Worksmith is
A Beverage Innovator
A Community Advisor
Creating Batched Cocktails
A Team of Industry Experts
Always Problem Solving
An F&B Training Hub
A Product Laboratory

We have had skin(s) in the game for a long time. Now, we’re sharing what we’ve learned with a hospitality community that just keeps on growing.

How we 
got here

The right place, right time and the best people for the job.

Michael and Roscoe meet working as cheery dishpigs in the Dandenong Ranges

2003

Tim co-creates the World AeroPress Championship with Tim Wendelboe in Oslo

2008

Rob obtains doctorate in behavioural neuroscience at Monash University

2010

Darren lands position at Milk & Honey in London

2013

Tim co-founds Australia's first co-roasting space, Bureaux Collective

2015

Roscoe and Rob meet at Remote Year

2015

Jane launches umbrella brand over London Cocktail Week enabling the creation of London Wine Week, London Beer Week and London Espresso Martini Festival

2015

Michael Co-Founds Grow Assembly

2016

Michael & Roscoe found Worksmith

2017

Worksmith opens on Smith Street in Collingwood

2018

Founding Worksmith members Archie Rose, Four Pillars, The Fermentary, CAPI, Wine Gallery, Marionette & Vinous started.

2018

First key Worksmith hires made – Rob Weston joins

2018

Michael opens Capitano & Darren heads up the bar program

2018

Tim Varney joins the team after working with some of the best coffee roasters in the world

2018

Michael opens Falco Bakery

2019

Melbourne Cocktail Festival launches with over 20 events, an Industry Symposium & Splash!

2020

Worksmith launches Tip Jar Fund to assist raising funds for industry during COVID

2020

Stella Coffee launches

2020

Janes grows Diffords Guide's Tik Tok audience to 330k

2020

A period of extensive batched cocktail research & development begins for the Worksmith team

2021

Ella solidifies her training experience with role at Vanguard Luxury Brands as Spirits Specialist

2021

Home Grown Drinks is stocked at its first venue in Melbourne

2021

Jane judges the global finals of World Class

2021

Adam Geha & Michael Easson join the Worksmith board as Directors & Strategic Investors

2021

White Label Cocktails & Stella Espresso Martini Launch

2022

Samantha Pearce joins the team as Chief of Staff

2023

Peter Filipovic, Former CEO of Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) joins Worksmith as an Advisor

2023

Meet the team

Between us, the Worksmith crew have a few lifetime’s worth of experience in the hospitality industry – from high-octane fine dining environments, to coffee brewing competitions and being behind some of the best bars in the world. Now, we’re putting our heads together to make our line of work better for everyone in it.

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Michael Bascetta

Michael Bascetta

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

Michael Bascetta

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

A leader and cheerleader for Melbourne's legendary hospitality industry, Michael Bascetta had a storied career in some of the the city's finest establishments before launching a barrage of successful ventures in his own right. He's the co-founder of Bar Liberty, Capitano and Falco Bakery, as well as Grow Assembly – a series of food and wine talks from some of the most forward-thinking minds in the industry.

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Roscoe Power

Roscoe Power

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

Roscoe Power

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

More than 20 years ago Roscoe and Michael became friends while cutting their teeth in their first job together as dish pigs. In 2016, after more than a decade working on large-scale property developments, Roscoe decided to throw it all in to travel the world, working in eight countries in as many months. Roscoe came back to Australia with a reignited passion for hospitality and got together with Michael and Worksmith was born.

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Robert Weston

Robert Weston

Operations Director

Robert Weston

Operations Director

Rob is a social entrepreneur at heart, working with visionaries who are determined to reinvent the status quo. Holding a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience and an MBA, Rob brings project management, investment analysis and product development experience to Worksmith from the health, education and financial services sectors.

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Tim Varney

Tim Varney

Creative Director

Tim Varney

Creative Director

After a six-year stint at world-renowned Tim Wendelboe in Oslo, Tim returned to Melbourne in 2013 and co-founded Bureaux Collective – Australia’s first co-roasting workspace. He also co-founded the World AeroPress Championship, a community-building coffee competition spanning 65+ countries. Tim heads up Stella – Worksmith’s quality-focussed coffee roaster and the producer of a coffee-first espresso martini.

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Darren Leaney

Darren Leaney

Head of Product

Darren Leaney

Head of Product

Darren has been making drinks for almost half his life – most of which he’s been fortunate enough to do behind notable and exciting bars. Mixing an in-depth knowledge of distillation and fermentation with a penchant for bespoke ingredient production and unique flavour pairings, he likes to make drinks that make people happy. Darren is currently working on running a four-minute mile and patenting the Leaney Martini, neither of which he’s likely to achieve.

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Jane Ryan

Jane Ryan

Head of Marketing

Jane Ryan

Head of Marketing

Jane Ryan is a writer and content creator. She has worked for London Cocktail Week and Difford’s Guide in the UK, and Concrete Playground here in Australia, before crossing to the dark side of PR and marketing. Back in the day, Jane had part-time roles in London bars such as Callooh Callay, Satan’s Whiskers and Trailer Happiness. These days she only makes drinks for others on TikTok. Luckily, they can’t be tasted.

Get in touch

We’d love to hear from you about all things hospo. Drop us a line.

Careers

Worksmith keeps an eye on emerging talent who are keen to join our team. Reach out now and let’s talk shop.

Let’s get to work.

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