Phillip Di Bella Named Legacy Award Finalist at the 2026 INSPIRE Awards

Phillip Di Bella, founder of The Coffee Commune, has been named a finalist for the Legacy Award at this year’s INSPIRE Awards, run by The Corporate Escapists. Finalists will be recognised at the Awards Gala on the Gold Coast on 10 October 2026, alongside the inaugural Leadership & Legacy Day.

The Legacy Award looks past the balance sheet to what a person builds that outlasts them, and for Phil that story didn’t start with The Coffee Commune. It started in 2002, when he bootstrapped Di Bella Coffee with $5,000 and someone else’s roaster. By the time he sold the business in 2017, it had grown to 140 staff and a reported $47 million exit.

Most people would call that the legacy. Phil doesn’t.

“Brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” is a line he’s returned to for years, and it’s the reason The Coffee Commune exists in the shape it does today: a $20 million facility, 1,850 members strong, run without a dollar of government funding. Phil sits on state government advisory boards unpaid, and by his own admission, if the Commune were judged purely on profit, his own CFO would cut it. It isn’t judged that way. It’s judged on what it leaves behind for the industry.

That’s the case the INSPIRE Awards judges saw: not a business Phil built, but an industry he’s still building, one operator, one advisory board and one training program at a time.

Finalists will be celebrated and winners announced at the Gala Dinner at the Gold Coast on 10th October. Congratulations, Phil.

THE COFFEE COMMUNE

IN YOUR WORDS

Being partnered with the Coffee Commune was a logical extension of our business. It is a great opportunity to showcase our equipment range, however, we also see the immense value to the industry of being part of the Coffee Commune’s exceptional training facilities
Fabio Cordovado Director CWE
Labour laws are more and more complex and hard to understand; Through our membership with Coffee Commune, we have constant access to a HR/IR hotline. Quick and Easy.
Phil Johnson Founder and owner Chef
Ecco Bistro
Coffee Commune’s advice, support, and network, helped reduce the red tape, gave us direction, and saved us valuable time.
Sarah Buiso Restaurant Owner of Da Buiso
…if our clients grow, we grow. The Coffee Commune has been invaluable in helping us spread that message.
Vince Monardo Naked Syrups
We are passionate about collaborating with the coffee community to make a real difference for business owners. We look forward to continuing to work with The Coffee Commune.
Matt Allington Partner, Business Services
BDO (Australia)
…we’re passionate about helping businesses identify the things they can be doing to maximise performance.
Alessandro Calabrisello General Manager
Sanremo Coffee Machines Australia