ZAZA came to life 15 years ago; when Carmine Costantino had a vision to start a café to help a young Raffaele Bettalico establish himself in Toronto, after arriving from Southern Italy. Starting as a small café in the west end ZAZA quickly became known as the place for a truly authentic Italian cafe experience. With both men having a passion for coffee, and an entrepreneurial mindset  they began to look at how they could expand and take  this Italian cafe  experience throughout the GTA. 

The partners set their sights on Yorkville, opening a café where the Gelato Shop (a division of ZAZA) operates today. ZAZA became synonymous with truly authentic Italian coffee. And even when the original ZAZA Yorkville location moved next door to where it is today at 29 Bellair, and was named COCO ESPRESSO BAR, customers continue to refer to it as ZAZA. This location remains a partnership between Carmine and Raffaele.