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About Us
The Beginning
Our story begins in 1958, when Mike Di Donato arrived in Canada from his native Southern Italy. Almost immediately, Mike noticed the drastic differences in the presence of espresso in Canadian culture, and the lack there of.
Seeing this as the opportunity that he was in search for, he took the risk of opening Faema Canada's first showroom at the corner of Bloor St W and Lansdowne Ave in downtown Toronto. With his new location, Mike was committed to introducing Canadians to Italian espresso machines, while also meeting each of his customers' individual needs.
1960s
DEVELOPING ESPRESSO CULTURE IN CANADA
After a very successful first few years in business, it was clear to Mike that there was a market for European-style coffee in Canada.
To keep up with growing demand, Faema Canada moved to a larger facility at 1117 Davenport Road. With the ultimate goal of growing his business into a family-run empire, Mike's four sons began work at the Davenport location at a very young age.
1970s
PIZZA, PASTA, GELATO
With the help of his sons, Mike frequented several trade and equipment shows to grasp additional interest in his offerings.
Also seeing potential in the food industry, Faema Canada expanded its offerings to pizza ovens and pasta and gelato machines. The vision was simple: make Faema Canada an all-around destination for quality European equipment for both commercial and domestic use.
1980s
DECADE OF EXPANSION
To meet the growing interest in Faema Canada's food and beverage equipment, a number of dealers and distributers were partnered with across Canada. Temporary stores in Ottawa and Vancouver were also opened under the Faema Canada name.
Faema Canada also opened a number of new Southern Ontario locations during this time. One of this locations was our historic James St N building in Hamilton, which as meticulously restored and converted into a caffe and retail store.
1990s
A NEW FLAGSHIP
As demand continued to increase, the capacity of our facilities was reached. In 1995, Faema Canada purchased our historic 672 Dupont St building.
While respecting the original architecture of the site, the building was renovated to be our company headquarters, as well as our main showroom with over 20,000 square feet of display space.
2000s
PUSHING RETAIL
With a new century comes a new strategy. Under the leadership of the founder's sons Pat, Rocco, Joe, and Lorenzo Di Donato, Faema Canada put a greater focus on consumer products. This was achieved with the opening of several new retail locations, as well as a growing network of partner dealers across Canada.
One of the most notable aspects of this change was the acquisition of the rights to Jura Canada. The immediate growth of the Jura brand in Canada led to the creation of dedicated showrooms and service centres for Jura products across the country.
2010s
A FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER
In 2011, Faema Canada's main distribution centre and Jura Hospitality Centre was opened in Mississauga. Designed to be a one-stop destination for purchasing, servicing, and support, the building reflects Faema Canada's shift to an entirely customer-focused strategy.
Also reflecting this focus, the Faema Culinary Academy was established in 2016. Using state of the art test kitchens, customers could now test our equipment prior to purchase. Professional and consumer courses were also added to assist our customers in developing their offerings.
Now
In recent times, we have made it a priority to modernize our storefronts and customer interaction. All of our locations have been renovated or entirely reconstructed, all with the goal to better serve our customers.
Looking forward, our strategy remains customer focused. We will be exploring new and innovative ways to both communicate and assist customers with our products. While our business has grown, our values of honesty and quality guide our growth as much as they did in 1958.
