Vittoria wins judgment against Douwe Egberts/Moccona

MEDIA RELEASE 8 November 2024
Vittoria Coffee is an Australian family-owned company and a market leading brand in the pure coffee sector. We are very happy with today’s judgment handed down by The Hon Justice Wheelahan in the Federal Court of Australia. We were successful against the world’s largest coffee company, Douwe Egberts who own many brands such as Moccona, Campos, L’Or, Harris and Sacred Grounds. Their claims against us for passing off, misleading and deceptive conduct and trade mark infringement were all dismissed by His Honour. This legal action cost our company a significant amount in legal fees and very few family-owned coffee companies would have been able to afford such litigation. Vittoria’s 400g Freeze Dried Instant Coffee jar provides fair competition in a 400g market segment that had been dominated by Douwe Egberts for many years. More competition can only mean better deals for Australian consumers. In particular, Vittoria would like to thank the thousands of Australian consumers who wrote and posted online providing their support and comments in relation to this legal battle. As Les Schirato, CEO of Vittoria Coffee has said all along - Vittoria is widely served in cafes, restaurants and five-star hotels. The issue of trying to pass off on Moccona’s instant coffee reputation is not something Vittoria would ever want. Vittoria’s counsel team included Tony Bannon, Ben Cameron and Nicola Gollan. For further information, contact Tim Price from YPOL Lawyers on 0447 686 611 or via tprice@ypol.com.au