This personal tale is interwoven with the story of the Veneto region in the 1960s, when great cultural and institutional advances were made in society and the production world.
The whole story started in a place whose success was built on a powerful sense of identity, belonging and responsibility, along with a strong work ethic, eagerness to learn through experience and an enterprising spirit.
It’s the story of someone who embodies the qualities of many other women just like her. They never gave up and they built a future for themselves and their families by working hard day after day. Tender and kind-hearted yet full of drive and determination, they tirelessly endeavoured to ensure their loved ones had everything they needed.
This is the story of Bruna and how she met a young man named Giuseppe, who would rattle around the streets of villages, towns and cities selling coffee in his little Autobianchi Bianchina. Bruna had a sister who was a seamstress and they would sew together. Sometimes she would look out the window with the other assistants, or go outside to boil clothes in water and lye. She set a great example for everyone to follow, constantly striving and approaching everything she did enthusiastically. Her natural inquisitiveness, cheerfulness and patience still shine through today when she’s doting on her beloved grandchildren.
As you might have guessed, one day Giuseppe spotted Bruna and it was love at first sight. They got married in 1965.
They then had three children in three years. Meanwhile, “Bepi” (as Bruna’s husband was affectionately nicknamed) decided to go into business on his own. Bruna was there to lend a hand as he started selling his wares. They moved up from sacks to boxes and the smell of coffee was always in the air as the children of the De Giusti family were lovingly raised. It added a delightful touch to everything that happened and helped to shape their strong, resolute and distinctive character traits. This was the case until 1975, when the family’s small-scale workshop expanded to become Manuel Caffè.
Bruna remained just as dedicated as she’d ever been and carried on making her invaluable contributions to the growing company while also continuing to look after her growing children as only a woman knows how. Always keeping a close eye on each of their needs, they could count on her resolute, reassuring support whenever they faced an obstacle or had a task to perform. Bruna encouraged her children to show their unique personalities and helped them to discover the world by experiencing it for themselves. With her husband always by her side, she made sure they were ready for everything that life had to throw at them, offering them solace and steadfast support so that they could achieve things for themselves and grow up strong and free.
We all have wonderful memories of Bruna whizzing around in a white Fiat 500 that Bepi bought for her, indefatigably darting between the school and the company premises, up and down the streets of Conegliano. She went back and forth day after day and year after year, until each of her children – one after the other – came on board and took their places in the family business.
So now you know all about Bruna, a hard-working woman who can be relied upon to take charge of situations and make sure everything works out for the best. She believed not only in the man she chose to spend her life with but also – and most importantly – in herself. Still today, this marvellous matriarch gathers the whole family together for lunch every day with a proud smile on her face. In doing so, she instils the values of a close-knit family in her children and grandchildren. They repay her efforts by relishing the food, which tends to be based around recipes that are as straightforward and wholesome as her.
Bruna is a mother, a wife, a woman and a key driving force behind the growth of a company that now does business in more than 50 different countries, having forged valued partnerships with exclusive distributors who promote Manuel Caffè’s superior Italian coffee worldwide.
Together, Bruna and Bepi make an unbeatable blend.
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