Faema

Item set

Title: Faema
Description: Founder of Faema Canada, Michele Di Donato, immigrated to Canada from Campania in 1957. His son Joe Di Donato describes him as an entrepreneur who was always concerned about his next big move. The idea to distribute espresso machines in North America occurred to Michele when he asked for a “café” at a coffee shop in downtown Toronto and was disappointed to receive a coffee instead of an espresso. He realized North Americans did not have good, authentic, European espresso, and thus came into contact with Faema in Italy. Later, Michele would begin selling espresso machines out of his garage. This business soon grew, as Michele was purchasing properties to sell the machines out of, the largest and oldest being the locations on Dupont and one on Davenport. In addition, Michele then realized there was more to the Italian food scene that Italian immigrants missed from Italy. Therefore, he also began selling pasta and gelato machines, as well as the products to create authentic gelato and pasta, so Italians in North America could recreate their favourite Italian dishes. The company also expanded into selling espresso machines for the home so that customers that loved espresso could make it in the comfort of their own home. Fortunately, due to the retail side of their business the COVID-19 pandemic has not greatly affected the company as many people still bought espresso machines for their home, but they did notice a significant decrease in sales from the commercial sector as many businesses shut down.
Date: EST. 1958