technical Judge was the right fit for me. It was very challenging and I enjoyed every second of it. I love seeing how competitions drive the industry forward, encouraging creativity linked with a drive for perfection, both of which directly impact the beverage we serve to customers every day. It’s win-win and an honour to be part of it all. Now I’m just looking forward to my next challenge … Sensorial Judge? Competitor? National Tech Judge? Who knows! Watch this space.
For now, Daniel’s now taking on Queensland for Five Senses with passion, enthusiasm and buckets of finely-honed industry knowledge. Give him a buzz and let’s see how we can work together.