Beanscene Mag February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

A World-Class Coffee Magazine

Brewing brilliance Automatic answers to workflow efficiency

Skilled staff shortages

Pushing the boundaries of café menus How to handle customer aggression 73 ISSN 1449-2547

9 771449 254002

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Building sustainable relationships

PRE-GRIND OR GRIND ON DEMAND DESIGNED FOR WORKFLOW AND PURPOSE BUILT FOR SPEED AND CONSISTENCY. MARKIBAR’S IZAGA COMBINES EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICALITY AND FUNCTIONALITY. Built with two operating modes Pre-Grind and Grind On Demand. In Pre-Grind mode the IZAGA delivers an instant dose, allowing baristas to allocate time spent grinding elsewhere in their workflow, saving up to 7 seconds per double dose. The IZAGA’s traditional workflow setting Grind On Demand will cater to off-peak pe periods. The IZAGA also features an isolated grinding chamber with an intelligent ventilation system enabling cooler grinding and consistent dosing.

It’s efficiency without compromise on quality.

Barista Group is the exclusive importer of Markibar Coffee Grinders in Australasia

sales@baristagroup.com.au www.baristagroup.com.au

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FEBRUARY 2022

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contents UPFRONT

12 NEWS 20 STUFF ON THE SCENE INDUSTRY PROFILES

22 KNOWLEDGE LEADER

Gruppo Cimbali’s Enrico Bracesco reveals plans for the company’s first Australian subsidiary and why it intends to stay close to the market leaders

26 CELEBRITY CHEF

Ben Milbourne on taking opportunities and one transforming blueberry coffee

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WHAT A BARISTA WANTS

How Barista Group has made a name for itself in the Australian coffee industry for innovating café workflow efficiency

38 URBAN EDGE

Maltra Foods on why Urban Barista is the solution for cafés wanting to serve more than quality coffee

50 JOIN THE CLUB

Volume three of the MilkLab Barista Social Club highlights the evolution of Australia’s coffee culture and how dairy alternatives play a role in the fabric of café menus

FEATURE NEWS

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Cafés and hospitality venues face a skilled staff shortage made worse

by COVID-19

Vitasoy Ambassador Matthew Lewin shares his top 10 tips and tricks for making the most out of plant-based milks

35 STAFF WANTED

64 I’M FEELING MICE2022

Interest in MICE2022 is bigger than ever with exhibition space selling fast

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

47 COFFEE IS SERVO-ED

ESPRESSO YOURSELF

Victor Vu spreads his wings with a classic mythical symbol to kickstart the year

CAFÉ SCENE FLAVOUR MAKER

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PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

60 COFFEE THAT GOES BEYOND

56

THE WILD WEST

62 EDUCATION MATTERS

66 CAFÉ SCENE

GREEN BEAN FEATURE

58 BUILDING SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS

First Crop Coffee talks about the importance of paying producers fairly and maintaining an open dialogue Minas Hill on how it exclusively and passionately supports Brazilian specialty coffee farmers Through Educare Coffee, Southland Merchants is providing small-scale Brazilian producers with technical knowledge to help improve farming practices

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TRAINING TACTICS

Babin Gurung on how to set an espresso recipe beanscenemag.com.au

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A BARISTA’S GUIDE TO DAIRY ALTERNATIVES

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How the petrol and convenience sector embrace barista-quality coffee to draw in new customers

SKILL BASE

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MONIN on how to take a beverage menu to new heights and push the boundaries of taste exploration Penny Wolff of Wolff Coffee Roasters discusses rising customer aggression during COVID-19 and how to address it Anthony Bosco of Espresso Works on the importance of water filtration in Australia’s hardest water state

Around australia & New Zealand

77 NZSCA

The need to explain the value in the cup to your customers and how to spread the message

78 PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Industry movements and the launch of a new Jobs listing page to target industry professionals

BO NSOY.C OM

vershoot o c e n e c S n Bea

PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au ASSISTANT EDITOR Ethan Miller ethan.miller@primecreative.com.au

Covershoot location: Genovese Coffee House 1/3 Lawrence St, Alexandria NSW 2015

JOURNALIST Hayley Ralph hayley.ralph@primecreative.com.au

Product focus: Tone brewer Distributor: Barista Group E14 and E15, 20 Picrite Cl, Pemulwuy, NSW 2145 www.baristagroup.com.au

ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey

For the first time in a year, BeanScene travelled to Sydney on what was a humid, rainy, La Niña summer day. On our way from the airport, we stopped at the newly opened Genovese Coffee House, and immediately were in awe of the beauty before us. In each direction was something new to observe: the Brambati roaster in front of the door entrance, the Wega machine on the tiled cupping bench, authentic Italian marble coffee bar, and warm orange tones throughout, exuding strong 1970s vibes.

To one end of the coffee bar stood a slim, striking figure known as the Tone brewer. While Genovese Coffee House in Alexandria, Sydney, beautifully represents the past and its commitment to modern Italian coffee, the Tone is representative of the modern era and ease of filter brewing. For this reason, we conducted the February covershoot at Genovese’s new venue, highlighting the Tone brewer, distributed through Barista Group.

“The opening of Genovese Coffee House in Sydney is a significant step for the family with this being our first retail coffee experience outside of Melbourne. We’ve included a café and espresso bar with simple food that salutes the Italian espresso bar. This together with our brew bar and training space combines our long history and heritage within the Australian coffee landscape with new ways to experience what we’re doing in coffee today,” says Adam Genovese.

Barista Group General Manager Joe Chalhoub adds that in an era where baristas are looking for equipment that enhances workflow efficiency, products like the Tone brewer are a great way to enhance productivity while maintaining a stylish piece of equipment that has a minimal footprint on the café benchtop.

“I really connect with Tone because of the company’s philosophy to reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions. The boiler is a large contributor in the café but with Tone’s boilerless brewing technology, it was a no brainer to bring it to the Australian market where I know cafés are looking for a product that is sustainable, consistent and easy to operate,” he says.

Regular BeanScene photographer Jeff Mackay was on hand to bring the shoot to life, along with Barista Group representative Tosh Zhou who kindly prepared each brew using Genovese’s Seasonal Blend.

Brewing brilliance BeanScene Editor Sarah Baker says the shoot was a great way to start the new year, celebrating the return of dine-in café experiences, and the beauty of a delicious brew: “The end result is not just about the quality of coffee but a reminder of the quality equipment that goes hand in hand to get to that level of appreciation.”

FEBRUARY 2022

A World -Class Coffe e Magaz ine

Automatic answe rs to workflow efficiency

Skilled staff shorta

ges

Pushing the bound aries of café menus How to handle customer aggression

Building sustainable relationships

8

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DESIGN Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Courtney Walker courtney.walker@primecreative.com.au CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Zelda Tupicoff zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS TEAM LEADER Janine Clements janine.clements@primecreative.com.au PHOTOGRAPHY Jeff Mackay CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Lewin, Babin Gurung, Shanna Wong Victor Vu, Emma McDougall, Anthony Bosco, Penny Wolff HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 p: 03 9690 8766 f: 03 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.beanscenemagazine.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 03 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au BeanScene magazine is available by subscription from the publisher.

The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

BeanScene magazine is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by Christine Clancy. All material in BeanScene magazine is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in BeanScene magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by, the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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CONTRIBUTORS In each issue of BeanScene we profile a few of our talented contributors.

Babin Gurung is the New South Wales Barista Trainer of Suntory Coffee Australia. With a Masters degree in accounting from the University of Southern Queensland, the only numbers Babin crunches these days are extraction and dose times. He came to Australia from Nepal 11 years ago to study, fell in love with coffee, and hasn’t looked back. Babin has worked at many different cafés in Sydney, and now enjoys sharing his coffee knowledge and skills to help build a new generation of baristas.

Matthew Lewin is the 2019 ASCA Vitasoy Barista Champion, and Vitasoy ambassador and coffee consultant. Matthew has worked in the coffee industry for the past 10 years, honing his barista skills and coffee knowledge. He won the 2018 Fushan Cup Barista Championship in China. Matthew is currently the Sales and Guest Roaster Manager for Ona Coffee, and heads up its Research and Development team.

Penny Wolff is the Heart Centered Non Executive of Wolff Coffee Roasters.

Focusing heavily on leadership through coaching and mentoring, Penny enjoys collaborating on philanthropy, stakeholder engagement, branding, design, culture and marketing. She is a community focused individual who thrives working in an inclusive workplace, where relationships are valued and a genuine sense of belonging and community is promoted. Penny is passionate about fostering powerful social change by working with like minded leaders in their respective fields.

Victor Vu is the 2020 ASCA Australian Pauls Professional Latte Art Champion. Born in Vietnam, Victor worked for three years in hospitality before coming to Australia where he has spent the past six years perfecting his latte art skills.

Victor won the 2018 Milklab Barista Battle, 2019 Victorian Breezey Masters, 2020 ASCA Southern Regional Latte Art Championship, and the National title. He is currently completing his hospitality studies and works at Ona Coffee Melbourne.

Emma McDougall is the Communication and Administration Coordinator for the NZSCA. After gaining a degree in hospitality management, Emma has worked in Sydney, Dublin, Auckland, London, and most recently, Wellington. She has owned and managed cafés and tech-judged the New Zealand Barista Championship in 2015 and 2016. Now, she gets to help run them. One of the greatest joys she gets from the coffee industry is watching young people progress through their coffee journey.

A word from the Editor

RIDING THE COVID WAVE

N

ormally at the beginning of a new year, social media platforms are filled with ‘year in review’ pictorials and ‘new year, new me’ affirmations. Instead, I saw post after post from cafés asking patrons to be patient as they worked through a shortage of staff to accommodate holiday makers, and in some instances, notices of early or temporary closures. In just a matter of hours, cafés went from being fully operational to having staff test positive to COVID, some in isolation after becoming a close contact, or simply awaiting a PCR test result.

In this ever-changing COVID landscape, staff shortages is yet another hurdle for businesses to overcome. Just when hospitality venues thought the worst was over, with restrictions eased and capacity densities removed over the Christmas period, the fast-moving virus and new variant has shifted the goalpost once again. Business owners are mentally exhausted, frustrated, and in need of staff to keep their doors open.

When travelling overseas, I used to see signs reading “Australian baristas wanted”, with the international café market craving a small slice of Aussie talent, but now, Australian cafés are asking the same thing.

Pre-2020, a job advertisement would be met with 40+ resumes and a competitive race to the finish line. But now, with no backpackers, international students, and some joining ‘the great resignation’, hospitality venues are having trouble sourcing and retaining staff. Many are lucky to receive a handful of applications, let alone guarantee their quality of skillset.

There’s always been a need for education and training in the coffee industry, and in 2022, it will be integral to ensure a constant stream of talent.

The last thing venues want is to sacrifice the quality of product or service.

Australia’s discerning coffee reputation has for so long underpinned our cultural DNA. It is a culture we are proud of, and one we need to protect.

It’s fair to predict 2022 will be another unpredictable adventure.

Home coffee consumption is expected to remain popular. Perhaps we’ll finally see coffee prices rise at our local cafés to meet the challenges at origin, and we remain optimistic that our coffee family will finally unite at MICE once more. Not everything is in our control, but what we can, is our resilience and commitment to excellence. I hope 2022 brings clarity and confidence for our industry, and that we continue to stay optimistic, agile, and determined to make this year count.

SARAH BAKER Follow us on Twitter @BeanSceneEd ‘Like’ us on Facebook @BeanSceneCoffeeMag Follow us on Instagram @beanscenemag Follow us on LinkedIn @BeanSceneMag

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NEWS

EAT DRINK DESIGN AWARDS REVEAL AUSTRALIA’S BEST CAFÉ DESIGN

Industry Beans Brisbane has won Best Café Design in the 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards.

Industry Beans Brisbane by Platform by DesignOffice in Queensland has won Best Café Design in the 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards.

A Newstead café just north of Brisbane’s James Street, Industry Beans has completely transformed an old brick warehouse space into the quintessential Queensland daytime eatery.

“The treatment serves Industry Beans Brisbane’s multilayered offering. This is a place as appropriate for long brunches as it is meetings or informal work sessions,

while an eye-catching retail zone in the centre of the venue naturally draws in takeaway customers,” the jury citation reads.

Commendations were given to Valentinas by How High in New South Wales, Bloom-Sans by Arc Studio in South Australia, Midi by Sans-Arc, Prior Thornbury by Ritz & Ghougassian, and Ona Coffee by Breathe Architecture in Victoria.

Cassie Hansen, editor of Artichoke and Eat Drink Design Award jury

chair, says that the Awards analyse the influences and shifting design narratives in the always evolving, and competitive hospitality industry.

“Finally, Brisbane’s rise as a formidable food destination was reflected in this year’s awards,” says Cassie.

“The Queensland capital’s booming restaurant, bar, and café scene was underrepresented, with just four entries across the entire awards, but two won their respective categories and a third was shortlisted.”

The Eat Drink Design Awards, which recognise excellence and innovation in the design of restaurants, bars, cafés, hotels, temporary venues and retail spaces, come after an immensely challenging two years for the industry.

Restrictions have meant added strain or even mandated closures for our beloved venues, and now more than ever, it feels important to celebrate the spaces where we come together as a community.

In addition to the category awards, each year one landmark venue is honoured with induction into the Hall of Fame.

The 2021 entry into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame is Bill’s Darlinghurst, a café which the jury citation says is the Darlinghurst icon that has arguably acted as the blueprint for modern cafés the world over.

COFFEE PRICES END 2021 ON DECADE-LONG HIGH In December 2021, coffee prices reached a new multi-year high as the monthly average of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) composite indicator price broke through the 200 US cents per pound mark, averaging 203.06 US cents per pound.

This is an increase of 4 per cent compared to 195.17 US cents per pound in November 2021. The price levels during coffee year 2021/22 so far mark a return to the higher levels experienced in 2011.

Compared to when the ICO Composite Indicator was at 115.73 US cents per pound in January 2021, the ICO says an increase of 75.5 per cent has been recorded to December 2021.

The ICO says the steady and consistent upward trend observed since the start of coffee year 2020/21 shows how after 10 consecutive years of low-price levels a remarkable recovery of coffee prices has occurred.

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Exports of all forms of coffee in November 2021 totalled 9.25 million 60-kilogram bags, down 12.4 per cent in comparison to 10.56 million bags in November 2020.

In the first two month of coffee year 2021/22, exports of South America decreased significantly by 24.4 per cent to 9.67 million 60-kilogram bags as compared to 12.79 million bags in OctoberNovember 2020.

Shipments from Asia and Oceania over the first two month of coffee year 2021/22 was 6.21 million bags versus 5.08 million bags in OctoberNovember 2020.

Estimates of total production for coffee year 2020/21 has been revised up marginally to 169.66 million 60-kilogram bags, representing a 0.4 per cent increase compared to 169.00 million bags during the previous coffee year.

International coffee prices have been on an upwards trajectory the past two years.

The new black

NEWS

NOMAD COFFEE GROUP PLEDGES JOURNEY TO NET ZERO Specialty coffee brand collection Nomad Coffee Group has committed to becoming a Net Zero emissions company from 2022 onwards.

“To do our part in ensuring that the coffee industry that we love continues for generations to come, our organisation is officially committing to Net Zero emissions from 2022, and each year thereafter,” says Nomad Coffee Group CEO, Craig Dickson.

“Our industry faces some major challenges, such as a significant reliance on natural gas, for which there is currently no viable alternative. However, we believe this approach is an important first step to lower our environmental impact as quickly as possible.”

Using 2020 as a baseline and with the help of climate change and human rights advisory firm Ndevr, the company says that as of January 2022, more than 80 per cent of its total electricity consumption will be from renewable resources, avoiding over 500 tonnes of Green House Gas emissions.

The company will also conduct a review of its waste management practices and are on track to divert 75 per cent of its waste from landfill.

Furthermore, from 2022 it will offset its remaining emissions to achieve Net

Nomad Coffee Group has committed to becoming a Net Zero emissions company from 2022.

Zero and limit its reliance on carbon offsetting by 2030.

Craig of Nomad Coffee Group says doing business sustainably is deeply entrenched within the Nomad Coffee Group’s DNA. “For many years, our focus has been on working closely with our growing partners to ensure that they receive a fair price for their product, allowing them to have a better quality of life,” says Craig.

