Eat Your Brand

When 3 Ravens brewed their first beer back in 2003, you could count the number of micro breweries on one hand. Today there are more than 30 dotted across Melbourne. On this episode of EYB we talk with General Manager, Nathan Liascos, and Head Brewer, Brendan O'Sullivan, about the beer brewing and branding that has kept 3 Ravens ahead of the flock.

Could you run a business with your best friend? Rahmie Clowes and Shane Stafford have been friends since they were 4 years old. Now in their early 40s, the boys are the owner operators of the Rice Paper Scissors group of restaurants. This episode tells the story of how a chef and a delivery driver from Sydney came to Melbourne and set up one of the citiy's favouirte Asian eateries.

Piccolina is Italian for 'little one' and it was what Sandra Foti's family used to call her as a child. Her father used to make her gelato with all natural, fresh ingredients. It was amongst these childhood memories that Sandra would find the idea for her company Piccolina Gelato Naturale which now has 3 outlets around Melbourne. Sandra's story is an inspiration to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Emilio Genovese is 24 and learning his way in the family coffee business. His grandfather Alfio began Genovese & Sons coffee roasters in Coburg the 1970s and it has grown to be one of Melbourne's best loved coffee brands. As a third generation Genovese he balances the family heritage and respect for the old ways, with the need to stay relevant in Melbourne's dynamic coffee scene.

Joanna Reymond was born into hospitality. Her granparents owned hotels and her father is one of Australia's most respected chefs. Joanna now advises some of Melbourne's best-known restaurants on public relations, publicity and marketing. In this episode she discusses how the best brands do it and also shares some valuable insights into what's happening in the Melbourne food scene.

Lourinha, a coastal town in Portugal, is not renowned for anything in particular. But two young Aussie travellers, Matt McConnell and Jo Gamvros, just happened to pass through and fell in love with the word. Back in Melbourne they opened a small restaurant with a long bar and all the warmth and charm of the Mediterranean and called it Bar Lourihna. That was 13 years ago. In this episode of Eat Your Brand, Matt and Jo talk about how they built the Bar Lourinha brand and won a loyal following.

Tony Nicolini has been a leading player in Melbourne’s Italian restaurant scene for three decades. In this episode, Tony shares his process of creating restaurant brands; including how he helped make pizza a respectable cuisine, and the big plans for his latest project Italian Artisans.