Coffee with Lamborghini

Tonino Lamborghini, son of Ferruccio Lamborghini (of luxury car fame), made his maiden visit to Kuala Lumpur to introduce Tonino Lamborghini Caffè to the city’s coffee connoisseurs.

Sonia Gomez caught up with the man himself over breakfast, where he was candid about his business, life lessons from his father and the Italian passion for espresso coffee.

Your father, Ferruccio Lamborghini, was one of the most successful and globally-recognised Italian entrepreneurs in history. What do you remember most about your father and your childhood?

When I was a young boy, our family home was located in the same compound as my father’s factories. As such, I was surrounded daily by employees at every level, be it workers or managing directors, and this gave me my first taste of working life.

By growing up in close proximity to my father’s work, I learnt a lot from him about running a business. He taught me that it really is possible to work all day.

When you are responsible for multiple companies and your employees’ livelihoods, your time is your company’s time. There is no such thing as keeping your work and leisure separate, because you’ll inevitably have to mix the two.

You started the Tonino Lamborghini brand by making wristwatches. Why did you choose the watch-making business as your entry into entrepreneurship? A watch, like cars and tractors, is very mechanical.

So, when you think about it, I didn’t really stray too far from the Lamborghini family legacy. But what I wanted to do was add some luxury to these highly mechanical items. Over time, I’ve come up with sunglasses, bicycles, coffee machines and many other items, all of which represent a unique and privileged lifestyle.

Other Posts :

Enter The Optimist

O Captain, My Captain

Bigger, Brighter, Better

The Norman Conquest