Melbourne Books acquires Pellegrino’s ‘Melbourne Coffee Roasters’

Melbourne Books has acquired world rights to Melbourne Coffee Roasters, a nonfiction title by Dominic Pellegrino.

Melbourne Coffee Roasters focuses on the history of Melbourne-founder coffee roasters and houses, including Vittoria, Pellegrini’s and Mocopan, said the publishers, paying ‘homage to the immigrants who, in the aftermath of the Second World War, travelled to Australia and brought their traditions of coffee roasting with them’.

Pellegrino was director of Mocopan Coffee, one of Australia’s founding coffee roasters, from 1982 to 1995. During this time, he witnessed many key changes in the industry, including McDonalds’ first trial of selling coffee from their Swanston Street store. Pellegrino is dedicated to sharing the history of coffee in this country, informed by his own family connection to one of the founding espresso roasters. 

He said the book ‘aims to evoke a sense of tradition’ and acknowledge that ‘today’s cohort of roasters did not start with a metaphorical blank page.’

Acquiring editor Georgia Cooper said, ‘This book is such a gem for anyone looking to get into the fascinating history of coffee in Melbourne and how that niche history intersects with the wider histories of Australia and post-war immigration.’

Melbourne Books plans to release Melbourne Coffee Roasters in the middle of 2026.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions