February 02, 2026
Hello February! We’re proud to announce another standout Sydney-sider, Numero Uno Coffee Roasters. A female-led roastery that's as devoted as it is daring, with coffees that speak for themselves.
Gina Di Brita, owner and director of Numero Uno, shared the story behind this distinctive roastery, and it quickly became clear why it’s a journey worth sharing. Over twenty years ago Gina woke up one morning and made a decisive call: let’s start our own coffee company. While she brought years of experience in both coffee marketing and agricultural production, she had never built a roastery from the ground up, nor knew of many women who had paved this path before her.
Guided by her strong Italian heritage and the support of her three daughters, Gina forged ahead to create a place where great coffee brings people together. Her humble beginnings and courage to challenge norms, led her to being recognised as the Australian Coffee Woman of the Year in 2019. Yet for Gina, success has always been defined by the relationships she’s built along the way.
This philosophy lives at the heart of Numero Uno today. The roastery equally values quality coffee and the people behind it — ensuring success is shared from the farmers in Papua New Guinea to the emerging café owner to mentoring the next wave of women in coffee. Numero Uno is committed to planting the seeds of opportunity so specialty coffee can elevate everyone involved.
THE INTERVIEW
We sat down with Numero Uno founder Gina Di Brita to discuss what sparked her career shift from marketing master to coffee entrepreneur, the story behind the roastery’s one-of-a-kind name, and the care that goes into sourcing each bean.
"My story is one of starting over, leaving everything behind and building something meaningful from scratch. The values I learned in my Calabrese family kitchen, that good things take time, that relationships matter, that food brings people together, are the same values that drive Numero Uno Coffee today."
What's your coffee background?
My journey in coffee began over twenty years ago, completely by chance. I answered a job ad in The Age for a “marketing guru,” which turned out to be a coffee company. I started as a national coffee salesperson, and moved to Sydney to help grow the brand, while owning and operating several espresso bars. But it wasn't until I started my own roasting company that I truly saw the industry from a new vantage point.
Here's the reality: as one of the few female roasters on the scene, I faced barriers unrelated to coffee. Men refused to shake my hand for fear of being seen doing business with a woman. I was told, women like me should only be seen “from the neck down, not from the neck up”.
Education and support were limited, so I joined the Australian Specialty Coffee Association, volunteered widely, and jumped at every learning opportunity. My three daughters were my constant support and most trusted confidants.
Now years later, I’ve served as an accredited judge for the Australian National Coffee Championships, been Secretary of ASCA, co-founded the Australian chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, and was named 2019 Australian Coffee Woman of the Year. Most recently, our St Peters espresso bar won the Inner West Outstanding Café Award.
How do you source your coffee beans?
When I travel to origin, these aren't just buying trips, they're relationship-building trips. I walk the farms, meet the families, cup coffee with the producers, and talk about the process. It's about understanding the land, the challenges, and the people behind every farm.
What do I look for in a bean? Quality first — always. Clean, vibrant flavours. I also want the story: the country, the specific farm, the farmer who nurtured those trees, how the coffee was harvested and processed. We pay above C-market prices because great coffee requires great care, and the people doing that work deserve to be paid properly. That premium goes directly back to farmers and their communities.
I particularly champion women-led producers, actively seeking out coffees from women farmers and cooperatives. Women contribute most of the labour in coffee production worldwide, yet they're often the last to benefit.
Ultimately, sourcing is about relationships - they take time, respect, and nurturing. That's how we approach this business and it's why our coffees taste the way they do.
How would you describe your coffee to someone who's never tasted it before?
Our coffee is the intersection of classic Italian tradition and modern specialty craft. We roast for balance and complexity, never too light, never too dark, because we want every cup to be accessible yet memorable.
Whether you're a seasoned specialty coffee enthusiast or someone who just wants a genuinely delicious cup, you'll find something here. Our blends are designed to work beautifully with milk (including plant-based) while still shining as black coffee. Our single origins showcase the unique terroir and processing methods of incredible producers around the world.
What do you consider your most notable coffee achievements?
Through my coffee journey, I've met and worked with women from all corners of the world who use coffee to improve not just their standard of living, but their quality of life. One of my most significant achievements has been to help bring the international women's coffee alliance which we registered as an incorporated association in NSW in 2017 and then finally legalised in 2018.
I went on to be named Australian Coffee Woman of the Year in 2019 for the Eleonora Genovese Award. For me, it couldn't have come at a better time. It was humbling beyond words. I'm not one for acknowledgment. I'd rather just be doing the important things that need to be done to keep playing my small part in a thriving industry, but it was a great moment of realising not only how far I've come, but how far this incredible industry has evolved.
Coffee has taken me around the world, judging competitions, visiting farms, mentoring emerging producers. But what I'm proudest of is the community we've built.
