Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Breno Donatti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Breno, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Winfield Street Coffee was created to be a community gathering coffee place where guests can find a warm smile, excellent coffee and creative food.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As a first generation immigrant, I came to this country at 18 not speaking a word of English. I went to school, worked hard and graduated from University of Connecticut. Always in the hospitality business, I opened Winfield Street Coffee with my wife Jeanette, after I was fired from a corporate position when my wife was 9 months pregnant with our first child. This motivated us to work hard and not allow anything to get in the way of our goals. Keeping God first, our goal was to always provide quality coffee, great food and warm customer service. Our goal is always to proceed with excellence in everything we do and bring everyone in our company to achieve their highest potential.
Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?
After getting fired from my corporate hospitality job when my wife was 9 months pregnant, we decided it was time to open up our own business. We were part owners a few years back of a farm to table upscale restaurant which we realized wasn’t for us. We loved the farm to table aspect but we were more casual people. As I looked for potential business opportunities, I stumbled across Winfield Italian Deli on Winfield Street in Norwalk, Connecticut. It was an established deli since the 1920’s and we loved it. We realized that we wanted better coffee experience to go along with the deli side of the business so we rebranded it to have great coffee and great breakfast and lunch.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
We had 3 locations in the NY/CT area and at the same time, my wife, who is a professional Opera Singer, was traveling through Europe with her career. After much thought, we decided to make our base in Florida which was a daring move since our business was up north. The distance actually helped our business grow to more locations even in Florida.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.winfieldcoffee.com
- Instagram: @winfieldstreetcoffee
- Facebook: @winfieldstreetcoffee
Image Credits
Megan MacPherson