“However, the not-so-new issue of climate change, threatening to dramatically alter coffee growing regions in catastrophic ways is something that can’t be ignored, with some in the scientific community estimating up to 50 per cent of the land currently in coffee production becoming unsuitable for

farming by 2050.”

Back in July, the company appointed Nick Percy as its first Sustainability Manager.

“Nomad Coffee Group has always believed in doing business better; our attitude to sustainability is no different.

In our pursuit to do better, a dedicated sustainability resource allows greater focus,” says Nick.

The Nomad Coffee Group has other sustainability initiatives in the specialty coffee sector, including its Sustainable Coffee Program which ensures fair pricing for coffee suppliers and fostering long-term relationships.

Nomad Coffee Group is made up of brands including Veneziano Coffee Roasters, Coffee Hit, Black Bag Roasters, and Flight Coffee.

General Board Members.

Gina Di Brita, former President of IWCAA Australia, has ended her tenure, as has board member Muki Yeung.

“Gina has been instrumental in the formation of IWCAA and steered the board in the last season as its president,” an IWCAA spokesperson says.

“Muki joined the board in December 2019 and was a valued board member that provided great

insights and support in the last two years.”

The mission of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is to encourage and recognise the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry, and to empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives.

The Australian Chapter is part of a collaborative team made up of 29 other Chapter members from around the world. Most recently, the IWCA announced South Korea as the newest chapter to the network.

The current goals of the IWCAA are to provide a platform for women and marginalised individuals in coffee to connect, network and share one another’s experiences, and celebrate and promote the contribution of women in all aspects of the industry.

The IWCAA aims to provide women in the coffee sector the tools necessary to strengthen their participation nationally and internationally, as well as build relationships with coffee growers from its other 29 IWCA Chapter members to foster trading alliances.

IWCAA ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD The International Women’s Coffee Alliance Australia (IWCAA) has announced its new board for 2022 following its Annual General Meeting on 11 November.

Veronica Ponce will lead the IWCAA as President, after serving as Vice President for the past year.

Melissa Garcia has been named Vice President, Emilie Coulombe as Secretary, Sabrina Czesla as Treasurer, and Yvette Schroeder, Amy Pareezer and Lena Richrath as

Members of the IWCAA attend the 2021 AGM and elect a new board.

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NEWS

VITTORIA COFFEE BREWS NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UK

Vittoria Coffee is taking advantage of Australia’s strong international reputation for coffee.

After the signing of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, Vittoria Coffee is planning further expansions in the United Kingdom.

The company says the UK has always been high on its expansion list, with Vittoria supplying the Australian-UK expatriate market and high-end hotels and cafés since the company began in 1947.

Vittoria Coffee Managing Director and third-generation coffee maker, Rolando Schirato, is keen to pounce on the growing demand for an Australian brew.

“It’s safe to say Australian coffee is among the best in the world, and has been for some time,” Rolando says.

Vittoria Coffee’s expansion plans include having a flagship showroom, which, according to the company, will create a unique Vittoria coffee experience.

It is also planning to lock in the right ambassador to grow its brand.

Rolando says the coffee business never stands still and is constantly evolving, with the development of specialty coffees

such as Vittoria’s certified organic and Rainforest Alliance blend.

Vittoria also supplies Nespressocompatible capsules, newly developed instant blends, and its time-honoured special bar blends.

Rolando says the one thing that remains the same, however, is Vittoria’s flavour profile. He says this is the secret to creating a consistent flavour across large quantities of coffee.

“It doesn’t matter if you have that coffee in London or LA. You will have the same taste experience,” Schirato says.

To maintain this consistency and know-how, Vittoria plans to redeploy Australians into the UK market, while also hiring on the ground.

It will also build its Australian-based export division, creating more jobs back home.

“Our business is focused on maintaining consistency from the largest and most technologically advanced coffee roasting facility in the Southern Hemisphere,” Rolando says.

REGIONAL VICTORIAN SMALL BUSINESSES THRIVING POST-PANDEMIC, REPORT SHOWS Small businesses in regional Victoria are growing twice as fast as those in Melbourne, according to a new research report looking at the postCOVID recovery of the industry.

Commerce company Square has released The State of Regional Business Report, which scrutinised payment processing data. The report found that regional businesses were currently processing 259 per cent more payments compared with the beginning of the pandemic.

The regional business boom is tracking at more than double the rate of metro Melbourne’s post-COVID recovery, with those non-regional businesses posting a 178 per cent increase in payments.

Port Fairy reigns as Victoria’s fastest-growing town according to the report, tripling in the number of businesses signing up to take digital payments since the start of the pandemic.

The report says that pandemicrelated regional migration helped contribute to growing numbers of businesses being set up outside of Melbourne.

“The last two years have shown the entrepreneurial and adaptive best of Aussie businesses,” Square Australia Head of Business Development Colin Birney says. “Our regions have been particularly savvy and turned to 16

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technology to help them adapt and enable continued growth.”

The data was collated from a general population survey of more than 300 Australian business owners, plus aggregated data from millions of transactions across Square sellers in Australia between March 2020 and October 2021, compared to the same time period before the onset of the pandemic.

According to the report, more businesses are being set up in the regions than ever before, with payments processing growth among

Small businesses in regional Victoria are growing twice as fast as those in Melbourne.

regional businesses using Square outpacing their metropolitan counterparts in every state.

Furthermore, while eCommerce served as a lifeline for many businesses throughout the pandemic, only around 27 per cent of all businesses have an online store.

But despite nearly two years of snap lockdowns, border closures, and reduced tourism, the report says business owners are feeling optimistic, with nearly 70 per cent having confidence in their growth prospects over the coming year.

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NEWS

THE COFFEE CLUB UNVEILS SEVEN NEW STORES The Coffee Club has rolled out seven new locations across Australia in the last two months of 2021, with two stores in New South Wales that are completely new concepts to the state.

This was the coffee chain’s first major roll out of store openings since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We are incredibly excited to have successfully completed our largest number of store openings since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Nick Bryden, CEO of The Coffee Club parent company The Minor DKL. Customers can find the new stores in Willows Shopping Centre, Queensland; Karingal Hub, Victoria; Cranebrook and Wickham, NSW; and three Western Australian locations in Forrest Chase Shopping Centre, Kingsway City and Hawaiians Park Centre.

“It’s fantastic to see the local communities already embracing these new stores and the amazing teams behind them,” says Nick.

“We are especially proud that five of the seven stores are run by existing franchisees who have taken the opportunity to expand and serve communities in multiple locations.”

The seven new locations offer the signature Coffee Club experiences to its customers, perfect for a quick caffeine hit, coffee catch up or mid-shop pickme-up.

The Coffee Club Drive Thru in Cranebrook is the first of its kind in NSW, following success in Queensland.

The Coffee Club has shaken up the norm in NSW by introducing two new concepts to its customers.

“The first is our Drive Thru store at Cranebrook, near Penrith, which is something we launched for our Queensland customers and have had a tremendous response,” says Nick.

“The second concept is our innovative Wickham hybrid store, which operates as a Coffee Club by day, then by night flips to our burger concept, Burgers With Bite.”

Bryden says Burgers With Bite was

a ghost kitchen concept established in 2019 that has become a much-loved delivery option across over 250 sites.

“We are incredibly excited to be leading the market, both in turning Burgers With Bite into a bricks n mortar store and being Australia’s first chain to operate two physical brands from the same site,” says Bryden.

The opening of these stores takes the number of Coffee Club locations across Australia to 269, with plans in motion for more locations to land in the new year.

HOSTMILANO 2021 EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS The 2021 HostMilano, which ran from 22 to 26 October at Fiera Milano in Italy, has achieved record attendance numbers. The event identifies itself as the reference exhibition for equipment, coffee and food, as well as the foodservice, retail and hotel sectors.

More than 110,000 professionals and 1345 companies from 144 countries attended the event. The geographical HostMilano 2021 hosted more than 110,000 attendees and 1234 companies from 144 countries.

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subdivision saw European attendees represent 76 per cent of visitors, followed by the Middle East, Asia, North and Central America, Africa, and South America.

Commercial Director of Cimbali Group Andrea Clerici says it was a positive experience from a business point of view.

“We believed in this exhibition

immediately and we never questioned our presence, indeed we arrived with a completely renovated, large stand, studied in every detail to give a message of positivity and direction for all four of our brand names,” says Andrea.

“I must say that the environment has received our message, welcomed it and rewarded it.”

Exhibitors also exceeded expectations despite the COVID year.

A total 1345 exhibitors made up the 2021 event, with 32 per cent from Germany, France, Spain, the United States, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

HostMilano says together, these events have strengthened the city of Milan as a European exhibition hub and for the international promotion of Italian excellence.

HostMilano is a business platform as well as a hub for exchanging skills, as well as a place to discover the latest trends changing the future of the Horeca sector.

STUFF ON THE SCENE

Stuff on the scene BARISTA COLD BREW SOFT SERVE With Summer here, your favourite drink just got a lot more exciting with Cold Brew Coffee soft serve designed to give customers their morning kick with the enjoyment of a soft serve product.

Barista Technology has partnered with Passport Specialty Coffee in Brisbane to produce a 90-plus coffee to produce a cold brew soft serve experience like no other.

Designed and tested by baristas and coffee roasters, the blend can be mixed with almond milk or any plant based alternative milk.

Using Passport Specialty Coffee’s Departure Blend concentrate and Alternative Dairy Co barista almond milk creates flavours of creamy almond nougat, chocolate, and hints of berry and vanilla with a creamy texture.

Delivering the perfectly textured soft serve are the Brullen machines to produce an indulging experience to the senses.

For more information contact 1300 582 443 or visit www.baristatechnology.com.au

FAEMINA Faemina is more than just an espresso coffee machine, it’s an exclusive design element that symbolises a high-quality lifestyle. The one-group espresso machine is designed for the home market and high-end professional settings including boutiques, concept stores, and any small to mid-size businesses that aim to provide an emotional coffee experience to their customers.

Faemina incorporates strong design elements with its minimal and classy characteristics while combining innovative technology to ensure the espresso performance is not compromised. This includes a brewing unit for filter and espresso coffee, a water softener filter, and autosteam wand to help texture milk automatically.

Faemina is equipped with different ergonomic solutions, including the option of a removable drainage tank and Up&Down system to recreate recipes in different cup sizes. The coffee community can also interact with the machine thanks to the Be Faema app, featuring voice recognition.

Faemina will be available in Australia from April 2022 through distributor network Service Sphere, in New Zealand through Machines Limited and via its e-commerce website.

For more information, visit www.faema.com

NAKED SYRUPS POWDER RANGE Naked Syrups adds flavour and texture with nine different powders it has on offer. Australian made, Gluten-free, and Vegan Australia Certified options available, these flavours turn any drink into a heavenly tasting beverage, from Beetroot Velvet Lattes, Chocolate Frappes, Vanilla Matcha Slice Frappe, Turmeric Lamingtons, or even a Spiced Chai Shake the options are endless.

With the option to use in baking or beverages and available in different packaging sizes, the range has been developed with flavour and convenience in mind. Made with love, and ready to be used across your menu to design high selling, customer-loving creations no matter the season.

For more information, visit www.nakedsyrups.com.au or contact hello@nakedsyrups.com.au or 02 87113660.

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PARADOX COFFEE ROASTERS’ EXPANDS ITS COMPOSTABLE CAPSULE RANGE Paradox Coffee Roasters has expanded its compostable capsule range with the addition of two new varieties. Responding to growing customer demand for accessible specialty coffee at home, Head Roaster, Paul, has added popular blends; Penny Lane and Purple Rain Organic to the already launched Paper Moon and Picasso Baby line-up of capsules.

Strong in flavour and intensity, Penny Lane blend delivers a smooth and approachable coffee with intriguing notes of salted caramel, dark chocolate and cinnamon. Purple Rain Organic is a truly superb blend with a profile of apricot, chocolate almond and brown sugar.

Paradox Coffee Roasters are For The People, Growing, Roasting, Educating, Serving & Enjoying Our Coffee.

For more information visit paradoxroasters.com

WILL & CO LIMITED-EDITION SUMMER TAKEAWAY CUPS Bondi based specialty coffee operation Will & Co has launched a limited-edition summer takeaway cup created in collaboration with Aussie artist and long-term friend Chris Nixon.

The artwork was developed as a nod to Australia’s love of coffee by the coast, depicted in illustrative elements and tonal ocean blues. The collaboration is part of Will & Co’s ethos of supporting Australian artists and great design talent.

The takeaway cups will be available from Will & Co café partners across the country for a limited time.

For more information, visit www.willandco.com.au

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CHARACTER. STUNNING ITALIAN DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE MEETS MODERN FINISH.

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KNOWLEDGE LEADER

Forward focus

Gruppo Cimbali General Manager Enrico Bracesco talks about plans for the company’s first Australian subsidiary and why it intends to stay close to the market leaders.

E

DETERMINED TO DELIVER Enrico Bracesco became the new General Manager of Gruppo Cimbali on 1 September 2021. He will lead the company process of renewal and development, which includes entering new business sectors, diversifying the produce range, opening an e-commerce channel, and rebranding all brands.

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nrico Bracesco describes the past year as “a challenging and thrilling adventure”. In many ways, the newly appointed General Manager of Gruppo Cimbali says the year of reflection and preparation is just what the company needed to strengthen the value proposition of its four brands – Slayer, Cimbali, Faema and Casadio.

“We reflected upon who we are, what we have been doing well, what we have been missing, and how to project new trajectories and capture new trends,” Enrico says.

Now, with a solid investment platform for each brand in distinctive markets, Gruppo Cimbali is ready to diversify its product range and services, and open its first Australian subsidiary from Q1 2022.

“The reason why we’re investing in the Asia Pacific, starting with the opening of our Singapore subsidiary in 2018 and then the Australian head office in Melbourne, is because we recognise the high potential of the markets we want to remain closely connected to. We want to better understand cultural trends and industry insights to integrate them into our product development,” Enrico says.

“Typically, very interesting trends originate in Australia or Korea that then extend all over the world. We want to stay ahead of the game, and you do that by standing connected to market leaders.”

Previously, Gruppo Cimbali has been present in the Australian market with three of its four brands – Slayer, Faema and La Cimbali – occupying completely different routes to market through distributors, roasters, or local agents.

Enrico says all access points will

remain, with the company’s Australian subsidiary only helping to position the Italian manufacturer at every market touchpoint.

“Slayer is a specialty-driven brand that is expanding rapidly. We see a fantastic future ahead. I have to say, however, the two latest product launches from our technically-driven La Cimbali M200 professional machine and artisan-focused Faemina for Faema, were developed keeping in mind the drivers for business in Australia, among other key markets,” Enrico says.

“We have the upmost respect for the Australian market, which is very much evolved and advanced. Our customers around the world are aware of what’s available in the Australian market in terms of technology and different kinds of coffee consumption, so I’m very confident we will have a positive reception for our new products in Australia and New Zealand.”

With 85 per cent of Gruppo Cimbali’s revenue made abroad, the company’s new Melbourne subsidiary is part of a larger plan to strengthen its market position through global expansion into the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Americas.

“The name of the game is defending our high market share. We’re already big in Europe, but at the same time, we recognise there’s much more room for growth for our brands internationally in key areas,” Enrico says.

Gruppo Cimbali is represented in 130 countries and has 12 subsidiaries across the United States, China, Middle East, United

Arab Emirates, and Singapore.

Where it does not have a direct presence, it seals exclusive agreements with strong international partners that represent and distribute its brands. Currently, Gruppo Cimbali has more than 700 distributor agreements in place.

What will be pivotal to maintain throughout Gruppo Cimbali’s global expansion, Enrico adds, is the deep connection the company has to its Italian roots.

“If you are fast paced in innovation, it’s easy to lose track of where you come from.

We must always remain true to our core values and the market where everything started. It’s part of our identity,” he says.

Also part of its identity is Gruppo Cimbali’s design strategy, which Enrico says has always been predominant. Gruppo Cimbali remains the only company in the coffee industry to be awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro, or ‘Golden compass’, industrial design award in 1962 for its Pitagora coffee machine.

“The company holds great pride for its award-winning products of high design and innovative technology that embrace the Made in Italy foundation. Being ambassadors of Made in Italy allows us to be in touch with our regions and connected to our values, which is priceless for a company that is well known internationally.

Our attention to design together with our obsession for performance are part of our DNA,” Enrico says.

These qualities are evident in Gruppo Cimbali’s release of the Faemina one-group

espresso machine as part of the company’s strategy to emerge in sectors it wasn’t fully operational in before.

“Our customers and partners have been repeatedly asking Gruppo Cimbali to offer a solution for the at-home and high-end premium professional segment.

We recognise we’re not the first to launch into this space, but when we decide to do something, we try to do it well and properly,” Enrico says.

“We’re very proud of this new product, and the fact that coffee consumption on a worldwide scale is set to increase in younger demographics according to recent studies, gives us great hope for future business and access to new customers.”

Gruppo Cimbali came close to releasing the Faemina in the 1980s before deciding to focus on the professional sector. However, since the pandemic and accelerated consumption of coffee at home, Enrico says it was hard to look past the demand and launched the product at Milan Design Week in September 2021, then to the global coffee industry at Host Milan in October 2021. The Faemina will be available in Australia through distributor networks and via Gruppo Cimbali’s e-commerce website from April 2022.

Beyond Faemina, Enrico says the professional machine market is largely competitive. What’s critical, he says, is to continue driving automation across each of its brands.

“Our customers are facing pressure to do more in less time. As a result, there’s demand for simple intuitive interfaces, strengthened

Gruppo Cimbali launched the Faemina espresso machine in reaction to the strong home coffee consumption movement in 2021.

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KNOWLEDGE LEADER

milk systems in our fully automatic models, valuable data on consumer insights, and functions that allow multiple operations at the same time,” he says.

As such, Gruppo Cimbali plans to invest in a stronger and larger ecosystem for its products. It aims to partner with third party companies to create a seamless experience in terms of remote-control access and contactless functionality of products, cloud-based preventative maintenance, and a range of accessible service solutions via digital connectivity.

“Connectivity is absolutely critical. It’s something we would like to work more on moving forward, and something that will be present to different extents across all brands, but predominately in Faema and La Cimbali where the penetration within large operators is big,” Enrico says.

“You drive change through innovation, technology, and by proposing state-of-theart solutions to the market. You also drive change through setting standards.”

Enrico has shared this attitude since he first joined Gruppo Cimbali as Chief Commercial Officer in May 2019 to help coordinate the business strategy and rebranding of the company’s four brands.

An industrial engineer by trade with a

degree in engineering management and a master’s degree from the London Business School, Enrico held managerial positions with large multinational companies before coffee came calling. This included working in the United Kingdom for more than a decade at heating and air-conditioning services company Riello Energy, and fitness equipment manufacturer Technogym.

“It was a bit daunting [joining Gruppo Cimbali] at the beginning, but in hindsight it was the best step I could have made.

A common trait in all three industries is that the product has always been technical with a big element of service and asset management in the offering. But the passion, drive, and element of pleasure you find in the coffee industry is something you don’t find anywhere else,” Enrico says.

From the outset, his perception of Gruppo Cimbali was “a manufacturer of premium brands with global brand awareness and a quintessential Made in Italy company”, and he wasn’t wrong.

Since 1912, Gruppo Cimbali has been a leader in the design and production of professional espresso machines and coffee shop equipment. It operates through three production plants in Italy and one

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in the United States, employing around 700 staff.

“Gruppo Cimbali embraces the perfect mix of product, technology, tradition and history, and is a classic example of a company that dives into the future with innovation and never-ending research to improve things like pressure profiling, but at the same time keeps connected to its tradition and roots,” Enrico says.

To lead the company into its next phase of development, Enrico was appointed General Manager on 1 September 2021.

Enrico says the biggest challenge will be his ability to translate Gruppo Cimbali’s long-term vision into daily operations and gain traction with customers, but is confident that along with his dedicated team, he has placed the company in the best position to succeed.

“The team acknowledge there is a long-term, ambitious vision for Cimbali Group due to our solid brand equity and investment platform – but our brands and the people of this company deserve an ambitious vision, and that’s what I intend to deliver,” he says.

For more information, visit www.gruppocimbali.com

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CELEBRITY CHEF

FROM MASTERCHEF TO MASTERMIND

After appearing on MasterChef season four, Ben Milbourne has navigated a successful media career with his TV show Ben’s Menu airing on channel 10 for three seasons, and featuring on SBS Food Network’s Andy and Ben Eat Australia with friend and MasterChef judge Andy Allan. Most recently, Ben has started production company, Cultivate, and produces his own TV Show, Food Lab.

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Bourne to try Chef Ben Milbourne speaks to BeanScene about forging a career from reality TV, the simplicity of modern menus, and why he’ll always turn to coffee that evokes childhood memories.

By Sarah Baker

E

xperienced campers take an extra pair of socks and a pocketknife when they travel, but for Ben Milbourne and his father, it was always Nestlé Coffee & Milk.

“The first coffee I ever remember having was out of a tube. It was the early 90s and I was just six years old. My dad introduced me to this sweet Vietnameselike iced coffee with lots of sugar that we warmed over the fire when we were out camping or fishing. For a kid, it was phenomenal. Dad loved it, so I loved it too,” Ben tells BeanScene.

His coffee choices have matured over the years, but Ben says if he’s ever out fishing or camping with his own kids, there’s no hesitation that the tube of Nestlé comes with them.

“It will never change. It doesn’t matter how far advanced I get in the food industry or how much better coffee dad gets his hands on, we still drink tube coffee when we’re together.

It just emotes those childhood camping memories,” he says.

Ben is more than happy to enjoy a French Press or percolated coffee with his wife each morning in their Tasmanian home in Devonport, but for a guaranteed café quality experience, he heads to local shop Fundamental Espresso or visits Rhys the barista at Laneway.

“These baristas really know what they’re doing. They have X factor knowledge as a result of being around the [coffee] machine all day. They don’t run the shots too long, and they use quality beans that aren’t over roasted, bitter or burnt,” he says.

“You go down a rabbit hole with the baristas talking about the bean, terroir and flavour notes. I like drinking a coffee when I can taste the flavours the baristas are talking about – something soft, smooth, lightly roasted, and fresh. When it’s made well, I savour it and talk about it the way I do with wine.”

Ben says during the past two years, these local cafés have served the community with more than just good coffee.

Ben Milbourne enjoys experimenting with how coffee can intensify the flavours in a dish.

“People don’t just get their coffee and go. They stay and have a chat before they head off to work. Sometimes, it’s just a three- or four-minute chat, but you see your local barista nearly every day. I often feel like I know more about what’s happening in Rhys’ business [at Fundamental] then I do in my own brother and sister’s lives,” he says.

It’s for this reason that Ben made a conscience effort to support his local cafés during the pandemic.

“We need to buy local, shop local, and support local. I knew that if I wanted to keep drinking great coffee at my favourite café once the pandemic cleared, I needed to do my part,” he says. “People took on that mantra and there’s been a real shift in focus in making sure our local venues are alive at the end of this. If they are, it’s something everyone can be proud of.”

When Ben’s not in Devonport he enjoys visiting his brother in Melbourne where he says he’s always guaranteed a first-class coffee experience.

“There’s good coffee everywhere in Melbourne but then in certain places there’s phenomenal coffee,” Ben says.

“I remember going to Manchester Press about five or six years ago and it was the first time I had a single origin coffee.

The barista said the flavour notes were like blueberry and it was exactly like

drinking a blueberry smoothie. It was the first time I thought, ‘coffee does have terroir. It does have a flavour profile that’s not just coffee’.”

With Melbourne raising the coffee stakes, Ben says anything outside that standard is disappointing. He puts a trip to Italy in that category after realising its version of cappuccino was not a scratch on Australia’s milk-based coffee quality.

Spain, on the other hand, was interesting and familiar, he says, served black with a hint of sweetness.

“As much as coffee is about the drink, it’s also about the ritual. Every morning in Spain we would gather around the fire for a chat, and everyone would have a cup in their hand. It’s that coffee culture that drives culture – be it in Devonport or Spain,” Ben says.

“The best coffee – and I think a lot of Australians say this whether they’ve been overseas or not – is Australian coffee. I’ve been to Portugal, Italy, Spain, the United States, Mexico, and Australian coffee is simply better than anywhere else in the world. I may be a little bias but we’re so lucky to have grown up with this culture of coffee quality.”

When he’s not consuming coffee, Ben enjoys experimenting with it in the kitchen, pairing it with whisky and blueberry syrup over ice cream, as a meat rub, or as the basis of a crème fraiche.

“Coffee is a bit like salt and pepper and other seasonings where it actually intensifies other flavours in a dish, like wine does. A grape can taste like 150 different things and so can coffee. I often think ‘how is that possible?’ I just love the science and culture around it,” Ben says.

It was this love for science that drove Ben to become a science teacher for eight years in Brisbane prior to his culinary calling.

“I didn’t leave teaching because I didn’t enjoy it or didn’t want to do it. I actually loved what I was doing, it just so happened that this opportunity to go on MasterChef came along and, as they say, the rest is history,” says Ben, appearing in season four of the reality cooking show.

“I like to think I’m teaching now, just

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CELEBRITY CHEF

Ben Milbourne is exploratory in the food he eats, but when working with quality produce, says it’s best not to overcomplicate the dish.

on another scale through the shows we do [Food Lab and Left off the Map] and the exposure to new things that I try to teach the audience. Education can come from anywhere. You don’t have to be in a classroom environment to learn about the things around you.”

Ben’s exposure to food at a young age was first around ingredients thanks to his dad, whom he says is a fantastic seafood cook, then the process of cooking and creating thanks to his grandma who showed him how enjoyable putting ingredients together could be.

“Being Tasmanian and having access to amazing produce, I liked the experience and process of going fishing, diving, or going into our backyard pulling out radishes, strawberries or raspberries.

It was more the gathering process that I loved, the cooking came later,” he says.

It’s that enjoyment that has helped build Ben’s nontraditional culinary

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career. In the 10 years he’s worked in the industry, Ben has ticked all the boxes: restaurateur, business operator, head chef, and now culinary curator and executive at Peacock and Jones in Hobart.

“The thing I get the most enjoyment from is running the pass on a busy Saturday night when you’re really proud of the food going out and everyone’s having a great time. Nothing beats that feeling. That’s what gets my adrenaline pumping,” Ben says.

“I have no qualifications to do what I’m doing now, but every time there was an opportunity, I took it. Then the next time there was an opportunity, I took that, and I kept going. I’ve just learned from what was around me, tried my best, and have been lucky to end up where I am today.”

For the past six years, Ben has made a name for himself on Australian

screens, airing more than 1500 episodes of national cooking adventures. This includes Food Lab, showcasing the science behind food through his own production company Cultivate. Season two saw 65 episodes and a viewing audience of more than 13.5 million on the SBS Food Network, featuring the best of Tasmania’s backyard due to travel restrictions.

His other show Left off the Map has also been successful in advocating for the hidden gems of Tasmania’s culinary industry, with the next season in the works.

“I’ve spoken with hundreds of industry professionals and businesses all throughout Australia and tried to shine a spotlight on their work, and how diverse, creative and passionate the industry is from wine makers through to chefs and produce growers,” Ben says.

“We want to show people that this is an amazing industry and it’s tough work, but there’s really creative people behind it who we should absolutely support. If I’ve helped drive business their way through the show, then I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”

Ben is also proud of his own cooking evolution, with his experience in commercial kitchens only renewing his food focus.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been exposed to really great restaurants and tasted great food. I now know there’s more to life than a packet of tacos and that I can be a little more exploratory with the food I eat day in day out. It’s something you have to do three times a day, so why not taste a risk and push the boundaries and try something interesting and new,” he says.

“I think the reason why so many chefs call their cuisine ‘modern Australian’ is because you don’t have to stick to a certain food genre. You can vary the flavour and styles you play with, but put no more than three things on the plate. I know at Peacock and Jones and CharlotteJack where I worked pre-Covid, our produce would come straight from the source at the highest possible quality, and when you get produce like that, you don’t have to do much to it. Menus used to be complicated but now the simpler the better.”

Ben says he could never have imagined the evolution of food and where it’s taken him, but he’s grateful for the journey and the positive impact his work has made along the way.

“The food industry never stands still.

It’s constantly evolving and changing. It’s never ending – and that’s why I love it,” he says.

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SCAN TO DONATE

COVER STORY

What a barista wants From the automatic Ubermilk nanofoamer to the boilerless Tone brewer, Barista Group has made a name for itself in the Australian coffee industry for innovating café workflow efficiency.

W

ith every innovative product that Barista Group imports to Australia, General Manager Joe Chalhoub asks one simple question, ‘would I use it in my own café?’

“Our focus is on providing equipment that is engineered with precision, improves workflow, and ultimately saves precious time,” Joe says.

“It all comes down to workflow efficiency. Every product we bring in improves the way baristas work or increases productivity in the café. If I can’t see how a piece of equipment would do that, then I wouldn’t use it in a café of my own and wouldn’t expect others to either.”

While Joe has more than two decades of experience in coffee roasting, Barista Group has a much shorter legacy, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2022.

“I started Socratic Coffee as a hobby in 2015 to test and delve deeper into the coffee machines and equipment we were working with as coffee roasters and wholesalers. Up until that point, the equipment has been an afterthought to me when it came to coffee, but Socratic Coffee gave me a love for it,” Joe says.

“Socratic Coffee’s experiments began getting some attention and gave me a platform to speak with various suppliers and manufacturers. They would introduce us to their latest gadgets and ask us to test them. There were these phenomenal products that didn’t have Australian importers or resellers, so that became our natural next step.”

Some of the longstanding products in Barista Group’s portfolio include a range of flat burrs from SSP Grinding Solutions, the Syncfo 4 in 1 coffee analyser, and the adjustable pressure punch Force Tamper.

Joe says Barista Group saw slow and steady growth in its first few years, which rocketed towards the end of 2018 after its now flagship product, the Ubermilk automatic nanofoamer, reached Australian shores.

“The first shipment of Ubermilk

The Tone brewer can produce filter coffee without the use of a boiler.

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COVER STORY

“IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WORKFLOW EFFICIENCY. EVERY PRODUCT WE BRING IN IMPROVES THE WAY BARISTAS WORK OR INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY IN THE CAFÉ. IF I CAN’T SEE HOW A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WOULD DO THAT, THEN I WOULDN’T USE IT IN A CAFÉ OF MY OWN AND WOULDN’T EXPECT OTHERS TO EITHER.”

The Quinspin automates the portafilter cleaning process.

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landed on 2017, but we didn’t start rolling it out until mid-2018. Even then, it was only limited to a few people, but that helped spread the world and created awareness of the product, which helped things really take off,” Joe says.

“A lot of people were sceptical about the Ubermilk at first. Milk is tough to handle properly and people can be hesitant when it comes to automation, but the technology was way ahead of its time. The reason it connected with everyone was that it delivered the quality, consistency, reliability, and efficiency every café or organisation needs.”

Following the success of Ubermilk, Barista Group continued its focus on efficiency and automation with the Markibar Izaga coffee grinder. Built for speed and consistency, Joe says the volumetric Markibar Izaga grinder is ideal for high-volume cafés and sits perfectly on the other side of the coffee machine to the Ubermilk.

“I started thinking about what else we can bring to the market, to provide another high-end product that offers something new to cafés. I realised we didn’t have anything in coffee brewing and that became a focus for me,” Joe says.

Joe travelled to Italy for Host Milan in 2019 where he met Holger Wels, the CEO of boilerless coffee brewing technology Tone. The Tone 03 brewer connects directly to the water source and uses an electronic continuous slow heating system to ensure water is at the right temperature as it leaves the machine, making a traditional boiler obsolete. Joe says Tone left an impression on him, which only grew as he spoke more with the company.

“I really connected with Tone because of the company’s philosophy. Their aim is to reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions and the boiler is a large contributor in the café. The technology also has an edge over mainstream brewers, being able to control many variables throughout the extraction process,” he says, adding Tone, like Ubermilk and Markibar, represents the ideal partner Barista Group tries to work with.

“When we speak to a manufacturer, they usually ask one of two questions.

The first is ‘how many units can you sell in a year?’ We try to avoid these people, even if they have amazing products because we find they can be impatient.

Brands are not created overnight, they have to be built, starting with awareness.

You need to focus on the wants and needs of the industry, the quality of your product, and how it meets their

The Etzinger etzMax grinders combines volumetric technology with a conical burr design.

demands, then the sales come naturally,” Joe explains.

“We prefer to work with people who ask ‘how can we improve our product?’

They’re more open to feedback, sharing intellectual property, and really building something together, which we’ve successfully done with Ubermilk, Markibar, Tone, and many others.”

Over only a few years, Barista Group had built a portfolio of products that streamlined many elements of coffee making, from grinding and tamping to brewing and steaming milk. But cleaning was still a crucial element of coffee service that had to be performed manually. Joe was looking for a solution that would make this step of the process more efficient when a British company called Quinspin reached out to Barista Group to test its automatic portafilter cleaner. Built straight into the coffee bar, the Quinspin works similarly to a milk jug rinser. The barista gently pushes the portafilter into the drill head on the right, which spins out the majority of the spent coffee grinds. A small spinning brush head on the left takes care of the rest.

“We deployed about 50 units in the marketplace for successful tests in 2021.

We received a lot of interest, but had to be conservative until the product was ready and an upgraded version with the latest electrical components will be ready for a large-scale launch in 2022,” Joe says.

Another company recently joining Barista Group’s staple is the Liechtenstein-based grinder manufacturer Etzinger. Joe says the revolutionary etzMax volumetric comical burr grinders from Etzinger

provides new levels of consistency and quality to small-to-medium sized venues and the growing home market.

“We wanted to introduce another grinder to our portfolio, but it needed to have a point of difference so it wasn’t in competition to the Markibar.

The two grinders complement each other – Markibar has flat burrs and fulfils the needs of high-volume cafés, while Etzinger is designed for a smaller

throughput and has conical burrs,” Joe explains.

Although Barista Group’s focus is on workflow efficiency in the café, Joe says the company is seeing increasing interest from at-home coffee drinkers, inspiring him to look more into solutions for the at-home market. These will be introduced to the market under a new sister brand Brew & Berry, launching in 2022.

“Brew & Berry will focus on coffee brewing solutions for the home user – this is a growing market and we want to be able to cater to it. At the same time, we don’t want to dilute the Barista Group brand, which is still very much focused on workflow efficiency in the café,” Joe says.

The past two years have been unlike any others for the Australian coffee industry, but Joe says it’s the innovators who will continue to succeed.

“While some cafés in Sydney closed down during lockdown, some of our best partners were scouting and planning new locations, which they had plenty of time to negotiate,” he says.

“It’s hard to predict what will happen in 2022, but it’s the businesses that are proactive and in control of their margins that are going to succeed.”

For more information, visit www.baristagroup.com.au

At the touch of a button, Übermilk delivers consistent micro foam milk at the ideal temperature.

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FEATURE NEWS

Staff wanted

Cafés and hospitality venues the world over are facing the next challenge made worse by COVID-19: skilled staff shortages.

BeanScene asks how the industry can adapt and attract new workers.

T

he past two years haven’t been easy for hospitality, with recurring lockdowns and restrictions making it difficult to plan for the future or simply stay afloat. Even as the world opens back up and customers come flooding back to their favourite cafés, it’s not getting easier for many businesses as new challenges present themselves.

A shortage of skilled hospitality staff is being felt across Australia, and Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Wes Lambert tells BeanScene cafés are one of the hardest hit segments of foodservice.

“Cafés often employ holiday makers and international students, who aren’t currently allowed into Australia, in multiple positions including servers and baristas,” Wes says. “They are also often smaller, independent businesses, where without enough staff, the business owners are becoming extremely overworked.”

International and state border closures have limited the number of temporary workers flowing into Australia, a situation that isn’t likely to change until at least mid-2022. However, this is not the only reason recruiting skilled staff has become difficult.

Many chefs and baristas holding work visas had to return home after losing work due to lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. According to a survey of more than 500 foodservice business owners from Menulog and the National Indigenous Culinary Institute, 91 per cent of respondents identified an overdependence on international chefs to run Australian kitchens.

Many local hospitality workers who lost their jobs during COVID-19 lockdowns turned to other industries for work, and Wes says they are disincentivised from coming back.

“There are many cafés reporting they’re having to pay $40 to $50 per hour for baristas and even more for kitchen staff during this critical workforce shortage, and they’re still having a difficult time finding staff,” Wes says.

“Hospitality has built a bad

Hospitality is experiencing widespread skilled staff shortages due to border closures and workers moving into other industries.

reputation as a workplace and career choice. A big part of that is because of a few bad actors, paying cash in hand or similar practices, and there’s been a concerted effort to improve that reputation. The industry needs to continue improving its reputation to attract and retain Australian staff.”

Business owners aren’t the only ones feeling the sting of the worker shortage. Staff shortfalls impact the employees required to do the work of more than one person. Seth Spurge, a barista for Giocando Coffee Roasters in Devonport, Tasmania, says not all customers appreciate the challenges cafés are facing.

“I think what’s worse is the people who don’t understand or care that we have a shortage and come in acting entitled,” Seth tells BeanScene.

Staff shortages aren’t just being felt in the inner cities. Boxracer café in Warrnambool, regional Victoria, opened its doors in August 2021, just as the state entered its sixth COVID-19 lockdown.

Café Manager Cameron Mackenzie tells

BeanScene that Boxracer had advertised job openings since April and only received about 10 applicants, most of whom joined the team. However, since the lockdown, he says it has been difficult to keep everyone onboard and replace those who leave.

“We made commitments to people that we could offer them 15 to 20 hours, but then the lockdown hit and we could only secure them about five hours. Many had to get second jobs or leave our industry altogether for warehouse, sales, or retail roles,” Cameron says.

“A lot of those people won’t be coming back to hospitality. Why work in a kitchen for $28 an hour when you could drive a forklift for $40? There’s an element of fear as well. COVID is still around, and working in a warehouse, office, or at home, you’re less likely to catch it and more likely to have a job in three months’ time.”

Cameron says despite offering salaries well above the award rate, he is still struggling to attract new staff.

“We’re even working on offering

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FEATURE NEWS

Black Market Coffee is offering free upskilling classes to café workers.

signing bonuses to chefs, who will receive an additional $10,000 if they stay with us for two years, but even that hasn’t been enough to find someone yet,” he says. “For now, I’m currently working 90 hours per week and am just utilising what staff I do have to fill voids.”

While metro cafés may be able to poach staff from competitors, or baristas can take jobs across multiple cafés, Cameron says this isn’t an option in his tighter knit community.

“Warrnambool isn’t a small town, but it’s not big either and I don’t need that stigma attached to the business. If I take someone else’s staff member, that just passes the problem along to another business,” Cameron says.

“I don’t want to see any more businesses shut down. Warrnambool has a good hospitality scene, but COVID

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has knocked us about, and it’s not going to get better if we’re jeopardising each other’s businesses as well.”

Many of the workers Boxracer has been able to recruit since opening are juniors with little experience in hospitality. Cameron says training up new staff can be difficult, but it’s an investment in the future.

“Right now, our game plan is to maintain a few senior staff members who can act as a training team for junior workers. We want to teach and have been lucky to pick up two apprentices in the short time we’ve been open who are passionate and want to learn,” he says.

“The hospitality industry has gone from being almost neglected by the government for two years to now, all of a sudden, open back to full swing. It would really help the industry to have better

support and funding for training and apprenticeships. With staff limited, the key to success will be having well trained workers who can fill multiple roles.”

Boxracer is not the only business who sees training and education as part of the solution to staff shortages. Black Market Coffee (BMC) in New South Wales saw the impact of staff shortages through its own cafés and wholesale partners.

“A lot of cafés have had to cut their opening hours, some are holding onto the takeaway only model as long as possible to continue trading, and others have made big cuts to their menus,” BMC Owner Angus Nicol says.

“Only having one barista on shift is dragging out wait times, and most customers are being lenient about it for the time being, but now is also really the time to stand out. If you can push

Boxracer in Warrnambool relies on well trained workers who can fill multiple rolls.

out coffee in two minutes instead of 10 to 20, you’re going to become the go-to.

Training the other people in the café, the customer service or kitchen staff, to help the barista is going to help you reach that speed without compromising on quality.”

To address an industry-wide issue, Angus says BMC and its training arm, Black Market Training, decided to open its services to the entire industry.

Upskill by BMC was launched in November 2021, offering free two-hour group training sessions to cafés every Wednesday – including those not serving Black Market Coffee – that want to upskill their waiters and kitchen staff to work behind the coffee machine.

“Many cafés have their core team, but the issue at the moment is there’s no one else around to help take the pressure off during busy periods,” Angus says.

“Our hope is Upskill by BMC will allow café owners to fill out their roster around their mainstays, so during rush hour the dishie or waiter can jump behind the machine and take the pressure off the main barista.”

In the long-term, Angus says this program could bring more people into coffee making and all the work that goes on behind the scenes.

“To me, the fundamental answer to staff shortages is bringing more people into the industry, rather than dragging back the people who have left,” Angus says.

“Being a barista is perceived as a short career path, but it requires a depth of skills and there are so many pathways it can take you down. By focusing on upskilling, showing how much goes on in specialty coffee, will help people realise what a cool job it really is and that you can build a career in it.”

For instance, within a coffee roasting business alone Angus says former baristas can become roasters, trainers, and account managers among many other opportunities. For now however, he says cafés need to focus on the present when it comes to staffing.

“In the next six months we’ve got to assume it will remain the same as it is.

We might get some relief from borders opening, but right now café owners need to focus on adapting, keeping their current customers, and moving forward,” he says.

“If you’re going to be one of the cafés that grows and thrives, you need to look at your existing resources, upskilling who you can to keep your quality high and wait times super low.”

At the same time, R&CA’s Wes warns that café owners shouldn’t prepare for an influx of new works later this year to solve the issue.

“Staffing problems and border restrictions are going to continue being a problem around the world until COVID becomes a thing of the past. As we’ve recently seen with the Omicron variant, the situation can change quickly,” Wes says.

“If the staff shortage remains critical across hospitality, we’re going to see ongoing impacts on menu prices, higher prices, and certainly the overworking and burnout of existing staff and business owners.”

Like Cameron and Angus, Wes sees a greater focus and government support of training and education as key to not only addressing workforce shortages now, but in the future as well.

“In the short-term, we need a solution to immigration. In the mid-term, we need continued state funding for micro-credentials and short courses. In the long-term, we need more funding for traineeships and apprenticeships,” he says.

“Due to multiple factors, many young people are choosing not to enter into the hospitality industry, which means they’re not building critical social and customer service skill.

“There are many wonderful positions in hospitality that you can take and jobs you can do that are transportable not only in Australia but around the world.

We need to improve the reputation of hospitality as a workplace and its potential as a career choice to win back the hearts and minds of the public.”

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Urban edge Maltra Foods on why crafted artisanal brand Urban Barista is the ideal solution for cafés that want to serve more than just quality coffee.

Urban Barista’s new range of syrups are made with raw sugar, natural flavours and non-added colours.

I

f choice is in the hands of consumers, then it’s up to cafés to supply the variety. This notion has been adopted for coffee menus, dairy and dairy alternative options, and now specialty syrups and powdered drinks.

Urban Barista first launched its specialty range of power lattes in 2018 to offer cafés ready-to-serve artisanal products, and now the Australian manufacturer is excited to unveil its newlook range for 2022.

“The Urban Barista range was originally developed to play on the trend of healthy café options, largely driven by consumers as they sought out beverages for new flavour and colour experiences,

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and with health benefits beyond the caffeine kick, like turmeric, beetroot and matcha,” says Urban Barista Brand Manager Nathan Alfrey.

“We feel the time is right to relaunch the range with a heightened focus on quality-driven, natural ingredients that we know consumers are looking for.”

The Urban Barista specialty range of powdered lattes includes fan favourites Matcha, Turmeric, Beetroot, Natural Chai, and Drinking Chocolate.

Developed with 40 per cent West Africa cocoa, Nathan says the Drinking Chocolate, like much of the original lineup, will retain the same winning formula customers have come to enjoy.

“The Natural Chai closely mimics the

exotic taste of a brewed chai but in a preprepared format. It includes real ground spices, black tea, and panela sugar for a complex flavour,” Nathan says.

“Natural Chai has become a café favourite, so we wanted to introduce it to the range because of the level of ease and convenience to make the beverage.

It still delivers on taste and texture with the ground spices, but without the two-minute steeping time that’s required when producing the drink from leaf tea.”

Demand for more plant-based products is expanding in the market beyond dairy alternative offerings. As such, Nathan says Urban Barista is excited to cater for that market with the barista and consumer in mind.

“Our Urban Barista products need to taste great, be convenient and versatile to use, and deliver a consistent and quality driven result,” he says.

Maltra Foods also manufactures the Urban Barista Hazelnut, Vanilla, and Caramel range of syrups. Nathan says the syrups continue to meet expectations in terms of flavour, colour, and texture. Each is made with raw Australian sugar, natural flavours, non-added colours and best used in coffees, milkshakes, or smoothies.

“Every café runs with a standard offering of syrups, chai, and chocolate but the ‘alternates category’ is still growing in demand at a decent rate, especially for our powdered latte products. We know cafés are looking to offer customers something different, and something that speaks to the idea of real ingredients, colours, and flavours that Urban Barista offers. We know this, because it’s the type of feedback our customers are willing to share with us,” Nathan says.

“The learning of the last two years has shown us that customers still want the best quality-driven experience, and are looking to treat themselves with the finest ingredients available. They want to buy local and support Australianmade, of which our powdered products are made and blended in Victoria and syrups in Queensland.”

With flavour key to the success of the range, Nathan says the relaunch and repositioning of the Urban barista range will be an important step in educating café customers that the brand has everything they need to produce a hot beverage menu outside caffeine offerings.

“There’s more to cafés than just coffee,” Nathan says.

“There’s only so much coffee one can consume in a day. After noon, many customers are looking for a coffee-alternative, a pick-me-up, and that’s when they need to have a point of difference. The next stage in a café’s premium indulgence is offering consumers the Urban Barista range with a whole new flavour experience.

Urban Barista is the next evolution of café beverages.”

The re-launch includes new packaging across the range, with a modern, clean, and natural look to help communicate the brand’s use of natural ingredients. It also utilises illustrations to give the brand a distinct personality.

In 2022, Urban Barista will also be partnering with the Orange Sky charity to connect with community members

D

Urban Barista’s specialty range of powdered lattes include fan favourites Natural Chai and Drinking Chocolate.

in need of support. Orange Sky offers a free mobile laundry and shower service for the homeless around Australian and New Zealand. Its focus is on creating a safe, positive, and supportive environment for people who are too

eveloped in conjuction with the BeanScene magazine website, The Long & Short of It news EDM is dedicated to keeping the coffee industry abreast of the latest relevant news as it breaks, in addition to providing an electronic interface for the viewing of BeanScene magazine content. To keep up to date with fresh, informative and relevant content, register your details at www.beanscenemag.com.au

often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community.

“Maltra Foods and Urban Barista saw a natural alignment with Orange Sky and the value of the work it’s doing,” Nathan says. “Going forward, our new packaging and point of sale materials will feature a QR code for customers to make a direct donation.

Urban Barista will also make monthly and annual donations from a portion of the sales of our Urban Barista range to help make a difference and raise further awareness of the impact Orange Sky have in our local community.”

After a turbulent two years, Nathan says he’s excited to see alternative beverage options explored further in 2022, and is happy for Urban Barista to be the solution that baristas turn to.

“We are passionate about putting Urban Barista in the spotlight for its consideration of alternative options.

With the high density of cafés on the market, there’s a real need to differentiate your offering, and we know how,” Nathan says.

For more information, visit www.urbanbarista.com.au

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/altdcbarista @thealternativedairyco 40 beanscenemag.com.au

Smooth & Creamy Taste

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ALTDAIRYCO.COM

TODAY’S MILK IS THE ALTERNATIVE One of the best things about working in a café is the people you meet and relationships you form. No one knows that better than The Alternative Dairy Co, which has built strong bonds with some of the leading roasters and franchise partners across Australia.

“It’s really important to us that we will be more than just a supplier to our café partners.

We are also part of this amazing coffee community, and are committed to supporting and growing the people and businesses within it,” says Gavin Rogers, National Channel Manager, Roasters & Franchise at The Alternative Dairy Co. “Working so closely with the cafés and brands – big and small – that serve our alternative milks helps us to create trust in that they can rely not only on the quality of our milk range, but they also know our team are there to provide support when they need it. It also means we can go to them for feedback when we are developing new products, and they know we’ll listen.”

Dôme Coffees in Western Australia was one of The Alternative Dairy Co’s earliest partners, working with the brand’s Barista Soy Milk since it launched in 2018, later adding Barista Almond Milk and Barista Oat Milk to its arsenal.

“The Alternative Dairy Co has clearly done its homework on what baristas are looking for in a plant-based milk,” says David Hahn, Head of Product Development and Marketing at Dôme Coffees.

“There’s been quite a fair bit of work done at their end to make sure these things perform, but that’s only one half of the puzzle. The other is the taste and texture profile the consumer is looking for. In our internal blind taste tests, their products have always stack up well against the competition.”

Soul Origin is another coffee chain to roll out the entire The Alternative Dairy Co range in its coffee shops across Australia. National Coffee Coach Sam Taylor says beyond quality and taste, The Alternative Dairy Co share similar values and vision to Soul Origin.

“IT’S SUBTLE, AND HAS A GOOD MOUTHFEEL THAT SUITS BOTH CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE.”

Leo Damrongkrailert, Coffee Trainer - Oliver Brown

“Given the past few years, it’s never been more relevant to the consumer to support local businesses and partnering with The Alternative Dairy Co was a great opportunity to support an Australian based company that produces its plant-based milks using Australian ingredients,” he says.

While coffee is at the core of any café, it’s important that its milk products are versatile and work with different beverages across the menu.

Leo Damrongkrailert, Account Manager and Coffee Trainer for Oliver Brown, says with a focus on Belgian chocolate and dessert, the NSW-based café chain has different requirements of its plant-based milks to many coffee shops.

“Our operation focuses on two things: coffee and chocolate, so we need alternative milks that are compatible with more than just our coffee. The demand from customers is growing and so are their expectations, so we need to make sure we have the quality to match,” Leo says.

“The Alternative Dairy Co has a very good oat milk, compatible with not just coffee but our Belgian quality chocolate. It’s subtle and has a good mouthfeel that suits both chocolate and coffee. It also handles well, is easy to use, and lets us prepare the latte art we want to present in our cafés.”

“Prior to partnering with Alternative Dairy Co, we had considerable feedback from customers asking for Oat Milk to be available in stores, especially over the past three years,” says Danika Heslop, Foodco Product & Procurement Manager.

“Since partnering with Alternative Dairy Co, this feedback has pivoted to be about the great quality oat milk which is now available.”

She adds that The Alternative Dairy Co has been a supportive partner to both Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue’s franchisees in the adoption of Barista Oat Milk. The Alternative Dairy Co has also committed to using its position to educate and support the next generation of baristas who want to make a career in cafes, in both Foodco and the wider café industry.

“They kindly sent all franchisees a starter pack which included an oat milk jug, barista cloth and product sample. They have also committed to being involved in our 2022 barista competition, where we are flying some of our top baristas from all over the country to Sydney to compete and be named the 2022 barista champion,” Danika says.

“We look forward to seeing the new innovations and product development through Alternative Dairy co and excited for the possibilities it may bring.”

Since it launched in 2019, The Alternative Dairy Co’s Barista Oat Milk has quickly become the market leading oat milk for coffee in the café space. The Sydney-based Foodco Group is one of many fans of the Barista Oat Milk, rolling it out across its 296 Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue stores around Australia.

Proudly pouring at:

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Flavour maker

MONIN reveals its new flavour wheel to help baristas match coffee profiles with natural flavours that can take a beverage menu to new heights and push the boundaries of taste exploration.

J

ohn Davidson, Head of Advocacy and Innovation at Stuart Alexander, an exclusive distributor of MONIN in Australia, says flavour pairing is “a skillset all three professions of bartenders, baristas and wine sommeliers can and should be learning from each other”.

A certified sommelier and bartender himself, it wasn’t until John’s first visit to the Melbourne International Coffee Expo in 2019 that he witnessed the similarities between coffee cupping and wine tasting.

“I was enthralled by the coffee cupping. It’s not unlike the process used in 1000-year-old wine tasting competitions,” he says. “It was really inspiring to see people use the simple brewing of coffee with water and their

taste experience and secondary aromas to determine the origin of the coffee, the altitude in which it was grown, the climate, air and soil quality. Immediately, the cocktail bartender in me thought, ‘I wonder how you could heighten and expand particular coffee flavours through using liqueurs, spirits, or a product like MONIN?’” MONIN already used flavour wheels in wine, cocktail, and gin and tonic pairings. The opportunity arose to apply the same principles to coffee, dividing the MONIN product range into flavours of exotics and botanical, bright and subtle sweetness, sour and tart, and sweet and aromatic.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel, so to speak, but what we’re providing cafés is a guide they can use as a jumping off

MONIN’s new flavour wheel is designed to help baristas identify what coffee flavours best complement MONIN flavoured syrups.

point to connect MONIN flavours with coffee flavours and expand their beverage offering in a reliable way,” John says. “If you don’t want a sugar syrup but you do want to inject a flavour that creates a whole new experience for your guests, that’s where MONIN comes in, with consistency and true-to-form flavours.”

John compares dark roasted coffee to heavy red wines grown in lower altitudes with more sunlight and bigger tannic flavours. He considers pairing it with raw flavours, fruits or flowers that grow in similar climates, such as dark or stewed fruits, and types of green or roasted nuts.

For lighter roasts, John recommends pairing coffee with citrus fruit flavours such as pink grapefruit, mandarin, and peaches.

Cherry is an intuitive flavour pairing given its connection to coffee as a fruit.

John suggests a ‘cherry cold brew’ to spice up a menu with its touch of sourness or tartness adding another layer of complexity. Likewise, John says ‘cold brew with white peach’ or ‘mandarin nitro on tap’ can dress up a menu with MONIN being the “secret weapon” to inject an extra punch of flavour.

“We’re not trying to convince double espresso drinkers to change their order, or that baristas should be injecting violet syrup into a natural processed Geisha – I would never put popcorn syrup into a Grand Cru Champagne. But what I would suggest, is that where cafés are looking for something new or a point of difference to change the game or stand out on their Instagram feed, MONIN provides an artillery of authentic flavours.

Coffee remains the hero, it’s just a way of creating something new and exciting.”

Ona Coffee Head Roaster and threetime MONIN Australian Coffee in Good Spirits Champion (CIGS) Danny Wilson has been experimenting with MONIN flavours for years, most recently using its passionfruit syrup with coffee, gin, Licor 43, and sparkling apple juice for his winning 2020 CIGS drink.

“What’s interesting about this combination is the intensity of flavours and consistency you get week to week when making it with accessible and

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

MONIN’s product range features more than 150 gourmet flavoured syrups and purees that can help add diversity to a coffee menu.

readily available ingredients. That’s something baristas need to consider when they’re thinking about introducing a new drink to their menu,” Danny says. “When pairing flavours with coffee, there’s a fine line in terms of achieving balance, which tends to put baristas under a lot of pressure, but it’s even more reason why using pre-made flavour options such as MONIN is a simple and easy solution.”

When working with espresso that is more berry-driven with strawberry flavour notes, Danny recommends enhancing that berry component for a more intense drink or using complementary flavours to enrich the texture and mouthfeel.

When incorporating MONIN flavours, Danny leans towards using slightly darker or espresso-roasted coffees to retain the intensity of the coffee profile, although he adds that concentrated filter brews and cold brews with decent coffee intensity provide great options.

“As long as you create a drink that showcases the quality of the coffee and gets as much flavour out of the coffee as possible, which comes down to finding the right balance and enhancing the experience, it does have a place on a coffee menu,” he says.

“I see the use of flavours the same way we look at milk coffees at Ona Coffee.

Milk adds its own sweetness in the cup, and it also helps bring out different flavour qualities in the coffee. That’s why at Ona, we acknowledge that milk is the part of the beverage. We cup our coffees with milk to ensure that the way the coffee is roasted and tastes in the cup is balanced or enhanced with the milk profile. Everything from the way the coffee is sourced, processed at origin,

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roasted and extracted from our baristas, are all factors that can impact the final cup profile, which includes the way we use MONIN flavours.”

A barista of 15 years, Danny says there’s still lots of room for education but more so experimentation when it comes to the use of ingredients in coffees.

“In the bartending world, there’s lots of freedom to experiment. It’s good to play around and get an understanding of how flavours can complement each other and come together. I tell baristas to go and mix their own cocktails – it makes them a better barista too,” he says.

John adds that with the support of Stuart Alexander’s dedicated team, cafés can revamp and elevate menus using cold brew, nitro coffees and iced lattes in the chilled coffee space, or post-midday drinks like sodas, tonics, spritzers, or even onto kitchen menus.

“There’s a lot of owners and managers out there who don’t have a lot of confidence when buying new products, so every cent counts. The good thing is that you only need around 20 millilitres of MONIN product on average. One bottle can make anywhere up to 700 serves, so the cost per serve is really valuable,” he says.

What’s also valuable is the safe bet of the MONIN range including more than 150 gourmet flavoured syrups and purees made with the natural ingredients and pure cane sugar. They are flashpasteurised, halal certified and contain no GMOs, gluten, dairy, fat, proteins, or cholesterol.

“It’s a no-fear product to stock,” John says. “MONIN is a flavour first and a sweetener second. The perception of syrups used to be hazelnut, vanilla, or

caramel lattes but we’ve come so much further than that. Creating fun beverages that are beyond the standard drinks you see everywhere, well, there’s real value in that as long as it’s done so consistently.”

While some venues can change their menu weekly, John says even making a quarterly change can be enough to keep customers interested.

“It’s all about having confidence,” he says. “Australians are experimental and we’re coming back to this idea that the guest experience comes first, and hospitality is king. With this in mind, there’s no reason why baristas can’t blur the lines between a premium coffee or alcoholic drink and overtake the sommelier world with their commitment to flavour.”

John says if people start to look at MONIN products like they do their alternative milks and understand that everything that goes around coffee is a good foundation to play with, then we can learn to enjoy the power behind flavour creation.

“Perceptions constantly change, and I hope it continues to do so because MONIN really embraces challenges, and is driven by global trends, research and the success,” he says.

“After seeing how MONIN operates behind the scenes, I can say it’s a very inspiring company to work with, driven by a commitment to innovation and research. It’s a fourth-generation familyowned French business who cares about the planet and storytelling. It’s a pretty exciting world at MONIN, and a bright one when it comes to flavour.”

For more information, visit www. stuartalexander.com.au/brands/monin

FIRSTCROPCOFFEE.COM

INDUSTRY PROFILE

The convenience sector is beginning to embrace specialty coffee as a way to create brand loyalty with customers.

Coffee is servo-ed The petrol and convenience sector is embracing barista-quality coffee to draw in new customers and create a one-stop shop for people seeking convenience.

I

n the past, the petrol station is the last place a person would expect to find a good cup of coffee. However, with the bar for quality set so high in Australia, customers have come to expect the same quality everywhere they go.

At the same time, Barista Technology Australia CEO Brett Bolwell says consumers are looking for faster and easier solutions for all of their products, including coffee, a trend petrol stations and convenience stores are primed to take advantage of.

“The leading brands in fuel around the country, whether it be Caltex, On the Run, or BP, have seen the rise of coffee in Australia and want to be a part of it,” Brett says.

“The partnership between BP and a brand like David Jones shows there’s growth for more ‘sophisticated’ offerings in the convenience sector. People want everything from their coffee to their grocery shopping to be convenient and quick, and it’s even better if they can get it all in the one place.”

Just like people will go out of their way to visit their favourite café,

the petrol and convenience sector is motivated to adopt a high-quality coffee offering to build brand loyalty and a point of difference to its competitors.

“When you’re out and about and need to top up your petrol, you’d usually just go to whoever is closest. But if a person could also get their morning coffee from you, and it was just as good as at their favourite café, they will intentionally seek you out,” Brett says.

“It’s been a pretty ordinary two years for the convenience sector, with people staying at home because of COVID, and they’re all looking for new ways to draw more people into their shops, and a quick, good, and profitable coffee is a great way of doing that.

“Some service stations have used super automatic machines for a while now and have had a lot of success with it, but a lot of people just prefer their coffee be made by a barista. They’d still appreciate the convenience of getting their morning coffee in the service station, so if the offer is right, the branding and experience is done properly, and the quality is there, there’s potential for massive growth in

that sector.”

While cafés usually have a dedicated barista on shift to maintain quality and consistency, most petrol stations and convenience stores won’t enjoy the same luxury. Brett says this is especially true given current barista shortages around the world.

“Even in cafés, it’s clear we’re going to have a massive shortage of skilled baristas over the next few years,” he says. “Unless you’ve put the proper systems in place, you won’t succeed long term.”

Instead, petrol stations and convenience stores will need to have the proper training, tools, and systems in place so any of their current workers can jump behind the machine and make a consistent coffee.

“The coffee set-up needs to be formulated with a number of different systems that maintain quality. Using a Puqpress automatic tamper, Perfect Moose for milk texturing, and grindby-weight grinder for dosing, you’re removing the variables that usually take years of training to understand,” Brett explains.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Barista Technology is developing coffee fitouts that fit naturally into a petrol station.

“With this full suite of technology around the espresso machine, you can teach anybody to make coffee within a fairly short amount of time. Then, having the Flow telemetry system installed within the stores will allow you to monitor quality in the cup over time and across different stores.”

Barista Technology Australia has seen huge amounts of success implementing these types of processes and equipment with McDonald’s, contributing to McCafé’s position as the largest coffee chain in Australia.

“We have worked with well over half of McCafés nationally, which have improved their delivery metrics by above 30 per cent on average by putting in place a series of systems into their workflow to deliver a better-quality cup,” Brett says.

With these systems in place, Brett says training of new staff can be accomplished in under an hour.

“These have proven that our systems can be seamlessly taught to juniors and people in the business whose main job is not making coffee,” Brett says.

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“The right equipment is a must to set the quality benchmark and streamline staff training, but how can you be sure you’re serving great coffee every time?

With the advent of the Flow telemetry system, every shot is measured with the data collected for analysis and also Quality coffee options are becoming available in a variety of locations.

presented in real time to the barista to give immediate feedback.

“The other side of this coin to consistency is speed. It’s great to be able to make a good coffee, but if you can’t do it fast and efficiently, especially in a convenience environment, chances are

Petrol stations with a high-quality coffee offering benefit from the added appeal and convenience this offers to consumers.

the customer won’t be coming back.”

But McCafé didn’t succeed on consistency and convenience alone. Brett says like any café or business generally, petrol stations and convenience stores will require the right branding and design to leave an impression on customers.

“We’re working with commercial fitout companies to design indoor concepts.

You need to recreate the look, feel, and experience of visiting your favourite local café, to communicate the message and feeling of quality, and I think that’s what the petrol and convenience market hasn’t really achieved yet,” he explains. “One of our plans for 2022 is developing a full end-to-end solution for the petrol and convenience sector – not just equipment, but advice on how to structure the fit-out

and market the product.”

While the wider petrol and convenience sector has only just begun to jump on the barista-made coffee trend, several independent stores and small chains – particular around highway pitstops – have found success with the model for many years. It’s also fairly common overseas, especially the United States and Europe, and Brett predicts the same will happen in Australia.

“European chains in particular have done very well moving into a different kind of retailing, where you can buy your groceries, coffee, and petrol on one trip,” Brett says. “Petrol stations aren’t just selling petrol anymore. They’ll be retailing at a higher level.”

With COVID-19 causing a shift in people’s behaviour and priorities, Brett

says now is the right time for the petrol and convenience sector to start riding the coffee wave.

“If you look at cafés, over the past two years, people have gravitated away from sitting in the café and drinking their coffee to picking it up via takeaway or drive through. The reality is, people want to do things quickly and conveniently like get their fuel, coffee, juice, groceries, flowers, whatever it might be, in the one place,” Brett says.

“With the investment we’re seeing from the big global players, in the next few years we’ll see some pretty amazing coffee offerings enter the fuel and convenience space.”

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Join the Club Volume three of the MilkLab Barista Social Club highlighted the evolution of Australia’s coffee culture and how dairy alternatives now play a role in the fabric of café menus.

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he MilkLab Barista Series has become a unique way to unite the upcoming barista community and learn from influential industry figures.

The first series event ‘From Bean to Cup: The Coffee Bean Journey’ took place in April 2021 at Three Pence Roasters in Sydney. The second instalment, ‘Mastering the variables affecting espresso quality’, took place in May at the Coffee Commune in Brisbane with Certified World Brewers Cup and World Coffee Roasters Championship Judge Danny Andrade.

