MEET THE TEAM
It is our intention to bring to your palate the best expression of aromas and flavors from the coffee lots we select, to honour the coffee farmers' hard work.
We promote full transparency and traceability of each single lot and work hard to constantly improve ourselves to be a source of inspiration and innovation for the entire industry.
Coffee is truly our passion; it is indeed our life!
Rubens Gardelli – Founder, Head Roaster
Rubens is the definition of the self-made man, and it is not the pursuit of sales or fame, but the passion and curiosity that has driven his coffee company from the ground up. He grew up in his parents’ cafe but really discovered his interest in the world of coffee by experimenting with roasting as an adult who, at the time, was quite down on his luck. He knew it was time to make a change and to dive into something completely different if he wanted to get out of his slump. He bought a 50 g roasting machine, and with an open mind and no previous experience or knowledge of the “rules of roasting,” he was free of any boundaries and used his senses and creativity to guide him in his trials.
He is a nerd when it comes to investigating the botanical and cultural aspects of coffee. He’s also very picky in his work, which he really doesn’t regard as work at all – he could be out dancing or tasting new coffees and having the same amount of fun. In 2014, he entered his first competition for pleasure, but hasn’t stopped winning since – he became the 2018 World Coffee Roasting Champion and regards this honour as an expression of his passion. His self-taught approach and drive to compete has brought him to the forefront of the specialty coffee industry, and from that 50g roaster, to a 300g then a 700g self-built machine, to a 5kg roaster and currently a 15kg machine, he has worked his way to the top the old-fashioned way – from the heart.
Even though his business has been growing, he still roasts every batch of Gardelli Specialty Coffees personally to ensure perfection in every bag.
Awards
*****WCE World Coffee Roasting Champion*****
1st place 2014 WCE Italy Brewers Cup competition video
Cinzia Valli – Order Manager
Cinzia, the mother of our founder, helps in the roastery by packing and labelling each bag by hand and fulfilling your orders.
All of her sacrifices and all of her work-filled days just to take good care of her son are now paying off.
She’s a very proud mom and the woman behind Gardelli Specialty Coffees. She is always supporting her son and still working many hours but always with a pretty smile on her face! She is a lover of art and culture: she loves travelling, visiting art museums and she has a great sense of style and an eye for fashion, and even named her only son Rubens after one of her favorite painters. She is an integral part of our team and her contributions are indispensable to the success of our ever-growing company.
Anastasiya Kotova - Customer Service
Anastasiya is originally from Ukraine, and it is in her home country where she discovered the world of Specialty Coffee back in 2014. When she came to Italy in 2016 to start a master degree at the University of Bologna, coming across GSC became a wonderful discovery after some months of searching for Specialty Coffee. Just as some of her colleagues, she first become a loyal customer of GSC before joining the team in 2019.
Her principal function is customer care: replying to the various requests and resolving issue when they arrise. She combines her passion for specialty coffee with her passion for research and is about to start her PhD degree in international law.
Matteo Coco - Head Barista
Matteo has nurtured curiosity about the world of hospitality ever since he started professional education in the industry.
He started working in catering at the age of 17, but his true passion has always been coffee, particularly latte art. Matteo got to know Rubens in 2013 during a friendly latte art competition, from whom he received the encouragement to enter the world of specialty coffee. Since that day, he has been studying eagerly all the aspects of coffee cultivation and production that come together in a cup. He reached the finals of Italian Latte Art championships thrice - in 2014, 2017 and 2020.
He is now proud to manage Gardelli Specialty Coffees flagship store.