What do you think is most exciting in your local coffee scene right now?
The Inner West has an energy that's hard to match. We've got established roasters and newcomers all pushing each other to be better. The community supports local businesses. Our Inner West Outstanding Cafe Award is proof of that.
What excites me is seeing the next generation of coffee entrepreneurs’ roasters and café owners who genuinely care about ethics and sustainability. That wasn't the conversation when I started. Now it's expected. That shift gives me hope for where this industry is heading.
Plus, Sydney's multicultural food scene means coffee has incredible variety, from traditional Italian-style espresso to the most experimental filter roasts. There's room for everyone to find their thing.
What are your passions outside of coffee? Where can we expect to find you on a Saturday evening?
Family is everything. My three daughters and now my four grandsons have been my "why" through every chapter of this journey. A Saturday evening might find me cooking, recreating my mother's recipes, with the kitchen full of the aromas that made sense of my childhood even when things were chaotic.
I'm also deeply passionate about mentoring, particularly women in business and coffee. That work doesn't switch off on weekends, but it energises me more than it drains me.
When I need to reset, I walk. Sydney Park or the beach is my thinking space. There's something about movement and open sky that helps me process and plan.
THE COFFEE
Espresso Coffee:
Picasso Blend
Meet the ‘Picasso Blend’ — the very first espresso developed by Numero Uno founder Gina, and a long-standing favourite ever since. Much like its namesake, this blend brings diverse elements together in perfect harmony. Through its evolution, it has maintained a versatile medium-dark profile, suited to a wide range of palates and coffee styles.
Coffee Origin:
Brazil, Costa Rica & PNG
Tasting Notes:
Notes of Caramel, milk chocolate, cardamom and creamy panna cotta.
Suggested Recipe for Espresso:
Dose: 18g
Yield: 36g
Temp: 93.5
Time: 25–32 seconds
Ratio: 1:2
Filter Coffee:
Colombia, Popayan Reserve (washed)
Sourced from Colombia’s Cauca region, this month’s filter coffee offers a balanced cup with natural sweetness and bright acidity. Grown above 1,700 metres in the Meseta de Popayán, the beans benefit from a unique microclimate. Hand-picked and washed by 65 farmers within the Popayán Reserve program, the focus is on quality — along with better resources and the rare opportunity for farmers to taste the fruits of their labour.
Coffee Origins:
Colombia
Tasting Notes:
Notes of green apple, milk chocolate and hazelnut with a balanced profile featuring floral and caramel
Suggested Recipe for Filter:
Dose: 15g
Bloom: 50g for 40 seconds
Water: 250g
Temp: 94°C
Time: 2:30–3:00 minutes
Ratio: 1:16
Espresso Dark Roast:
Black Mamba
Black Mamba is our tribute to traditional espresso with a Southern Hemisphere focus. This blend was developed for those who appreciate the classic espresso experience - bold, rich, and unapologetic.
We source components from established growing regions that deliver consistent quality and the deep, intense flavour profile this blend demands. The name captures the blend's character: sleek, powerful, and memorable.
Coffee Origin:
Brazil, Colombia and PNG
Tasting Notes:
Notes of Low to medium acidity with dark chocolate aromas. Intense bakers' chocolate, treacle, and caramel. Bold and full-bodied.
Suggested Recipe for Espresso:
Dose: 18g (according to your basket size)
Yield: 36g
Temp: 93.5°C
Time: 25–32 seconds
Ratio: 1:2
Premium Filter:
El Salvador - El Paraíso Natural
Claudia is a 4th generation female coffee producer. Finca El Paraiso has been owned by her family since the 1800s. The farm is located on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano, where the volcanic soils are exceptionally fertile.
Claudia spoke fondly of working the land — there was no big payday in this for her, it was more a point of familial pride. A carrying of the torch and tilling of the soil in the name of her family. A love for those that came before her and those that would appreciate the fruits of this land in a cup of coffee.
Social responsibility: Every three months a doctor comes to the farm and supplies medical assistance and medicine at no cost to workers. The farm hosts a Christmas party for workers' children and the surrounding community.
This coffee is part of the Aida Batlle Selection (ABS) program that works tirelessly to improve the quality of coffees produced in the region. Aida's rigorous standards ensure only the ripest cherries are selected, and fermentation protocols are followed precisely. Aida, herself, is an esteemed fifth generation producer and was the first woman to win El Salvador's Cup of Excellence (2003).
Coffee Origin:
El Salvador
Tasting Notes:
notes of cherry, red grape, winey with a velvety mouthfeel.
Suggested Recipe for filter:
Dose: 15g
Bloom: 50g for 40 seconds
Water: 250g
Temp: 92°C
Time: 2:00-2:30 minutes
Ratio: 1:16