The third event on 6 December, however, was an open invitation to all.

At Mecca Coffee in Sydney, registered baristas viewed the livestream of a panel discussion on the evolution of Australia’s booming coffee culture, preceded by an in-person workshop on ‘top tips for competing in coffee competitions’, led

by Ona Coffee Account Manager and Milklab Master Barista Hany Ezzat.

“The biggest point I emphasised was the self-development that comes with putting yourself on the biggest coffee stage in Australia, the ‘upgrading’ it does to not only your coffee skills but your people, performance and life skills,” Hany says.

He also spoke about the value of preparation leading into competitions

Hany Ezzat, Caleb Holstein and Paul Geshos join the MilkLab Barista Series panel in Sydney with Salvatore Malatesta via Zoom.

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and the importance of being familiar and completely comfortable with the rules.

“The Australian Specialty Coffee Association competition has pushed me personally in ways I didn’t think were imaginable, no matter the result.

There’s an infinite value that comes out of competing, volunteering or being involved in any way in these competitions,” he says.

More than 500 people across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia then joined the MilkLab Barista Series livestream event. In addition to Hany, guest speakers included St Ali Coffee Founder Salvatore Malatesta, and Mecca Coffee Founder Paul Geshos.

Coffee Curators Founder Caleb Holstein emceed the event, with the purpose to help viewers build on their industry knowledge.

Mecca Founder Paul kicked off the discussion on Australia’s evolution as a coffee nation, recalling the large influx of Italian roasters who infiltrated the Aussie market in the late 90s, early 2000s, with their imported product, including illycaffè, Lavazza, and Segafredo.

“There were a few people roasting in Sydney at that time, but no-one was doing a good job of marketing it,” Paul says. “At that stage there was just a small group of people grinding fresh to order, which was unheard of, and steaming milk in a way they could pour latte art.

From that, a little coffee community developed.”

The difficulty, Paul says, was getting insight information from the roasting community, which was quite closed off at the time.

It was hard to know what went on behind closed curtains, so it promoted me to learn more about coffee and roasting. It wasn’t until I travelled through Scandinavia that I started seeing the impact of coffee, and what was happening on the ground,” he says.

“It’s also where I met Paul Bassett, the first Australian to win the World Barista Championship [in 2003], who then introduced me to Norway barista Tim Wendelboe and its specialty coffee

scene, which was just so impressive. The coffees were super bright, super clean and complex, it was a different world to what we knew back home.”

St Ali’s Salvatore says the early 2000s was a time when there were only four or five big players in the Australian market pioneering the third wave specialty coffee. For St Ali, it was also about pioneering the direct trade movement.

“I remember my first trip to Honduras. I went with zero idea of what I was doing with a few contacts, including one for Don Pachi Estate. I arrived with one small suitcase and a suit, which I decided to wear for farm visits.

I was picked up at the airport by the Vice President of Honduras and I went around knocking on doors. One contact led to the other, and by the end, I found myself having Sunday dinner with the Petersons [of Hacienda La Esmeralda],” Salvatore says.

“For me, the epiphanic moment was when I tasted cherries off a tree. I hadn’t realised how important terroir was, and the lexicon of single estate and micro lots. It all made sense. There were many of us all chasing ‘the God shot’, including the ‘OGs’ of the specialty movement – Stumptown Founder Duane Sorenson and Intelligentsia’s Geoff Watts. But the next step was educating the customer base, because guys like us are really custodians for the farms, and we needed to protect that.”

Ona Coffee Account Manager Hany represents the next generation of coffee professional. He was inspired to launch a career in coffee after tasting a milk coffee that tasted like blueberries.

“I left school at age 17 and started a café with the owners of a Turkish family restaurant I had worked with since the age of 11 doing dishes. Once I was ready to take the next step in my barista career, I went to the best café in town

– The Cupping Room, by Ona Coffee in Canberra – and handed over my resumé,” Hany says.

“The waiter asked me if I wanted to taste a coffee that tasted like blueberries.

I had been drinking dark Italian coffee up until then, making it more than I consumed, but that one blueberry cup dragged me into the rabbit hole, and it started a love affair with coffee.”

Mecca’s Paul says that common ‘rabbit hole experience’ is also what drove him into a deep dive of the best brewing mediums to showcase the expressive nature of specialty coffee.

“I flew to Japan to experience the culture of siphon coffee bars and replicated the idea in our Sydney shop.

We had a line of customers out the door.

People were completely mesmerised,” he says.

Salvatore experienced the same “toy craze”, also investing in siphons, drippers, coffee machines, and other

devices that would enhance coffee in the best and most crazy ways.

“We were just a group of coffee lovers having fun,” Salvatore says. “I’d go to Stumptown in the United States and think it was really cool because they had all the gadgets. But then it got to the point that we had everything cool going on at our own place in St Ali. Now, everywhere in the world, cafés are being mimicked to replicate Sydney or Melbourne venues.”

In the early days of St Ali, Salvatore says 97 per cent of cafés made coffee with dairy milk. Now, he estimates one in four beverages is made with plant-based milk.

“Some people may refuse to move with the times and don’t offer dairy alternatives, but at St Ali, we offer everything,” Salvatore says.

“Our roasters cup each batch of coffee four to five times a week with dairy alternative products to ensure the correct balance. I always say to them, ‘our

Milklab Master Barista Hany Ezzat says dairy alternatives are now engrained in Australia’s café culture.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Panellists talked about the evolution of devices that have helped express the nature of specialty coffee.

customers don’t taste coffee the way we cup it’, so we need to cup our coffee with dairy and dairy alternatives.”

Salvatore is a firm believer that oat milk is a market leader in the alternative milk category. He also predicts hemp-based products will see a strong global movement in the coming years as it becomes legalised, and people become experimental.

“I think oat milk will continue to ride the 40-foot wave over the next three years and then hemp will make its move,” he says.

Ona Coffee Account Manager and Milklab Master Barista Hany Ezzat leads a barista workshop at Mecca Coffee on top tips for competing in coffee competitions.

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Paul adds that nowadays, attitudes towards dairy alternatives are largely inclusive in the roasting community.

“Many roasters have adopted the fact that dairy alternative are part of café life and are prepared to test and adjust how their coffee profiles stack up with dairy alternative products. It’s this level of care, experimentation and inspiration that people are looking to Australia for – in flavour and taste,” he says.

Hany adds that for his generation of baristas, dairy alternative drinks have

been on the bar since the get-go.

“I’ve entered the coffee world at a time where dairy alternatives have been part of the café culture from the beginning. What’s been nice to see is that attitudes towards alternative milks have been extremely positive because of the quality of products available, the fact that some are more sustainable, and have added health benefits,” he says.

“Australia is quite a progressive country, so people are naturally more curious about where their product comes from. In the past two to three years, there’s been a milk war happening as people discover what’s compatible to their needs, and I truly believe MilkLab is at the forefront of cafés using dairy alternatives. Its almond milk is the number one alternative product served in cafés.”

What’s important to remember, regardless of dairy alternate preference, is that coffee is culturally specific, and customers have the right to their selection of beverage without judgement, whether it be served as espresso, filter, or with dairy or dairy alternative milks.

“Our job is to serve the customer, give them the best experience, and ensure what we deliver is top-quality,” he says.

“That’s been evident from the start of most people’s coffee careers and will be the defining thing to uphold as the industry continues to evolve.”

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PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Penny Wolff is the Co-founder of Wolff Coffee Roasters.

Putting the spotlight on customer aggression Penny Wolff of Wolff Coffee Roasters discusses rising customer aggression during COVID-19 and how to address it.

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he old adage goes ‘the customer is always right’ but most people in the service industry will tell you that’s often not the case.

Following two years of lockdowns, restrictions, and mandates, cafés are trying to get back in the swing of things, but many are facing another problem: customer aggression.

Working in the foodservice industry, customer aggression is something you expect to sometimes deal with. However, it seems that COVID-19 has escalated the number and seriousness of incidents that café workers are experiencing.

We’ve been lucky at Wolff Coffee Roasters to have not seen too many instances of customer aggression over COVID-19, but speaking with many other business owners, it’s become clear it’s a growing problem.

Despite it never being acceptable behaviour, there may be a few reasons for this aggression towards foodservice staff.

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened emotions across the community, people are more stressed and on edge than usual.

Some customers don’t understand or aren’t happy about following mandates we haven’t chosen to put in place but must enforce.

Many businesses across Australia are also struggling to find experienced

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The relationship between the customer and café worker has changed over COVID-19, which in some cases is contributing to increased customer aggression.

workers, putting additional pressure on existing employees or having to rely on unexperienced workers. This means longer wait times and less comprehensive service for customers.

But something was telling me there was something deeper influencing customers behaviour. I spoke to a friend of mine Professor Gary Mortimer, an academic at the Queensland University of Technology,

he has recently conducted research in consumer behaviour, and he suggested another possible psychological cause for customer aggression during COVID. Typically, the customer and the service worker take a master-servant relationship.

The customer tells the worker what they want, and the worker gets it. Now, when the customer walks in the door, the first thing that happens is the worker telling

them to put a mask on or scan a QR code and show proof of vaccination or they won’t be allowed in or given service. This changes the dynamic, putting the worker in the ‘master’ position giving commands, which some customers are struggling to accept, even if they don’t realise that’s why.

So perhaps the notion that ‘the customer is always right’ is something we as a community need to change. If a customer’s food or order is wrong, and they are respectful of the staff they complain to, of course we should try to rectify the situation.

But if they are getting aggressive or abusive because they need to check in before they order or the wait times are a little long, we need to call out that behaviour and make it clear it’s unacceptable.

As business owners, we have a responsibility to be proactive about customer aggression. We need to be aware it can occur and take steps to mitigate it.

Communication is key. Make sure your employees are aware of what can happen and teach them what to do in that situation.

Maybe even think about messaging in your business directed at customers, communicating that aggressive behaviour is not OK. Earlier in the pandemic we saw some interesting campaigns and actions taken by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and Woolworth’s to curb customer aggression against retail and fast food workers.

SDA launched its No One Deserves a Serve campaign even before COVID-19 first hit. But it’s a clear message that no one deserves to be abused in the workplace became particularly resonant when people started losing their minds and panic buying toilet paper and anything else they could get their hands on.

A few months into the pandemic, working with No One Deserves a Serve, Woolworths employees started wearing a second tag under their name badge reading phrases like “I’m a mother”, “I’m a daughter”, “I’m a father”, and “I’m a son”. These were to remind customers that the people they are dealing with are just humans like them, trying to do their job.

It’s unfortunate that some customers need to be reminded of that, but perhaps we should try the same thing in our cafés.

Even if we’re not literally wearing a second tag, we need to find a way to communicate that we are in fact people that deserve respect and to feel safe in the workplace.

We are fortunate as we run two distinctly different customer-facing businesses. At Wolff Coffee Roasters it’s takeaway focused ‘cellar door’ style coffee shop as you enter the roastery and down the road the sit-down-table service-oriented Dandelion & Driftwood. We get a diverse

Non-confrontationally spotlighting inappropriate behaviour from customers in one way café workers can support their coworkers facing customer aggression.

mix of customers across the two despite being on the same road, and it seems to us that the takeaway focused sees more instances of customer aggression.

Pre-COVID, many café owners and workers could connect with their repeat customers, forming bonds and even friendships that helped cement this idea in customers. Perhaps this is something that has been lost with customers coming and going for takeaway.

For staff either experiencing customer aggression or witnessing it towards a team member, the most important thing is to not escalate the situation – you just don’t know what some people are capable of.

As difficult as it can be when someone is screaming at you, try to empathise with them, show them you understand their situation and want to make it better. If you’re witnessing abuse against a co-worker, try not to be a bystander.

Intervene unless you think it will escalate the problem. Another idea I discussed with Gary is called the spotlight effect.

Essentially, people tend to behave themselves more if they feel like they’re being watched or recorded. If a customer is becoming too aggressive, an overt reminder that other people in the café can see how they’re behaving or that a security camera overhead (that may or may not be there) is recording them can take the heat out of the moment. We’ve all seen videos online of people’s unacceptable behaviour, whether it be to service workers or complete strangers in the park or on public transport.

Most people wouldn’t want videos of them acting that way going viral.

Another staff member pulling out a phone and recording an abusive customer

might escalate the situation, but if you are in the café as a customer and want to intervene, letting the aggressor see you are recording the incident could be an option without putting yourself in danger. This is especially true if multiple customers join in.

For our business Dandelion & Driftwood, we have also used social media to send messages to our following asking them to treat our team with kindness, which at the very least can alert customer to the fact this is a problem that they won’t want to contribute to.

Unfortunately, the internet can also be a tool for customer aggression. Recently, I filmed a short segment with Nine News and the Today Show at Dandelion & Driftwood discussing new COVID-19 mandates in Queensland. An anti-vaxxer saw this segment and posted horrible reviews on Google claiming they were discriminated against and that we’re causing ‘segregation’ – for government mandates we’re forced to abide by. There is little you can do about this form of online aggression and bullying, except try to address it and hope other customers will see through it and request to have it removed.

COVID-19 has been called a reset button, a chance to do over or improve many things we do and tolerate as a society.

As café owners, workers, and customers, we need to collectively agree that the customer is not always right, and make it clear that aggression towards the people behind our wonderful coffee industry will not be tolerated. Kindness in every cup please.

For more information, visit wolffcoffeeroasters.com.au

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WATER WORKS

Anthony Bosco is the Managing Director of Espresso Works.

The wild west Anthony Bosco of Espresso Works in Western Australia discusses the importance of water filtration in Australia’s hardest water state.

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he eastern states may be more famous for their booming coffee cultures, but that same quality can be found across Australia.

At Espresso Works, we provide maintenance and sales of the finest coffee machines and associated products to coffee shops across Western Australia. We work with some of the biggest brands in coffee, including XLVI, Wega, Rocket, SAB, Slayer, La Marzocco, ECM, Mazzer and Fiorenzato

BRITA’s Finest range is designed to soften total or permanent water hardness.

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just to name a few.

Over in the west we have our own unique challenges to the rest of Australia, water quality being one of them. But relationships with partners like BRITA help us overcome them. Tap water in Western Australia comes from a variety of different sources, including desalination plants and above ground dams.

Simple groundwater also contains an abundance of minerals – including sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as organic matter – which requires our

drinking water to be treated with chlorine and fluoride, which acts as a disinfectant.

This water often goes on a longer journey from the reservoir to the tap than in smaller states, providing more opportunity to pick up the minerals along the way.

The mineral content in Western Australian water is relatively high for these reasons, resulting in a level of “hardness” which can cause a build-up of limescale within a coffee machine over time. These minerals can also change the flavour of the

coffee you’re extracting, making it difficult to achieve consistency in the café.

BRITA use a four-stage system in its Quell filters designed for coffee machines and similar appliances to protect that equipment from the build-up of limescale.

This reduces blockages or leaks over time and ultimately ensures the water within your coffee machine is protected from certain tastes and odours, ensuring the best possible tasting coffee.

Café owners and baristas sometimes ask me ‘why should I use a water filter instead of distilled water to make coffee?’

Despite seeming like a simple solution, distilled water actually adversely affects both coffee extraction as well as machinery health.

In terms of extraction, certain minerals such as calcium and magnesium play a vital role in the extraction process by binding to coffee, ensuring a more flavourful brew.

Along with a specific level of bicarbonates, they also reduce sour or flat flavour profiles and as such, you want some of these minerals to remain so you don’t extract a flat tasting coffee.

As well as their important role in extraction, certain minerals act on the drinker’s taste receptors and ultimately affect their perception of coffee flavour.

BRITA has a variable bypass system built into its filter heads, which dictates the level of filtration needed, so you have just enough to extract your desired flavours. For your machinery, this ensures the correct function of particular parts such as water level probes, which rely on the conductive properties of mineralised water.

Due to the polar nature of a water molecule, distilled water can also leach minerals and metals from within your machinery. Ultimately using a BRITA filter wins out and ensures the correct function and health of your coffee machine while also guaranteeing the best flavour profile from the extraction process. The second question I’m often asked is ‘which type of filter is best for my machine?’

I’ve worked with BRITA for Espresso Work’s water filtration solutions for more than a decade. Thanks to their efficiency and the fantastic and professional support from the company, I’ve never had to go with anyone else.

BRITA provides a range of filters along with a series of different sized filters suitable for tackling different volumes of water.

The Purity C Quell and Purity C Finest filters are specifically designed for coffee machines and vending machines. The C50 filter is typically used for domestic units, C150 for two-group machines, C300 for three-group machines, and C500 or C1100 for high-volume accounts.

The Quell range can filter water with an operational life ranging from 960 litres

Western Australia has a higher average water hardness level than eastern states.

Disclaimer: TDS has been taken in a CBD location and readings can vary.

BRITA HAS A VARIABLE BYPASS SYSTEM BUILT INTO ITS FILTER HEADS, WHICH DICTATES THE LEVEL OF FILTRATION NEEDED, SO YOU HAVE JUST ENOUGH TO EXTRACT YOUR DESIRED FLAVOURS. for the C50 all the way up to 11,500 litres for the C1100. The Purity C Quell uses a decarbonisation filter, designed for areas with a carbonate hardness higher than permanent hardness.

The Finest range come in the same sizes as the Quell, has a capacity ranging from 1100 litres up to 6000 litres, and specialises in softening water. BRITA filters all use the same filter head and are designed for ease of installation with the ability to fit into tight spaces, with a simple locking mechanism to

safe house your filter post installation.

The in-built bypass technology within BRITA filter heads ensure consistently highquality filtered water, and improved taste of coffee compared to tap or distilled water.

Ultimately, this provides protection of your coffee machine, reducing downtime and repair costs.

For more information, visit www.brita.com.au and www.espressoworks.com.au

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Green Bean Feature

Building sustainable relationships First Crop Coffee talks about the importance of paying producers fairly and maintaining an open dialogue with the farmers it supports, and the roasters it partners with.

F

irst Crop Coffee was founded

by Tony Strickett and Celina Lazarus to support coffee growing communities and provide roasters with a visible supply chain and connection to their growers.

“Celina and I started First Crop Coffee because we wanted to do what everyone says they do, which is to help farmers,” Tony says.

“We wanted to do something that wasn’t about Celina and I, that wasn’t about First Crop Coffee, but was about us finding producers and roasters to work with who value an equitable trade.

“We want producers to increase their yield because the more that they produce, the more money they can

Celina Lazarus, Co-owner of First Crop Coffee, has partnered with Sonia Castenada since 2014.

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make. So we don’t buy coffee based off the C market price, we buy coffee based on what the producers dictate to us is profitable for them.”

Tony says this model has been successful for many of the farmers the green bean importer works with, particularly Sonia Castenada, owner of Himalaya farms in the Ahuachapán region of El Salvador.

Sonia, who has worked with First Crop Coffee since 2014, uses organic farming practises. She believes this keeps the flavour of the coffee pure and honours her family’s 155-year tradition of coffee farming with the five farms she operates.

“I’m very proud of my family’s heritage and success in the Cup of

Excellence competitions. To me, honouring my family heritage and legacy is very valuable, and I plan to leave the farms to my daughters,” says Sonia.

The El Salvadorian farmer insists on growing only 100 per cent Bourbon varietal, despite the crop being highly susceptible to leaf rust fungus, which attacks the leaves of the plant.

For Sonia, leaf rust has been one of the biggest challenges she faced over the past couple of years during the coffeeharvesting season.

“It affected us drastically in our production. We lost 80 per cent of our plants and are still recovering from it as we do not have the resources to grow new plants in order to replace the ones taken by the leaf rust,” Sonia says.

Tony adds that El Salvador coffee used to be really popular in Australia, but when the leaf rust hit it decreased the volume of coffee available and pushed the price up.

“Consequently, a lot of people who bought from El Salvador stopped buying the coffee because they thought, ‘it’s too expensive, we’ll just buy from somewhere else’,” Tony says.

First Crop didn’t. It purchased the entire Himalaya harvest and paid a premium price to help relieve its financial pressures.

“We ended up getting Sonia about US$2 per kilogram more for her coffee, which is a significant amount,” Tony says. As per First Crop’s standard buying practice, this was a price dictated by Sonia as to what is profitable for her.

Since 2019, the farm has been able to produce a steady harvest.

Historically, Sonia’s farm has only produced washed coffees, which is the same method her father used, but in 2020, she attempted her first natural processed coffees.

“When the leaf rust occurred, we

First Crop Coffee aims to ensure producers are paid fairly every season.

talked to Sonia about something we’d seen other farmers in Guatemala do – plant leaf resistant varietals between their usual varietals, so the leaf rust can’t spread from tree to tree because it hits the resistant ones and dies out,” says Tony.

“She said, ‘no, I only grow Bourbon coffee, I don’t want to do it any other way’.”

But after consulting with Tony, both parties agreed that natural processing would create more interest among consumers than a typical clean washed process, and hopefully generate the demand and higher price Sonia needed to sustain her business.

Sonia and Tony communicate daily on WhatsApp, so he is always aware of

what’s happening on the ground, the challenges she’s facing, and how he can help. This was how Tony learned of the impact the global pandemic was having on Sonia’s coffee production.

“With the lack of personnel to properly work the farms, it’s hard to find workers for picking and working in the wet and dry mill,” Sonia says.

As a result, Tony says Sonia’s 2021 harvest looked bleak.

“With COVID, there was quite a labour shortage and trying to get people to come to work was really hard. People are scared because they know there’s going to be 200 other people there,” he says.

Himalaya coffee remained resilient, producing 3000 kilograms.

And after some minor shipping delays and through constant communication, Tony received Sonia’s harvest in the 2021 crop year and roasted what he believes is its best coffee yet.

“El Salvador definitely has one of the more unique flavour profiles,” Tony says.

“All of our customers who buy Sonia’s coffee rave about it. It was probably our most popular coffee this year.”

Tony says the result in the cup is due to Sonia fine-tuning her processing skills, creating a beautifully balanced coffee that flourishes fermented characteristics without jeopardising its clarity and cleanliness.

“To be able to continue to provide an excellent quality coffee fills us with a lot of pride, in addition to our environmentally friendly practices in which we guarantee all of our clients [who have] the satisfaction of consuming our coffee,” says Sonia.

“All these years of experience and passion from generation to generation, from crop to cup, continue to be present in both local and international markets with our recognised Himalaya brand.”

Despite the hardships, Sonia is eager to look to the future and assess how to improve Himalaya coffee and that of her farming community.

“I would love to see the community obtain the necessary funds to renovate the farms so it becomes possible to increase jobs in the communities, increase coffee productions, and provide a better quality of life for our workers,” she says.

Sonia is just one of the farmers First Crop works with, which Tony says creates stability for its farming partners and roasters.

“We’re booking the next three months’ worth of shipments, and the prices don’t change because the farmers we work with are paid fairly and they don’t need to worry about the market,” he says.

“We just want our partnerships to be equitable. We want them to make sense for everybody. At the end of the day, everybody’s in business. We don’t expect roasters to not be profitable, but we also don’t expect farmers to not be profitable either. So, it’s really important that people change their perception of what a coffee farmer is, because a coffee farmer is a business as well.

“That’s our ethos, that’s our business: paying coffee farmers fairly and creating that relationship for the roasters we work with.”

For more information, visit www.firstcropcoffee.com

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Green Bean Feature

Marcelo Brussi, CEO of Minas Hill (second from top left) has worked with Brazilian farmers since 2012.

Coffee that goes beyond BeanScene speaks to Minas Hill Founder Marcelo Brussi about his passion to exclusively support Brazilian specialty coffee.

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elebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2022, Minas Hill is as passionate about supporting its Brazilian farming partners and their communities as the day it started.

Minas Hill Founder Marcelo Brussi says this commitment is due to his understanding of and appreciation for the dedication of farm owners and their workers who make coffee production possible.

PARTNERS IN PASSION

“We want to celebrate the joy of partnering with producers who value innovation, sustainability and quality, while building long-lasting relationships and drinking great coffee,” Marcelo says.

“If there’s anything we want to present to the market at the beginning of 2022, it’s our producers and their incredible micro lots.”

One such producer who has worked with Minas Hill since the beginning is

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producer Jean Vilhena of Eldorado Farm in Ibiraci. Located on the border of Minas Gerais and São Paulo at 1200 metres above sea level, this farm has more than 100 years of family history in coffee growing.

“Jean will deliver more than 10 micro lots this year from his farm of 10,000 square metres,” says Marcelo.

Gabriel Oliveira, another valued Minas Hill producer, is a sixth-generation coffee producer who will deliver three award-winning micro lots this year, each named after the fruit that resembles its flavour profile.

Farmer Pedro Gabarra will deliver three micro lots, including a natural processed Geisha, produced at Fazenda Pinhal. And Ismael Andrade will present three “super batches” featuring different fermentation processes. This will include cryo-fermentation, in which cherries are fermented at low temperatures.

Marcelo says these producers will create award-winning coffees that will

redefine the concept of Brazilian coffee.

“We don’t just want to present coffees coming from a coop. It’s important for us that our customers create a strong connection with our producers.”

Marcelo says it’s for this reason that Minas Hill has encouraged producers to invest in quality since the beginning of 2021. Marcelo says delivering a quality product is key to helping Minas Hill’s customers expand their customer base, which is crucial at a time when retaining customers is challenging.

“We want to bring joy to the market by bringing more quality in the cup to Australian coffee lovers,” he says.

CONTINUING THE LEGACY

Marcelo’s admiration for coffee stems from his relationship with his grandfather Francisco Brussi who was born on a coffee farm in São Paulo.

“My grandfather was born into a coffee farm when his family immigrated

from northern Italy to Brazil, and he worked in the coffee industry for 35 years until his retirement,” says Marcelo. “So, I have coffee running through my veins.”

Marcelo’s promise to uphold his grandfather’s farming legacy is why he’s determined to help resolve the issues Brazilian producers face, such as costly equipment, technology and irregular weather patterns.

Marcelo says it is important the industry continues to value and support small farmers and their families in these micro-regions of Brazil.

“Minas Hill can’t [ignore] the issues coffee farmers face on a daily basis, or the people who work in the coffee industry in Brazil,” he says.

“Therefore, being socially and environmentally conscious and passing [these notions] onto the market has been excellent for our company, shareholders, customers, and suppliers.”

As such, the Brazilian specialty coffee importer hopes to raise the awareness of the need for Australian coffee roasters to buy specialty coffee from small-scale Brazilian producers.

Over the years, Marcelo’s relationship with dedicated producers has become so strong that Minas Hill supports a number of social and environmental projects through its farmers. This includes the Intermunicipal Games for the Environment (GIMA), created by farmers Gabriel and Flavia Oliveira and supported by the Minas Hill Foundation, which has been operating for 13 years at the Bom Jesus farm in the Alta Mogiana region.

GIMA is a project created to promote social responsibility and environmental awareness for young generations.

According to Marcelo, GIMA is the number one project that captures the attention of his customers.

“Five years ago, I [urged] Australian roasters to come forward and donate money, and that money was used to donate pushbikes to the winners of GIMA and to those children in need in Brazil, to help avoid school dropouts,” he says.

However, due to the global pandemic, GIMA 2020 was cancelled, and its Australian supporters were unable to travel to Brazil.

Many of the GIMA children were also unable to attend school classes due to Brazil’s pandemic lockdown and lacked access to internet access and technology devices.

Instead of donating bicycles to participating children, over 2002 and 2021 Minas Hill donated nearly 200 smartphones with pre-paid internet

thanks to the donations of Australian roasters to help students continue their home schooling.

Marcelo is confident GIMA will return to the strength it was before the pandemic.

“We’ve faced a lot of difficulties in the past, but we will bring GIMA back to what it was two years ago,” he says.

Flowers in Action is another community project Minas Hill has been involved in since 2019, helping to empower female farmers through recognition of their work and commitment to producing specialty coffee.

Together with the Alto da Serra Producers’ Association (APAS), Minas

dictated the rules for a long time,” he says.

“I knew women were running the farm, while men were taking the glory.”

Since it began, Flowers in Action has doubled the amount of coffee purchased and distributed to the Australian market, helping to deliver a better income for female members of APAS. “This year we will have six amazing women presenting their coffees and their hard work in the field,” says Marcelo.

Minas Hill’s philanthropic efforts have improved the transparency and professionalism through which these projects operate, and Marcelo remains committed to their growth in the years ahead.

Marcelo Brussi of Minas Hill is looking forward to seeing GIMA return this year.

Hill helps create better opportunities for female members, valuing their activities, and encouraging them to produce their own coffee.

“We had a meeting in 2018 with all of the female members of APAS, and I said ‘let’s create a new opportunity for the female farmers that allows them to farm independently from the men’,” Marcelo says.

The farmers allocated micro lots to the women, which enabled them the freedom to produce and harvest as they pleased.

“In other words, let’s create something that at the very end, gives women the recognition they deserve,” Marcelo says.

He adds that the lack of women in coffee cooperative boards displays a misguided impression that women do not play an important role in the coffee industry.

“As we know, coffee is a gender imbalanced industry, where men have

“The reputation Minas Hill has built in the past 10 years comes from honesty, commitment to the Australian market, and good quality coffee brought into the country,” he says.

Marcelo says customers can trust that Minas Hill coffee respects people and nature and will continue to support and work closely with farmers in Brazil.

“Partnering with Minas Hill means partnering with coffee that goes beyond coffee,” he says.

It means supporting the same producers who have worked with Minas Hill since the company started, with a continued philosophy to share the finest Brazilian coffee.

“We have created a new perception in the market that Brazil is capable of producing specialty coffee,” Marcelo says.

For more information, visit www.minashill.com.au

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Green Bean Feature

Education matters

Through Educare Coffee, Southland Merchants is providing smallscale Brazilian producers with technical knowledge and information to help improve their farming practices and business decisions.

Educare Coffee is empowering producers through education on the wider industry and their role in it.

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raceability has become important to many coffee roasters, sharing the stories of their coffee and how it travelled from farm to cup, but rarely are small-scale coffee producers provided with the same view of the supply chain.

Coffee trader Southland Merchants is looking to change that with the Educare Coffee project. Partnering with Brazilian non-profit Sebrae, Educare Coffee is empowering producers through education on the wider industry and their role in it.

“Many farmers don’t understand the quality of their coffee and have to go off what they hear or are told by others. They’re also not involved in the process after they drop off their cherries at the mill, which limits their ability to learn and gain that experience,” says Nadia Moreira, Co-founder of Southland Merchants.

“With COVID-19, droughts, and frost hitting their coffee farms in 2021, it’s been a challenging year for many Brazilian producers. We decided the best way to support them was with education,

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not just on production best practices and post-harvest processing, but on dealing with the international market and making the best business decisions.”

Nadia and Andre Selga founded Southland Merchants in 2017, connecting Australia with some of the finest coffees from Brazil. The trader works with many small-scale producers, whom Andre says can have difficulty accessing formal training or education.

“One of the main struggles for small farmers is how they can progress or improve the activities they’ve been doing for quite a while. It’s a family business for many producers, who haven’t had formal training or education in farming development,” Andre explains.

“Through Educare Coffee, we’re making it possible for them to access technical, science-based knowledge so they can do things in a different way and see their farmers progress.”

Sebrae is a private non-profit entity funded by the Brazilian government with the mission of promoting the sustainable and competitive development of small businesses in the country. For several

decades, Sebrae has offered programs to assist coffee producers, currently running 34 different groups across the country with more than 500 farms involved, covering over 50,000 hectares of coffee plantations.

However, due to the significant financial investment required to take part in the program, Andre says it was harder for smaller producers than medium-to-large coffee farmers to join in the training. Through Educare Coffee, Southland Merchants and its Australian roasting partners cover 80 per cent of the costs to make the service accessible.

“The program requires a big longterm commitment and a lot of work and data collection, so Sebrae recommended we not cover 100 per cent of the funding.

That way, farmers still put a little skin in the game, so they are motivated to make the most out of it,” Andre says.

“It’s a long-term program and we don’t expect to see results straight away, but having a coffee merchant like us involved, as well as our roasting partners like B3 Coffee Roasters and Extraction Artisan Coffee, reassures them that there will be a market for their improved quality. That being said, there’s no contract or promise that they have to sell their coffee to us, they’re still free to work with any coffee buyer they wish and we’re just committed to being their best option.”

Educare Coffee launched in June 2021 with a pilot group of 14 women in the Mantiqueira de Minas in the south of Minas Gerais, a region not associated with large-scale coffee production.

An agronomist specialising in coffee works with the farmers to gather and analyse data and compare this to past months to provide more information for better decision making.

“Every month they go on the farm, and check the harvests, how the plants are going, what they need, and what they don’t. When it comes to post-harvest, they follow how they are processing and what they need to change,” Nadia says.

“This technical knowledge is something these producers haven’t had

before and after only a few months, it’s helping them make better farming, fertiliser, and pesticide decisions, as well as better commercial decisions like when to sell coffee or how to secure forward contracts. That kind of knowledge is really difficult for a farmer to access on their own.”

Andre adds that Sebrae has been running these programs for more than 20 years, and many producers have continued to take part in them for several decades. This level of involvement across the country makes it possible for coffee producers to learn best practices from each other.

“There are other much larger groups running in different areas and demographics. Some of these groups involve larger, more established farmers with access to finance, which puts them in a very different position to those in our pilot,” Andre says.

“The advantage of having such a diverse group of farmers take part in these projects is the exchange of experience. The agronomists can take the best practices they see in these other groups and apply them to smaller groups of farmers with less access to information on good farming practices.”

Southland Merchants’ connection to the coffee buying side of the market contributes to the farmers’ understanding of the rest of the supply chain as well, so they can learn and watch how their coffee is exported and what customers are looking for.

“It doesn’t make much sense to thrive on the producing side of things if you don’t understand what product you’re producing and how that meets market

Educare’s first class of students performed well in the program’s first quality competition.

Educare Coffee launched in June 2021 with a pilot group of 14 women in Mantiqueira de Minas.

demand,” Andre says.

“We can bring an import/export mentality to the program, so it’s not only confined to realities of farming on the ground. We can share different perspectives and make sure all the progress they’re making in farming techniques and all the knowledge brought by the consultant don’t miss the point – to sell more coffee at better prices.”

Despite the long-term focus of Educare Coffee, Nadia says the project is already seeing results.

“We’re really happy with what we’re

seeing after a few months. We held our first quality competition among this group of producers, with three judges including a Cup of Excellence judge, where the winner scored 90 points,” she says.

“Another three of our farmers were included in the 20 finalists of last year’s Brazil Cup of Excellence, so we’re already seeing their hard work pay off.”

With Educare Coffee seeing some early successes, Andre and Nadia are excited to involve more producers in the program over the next year.

Beyond the project, Andre adds Southland Merchants’ relationships with its producing partners will be more important than ever in 2022.

“There’s a movement of farmers in Brazil who are seeing the benefits of producing good quality coffees.

Despite the challenges in Brazil last year, it was the highest quality harvest we ever received, and a big part of that is our engagement with the farmers we work with. It’s years of connecting with farmers, sharing feedback and market perspectives, and close relationships paying off,” Andre says.

“This year is already shaking up to be an even tighter supply market for coffee.

Keeping those close relationships strong is essential to making sure we, them, and the roasters that buy our coffee continue to thrive.”

For more information, visit www.southlandmerchants.com.au

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MICE2022

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling MICE2022 After several years a part, the coffee community’s interest in the 2022 Melbourne International Coffee Expo is bigger then ever with exhibition space selling fast.

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ebruary 2022 marks three years since the Australian coffee industry was last able to gather at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE). When the industry finally reunites from 27 to 30 September, the rest of the world will join it, descending on Melbourne for the 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC).

MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom says with such huge demand, exhibition space at MICE2022 is filling fast.

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and from the interest we’ve seen in MICE 2022, that’s definitely the case,” Lauren says.

“People miss each other, the opportunity to connect with new friends in coffee, and the chance to conduct business face to face – all of which is going to be happening at MICE2022.”

Espresso Mechanics is a long-time sponsor and exhibitor of MICE. National Sales, Marketing & Installations Coordinator Carly D’Agostino says she is excited to see how the coffee industry has grown in its time apart.

“We have been doing MICE every year for as long as I can remember. It is always good to see our customers but also see what other companies are up to in terms of equipment as it is always evolving every year,” Carly says.

“I think it will bring a lot of us together. We haven’t been able to take part for over two years now. We will definitely see how every company

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Five Senses Coffee is one of many Australian roasters excited to return to MICE2022.

has evolved in the time away. It will allow anybody attending MICE to see all the new innovations of machine technologies and coffee making.”

Carly also hopes to see some fresh faces at MICE2022.

“I think it is great to experience MICE at least once,” Carly says. “You can showcase what you have to offer, whether its coffee, brewing gear, coffee equipment, coffee roasters, the list goes on. It’s great exposure for your brand.”

For Cameron McDonald, Business Development Manager and Water Filtration Specialist at Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies, MICE2022 will be a chance to share products or experiences and re-engage or reconnect with the

community at large.

“Like most of the coffee industry, our team thrive on interactions at trade shows. It’s where new products, techniques, applications and opportunities arise and relationships are formed,” Cameron says.

“This event offers an opportunity for the entire industry to connect with one another in person, within a neutral space.

The industry at large has had to pivot and adapt to the constant changes in the way business is carried out recently but, ultimately, people like to interact with people and we are all very excited to be having that opportunity once again.”

Distributing many international brands, like Hario and Acaia to name

Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies uses MICE as an opportunity to reconnect with the coffee community.

a few, Bombora is excited to show the wider industry why Australia is a leading force in coffee.

“The [WBC] is an amazing draw card that Australia is fortunate to be hosting this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight our local talent and witness new trends and techniques from around the world,” Cameron says.

“The greatest contribution will be to inspire the next generation and enhance Australia’s standing within the specialty coffee community.”

Cameron says MICE attendees can expect to see many interactive demonstrations and a plethora of samples on hand to play with and enjoy from Bombora and other leading exhibitors.

“We plan to present attendees with the latest trends and unique product offerings of interest to café owners, coffee roasters, service technicians, and brewing enthusiasts alike,” he says.

“MICE has proven itself over the years to be a great platform for engaging with the broader coffee community, allowing businesses to promote their brand and offering as well as interact socially. If you are going to do one coffee show a year, it has to be MICE.” After three years without a dedicated coffee exhibition, Five Senses Coffee Strategic Project Manager Ben Bicknell says the roaster’s challenge is narrowing down what to present at the event.

“First and foremost, we’re excited to showcase the latest efforts from our producer partners – we’ll have a delicious array of their fresh arrivals on bar as both single origin filter and espresso, and in our cracking house blends,” Ben says.

“In addition, we know that some of our long-term equipment partners have exciting new product releases which

we’ll be featuring plus we’ll have a few fun surprise releases to share with everyone.”

The WBC serves as a cherry on top to Five Senses, and Ben says the competition will hopefully provide Australia with just one more reason to celebrate.

“After a long time not being able to travel and welcome the visiting coffee pros who normally grace our shores, the WBC will bring a great injection of fresh energy, ideas, and celebration to the event,” he says.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the leading barista techniques and conversations that are presented on stage infuse into our wider community.

Hopefully, hosting such an iconic event will inspire existing and new coffee people to get more involved in the industry.”

MICE is the largest coffee-dedicated expo in the Southern Hemisphere, with almost 12,000 people attending the 2019

event. Ben says he is excited to share a coffee with “likeminded folks” after a few difficult years for the coffee and café industry.

“Not only is it an opportunity to check out the latest and greatest in coffee, equipment, and suppliers but I think it’ll be a bit of a celebration for coffee people – we’ve made it out the other side of some very challenging times,” Ben says.

“This is a unique opportunity to showcase what you do and who you are to a passionate and engaged audience – and this year more than most it’s going to be a great celebration of what Australian coffee has to offer.”

To book one of the last remaining stands, contact the MICE team: internationalcoffeeexpo@ primecreative.com.au For more information on MICE2022, visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com

Espresso Mechanics is a long-time exhibitor and sponsor of MICE2022.

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CAFÉ SCENE

Ashfield Apothecary Owner Mandeep Bhusal has been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade.

ASHFIELD APOTHECARY 19 Charlotte Street Ashfield, New South Wales, 2131 Open Monday to Friday 7am to 3pm, Saturday 7am to 2pm Tucked away in the charming Sydney suburb of Ashfield is the Ashfield Apothecary, a specialty café featuring rotating beans from international and local roasters alike.

Founded by Mandeep Bhusal in 2019, he says the venue is based on educating people, building connections, and expanding Sydney’s specialty coffee scene.

“When people want a coffee, they’ll automatically think to go to the city, but we’re working to change this idea and really bridge this gap in Sydney’s coffee scene,” says Mandeep. “We want to prove that suburban areas like Ashfield really do offer great specialty coffee.”

Housed in a 40-square-metre heritage building, Ashfield Apothecary has a quaint appearance with natural light spilling into the white-walled space.

“I saw this venue while I was driving by and just had to come back to check it out,” says Mandeep. “When I opened the door, I just fell in love with the place. It completely fits what I wanted as I’ve always run big venues in the past.”

Having worked in the hospitality industry for more than a decade, Mandeep has managed and grown a number of Sydney’s well-known cafés and spent time working as a chef in a two-hat restaurant in Sydney.

“During this time, I realised I loved food, drinking, and cooking, and the connections you make in hospitality, and I knew I wanted to create a place like that,” he says. “I feel like I’ve used all this experience and

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knowledge to create the Ashfield Apothecary which is like a one-stop shop for amazing coffee flavours and is always exciting.”

At the Ashfield Apothecary, a different international roaster is featured every two months with previous roasters coming from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and more.

“With all our international roasters, there’s no middleman. These roasters buy direct from the producers which means we know they’re being treated fairly,” says Mandeep. “This means for us, when we sell an international roaster, we don’t even make money sometimes, but it’s about knowing why you want to offer this service.”

This ties in with Mandeep’s principles to source and support sustainably.

“For us it’s not about money, it’s about providing this platform, and part of that is making sure what you are being ethical, and that the farmers are being paid right,” he says. “We also try to source everything

The Apothecary Bowl features native bush spice cured salmon with local ingredients.

locally, including for our menu, which feature three set café favourites and three rotating menu items inspired by seasonal and local produce.”

This includes items such as the Apothecary Bowl which features native bush spice cured salmon with lemon myrtle, wattle seed, organic soba noodles, edamame, avocado, finger lime, and white soy dressing, or the vegan friendly date and rolled oats bircher with coconut yogurt, home-made maple roasted granola, macerated strawberries, pink lady apple, and strawberry powder.

Ashfield Apothecary also offers a host of rotating national roasters including New Paradigm, Floozy, Market Lane, Small Batch Coffee Roasters, Wood and Co, with Single O supplying the venue’s house blend.

“I’ve always worked with them and we’ve really built a strong relationship with them over the years,” says Mandeep. “They were the only brand I asked for when I started this café, and they jumped on board straight away and were super supportive.”

Mandeep says this connection across borders, within cafés and roasters, and from barista to consumer, is a pillar in Ashfield Apothecary.

“We’re all about building these types of long-term relationships and giving people the opportunity to share their specialty coffee, and for consumers, a chance to try different varieties,” he says.

With Mandeep excited to continue growing and trying new roasters, he says he is proud of the space he has created — his second home away from home — and his team for helping to create the café he’s always envisioned.

COFFEE ICONIC 340 George Street, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000 Open Monday to Friday 7am – 2:30pm, Saturday 8am to1pm.

The first time David Lin saw the to-be Coffee Iconic venue six years ago, he immediately knew it was unique space.

“Compared to other cities, Brisbane is a little bit slower in the coffee scene and this laneway café with a huge garden space out back just instantly reminded me of Melbourne. Right away I knew we could make it work,” says David.

“My wife was drawn to it as well, and with my business partner Abel, we’ve created a café that appeals to all audiences.”

Being situated in the heart of the Brisbane CBD, David says the café will typically see an influx of business people in the morning and attract an older crowd mid-morning.

“Then around lunch we get a mix of university students and people dining out. A lot of them come here for the Instagrammable latte art and food,” says David. “This is thanks to my wife who redesigned the food menu to create a fusion of Western and Asian inspired dishes.”

MATAYA EATERY 20 Sholl Street, Mandurah, Western Australlia, 6210 Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 2.00pm, Saturday to Sunday 7:30am to 2.00pm When selecting a name for her café, Natalie Adams, Owner of Mataya Eatery, says she wanted it to be representative of the café’s personality and what it offers the community.

“Mataya, to us, is like a beautiful girl who is not noticed immediately but is lifechanging. She can make you feel like you’re on top of the world when she is standing by

Mataya Eatery is described as a community hub that is family orientated.

Favourites include the Umami Mushrooms with shiitake mushrooms, dried shallots, parmesan cheese, sherry vinegar, and umami mayo spread on organic sourdough toast, or the Bulgogi Beef Burger with Bulgori beef, diced kimchi,

Coffee Iconic is a laneway café using The Alternative Dairy Co for its range of dairy alternate milks.

your side,” says Natalie. “A Mataya comes along once in a lifetime; you should not pass up a girl like her. She is unlike any girl that you will ever meet.”

This ethos runs parallel to the café.

“It represents us, we are unique and you won’t find another business like us. We don’t just offer incredible food and beverages, we have and will continue to expand into a range of offers that complement the overall business,” says Natalie.

She describes the café as a community hub that serves up fresh and wholesome food, offering food hampers and corporate gifting services while hosting workshops and events.

These include children’s activities, handson floristry workshops hosted by the in-house florist, most recently the regions first Barista Latte Art competition and monthly ongoing coffee training after hours.

“We teach attendees how to get the best out of the coffee machines they have purchased for their homes, the background of coffee, what they should be looking for if making a new purchase of a machine or equipment, and more, so they have an appreciation for coffee like we do the whole commercial coffee community,” says Natalie.

Her passion for quality coffee is why she chose Will & Co as her roasting partner and house blend.

Having worked in New South Wales and

garden salad, tomato, pickled carrot, and house-made bulgogi mayo in a milk bun.

Beside the food, Coffee Iconic serves a range of coffee blends from brands including Padre and Almanac, and offers its own Coffee Iconic bend.

“We roast our beans using a local Brisbane roaster called Cavalier, and so far, our brand includes two varieties: a flower blend and a house blend. Our house blend has chocolatey, sweet notes with a smooth body,” says David.

Choosing a milk — especially an alternative milk — to complement these carefully curated flavours is equally as important as the coffee itself, which is why David uses The Alternative Dairy Co. “The taste of The Alternative Dairy Co’s milk is so smooth yet allows the taste of the coffee to shine through, which after trialling previous dairy alternatives, is very rare to find,” says David.

“The brand’s packaging is also really attractive, and the colours look really good aesthetically. Brad, the sales rep for Alternative Dairy Co is also super supportive of us.”

In 2022, David plans to open a second venture on the other side of Brisbane’s city district, continuing to contribute to the city’s growing coffee scene.

Victoria, Natalie says she was blown away by the brand’s quality and decided to bring it to Western Australia.

“We are one of only a few venues in WA to serve Will & Co’s product. It’s unique and super fun to be part of a small collection.

Together, we have built a mobile coffee cart so we can extend our coffee services across Perth and the South West regions,” she says.

Mataya Eatery serve Will & Co’s EightO-Eight as the house blend, with Natalie frequently running single origin specials.

The roaster’s sweeter Three-O-Three blend is also poured from a cold drip and filter drip system.

The coffee offering is served alongside classic Australian brunch food, with Natalie reporting that bagels are always a huge hit.

Part of this one-stop shop, Mataya Eatery often hosts community-focused fresh produce and artisan style markets that help small businesses connect to customers.

“I’ve built this business, the concept and the branding from the ground up. I always envisioned having a strong family oriented, casually dining venue that brings together crowds, pets, families, and the hospitality community,” she says.

“I wanted to create a base, much like the meaning of Mataya, where people can come and feel comfortable, where they’re able to be themselves, be anything they want – let Mataya Eatery be their third space.”

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CAFÉ SCENE LE BAJO MILKBAR 8-14 Howard Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, 3051 Open Tuesday to Friday 7:30am – 3pm, weekends 8am – 3pm 0402189088 Combine a classic Japanese-style cuisine with an Australian milk bar and you get the eccentric Le Bajo Milkbar, a new café in North Melbourne.

“We wanted to create a vintage atmosphere with some Australian elements weaved in – hence the name Le Bajo Milkbar,” says Haruka Yamamoto, Front of House Manager at Le Bajo.

Founder Jason Gunawan had originally planned to open the café in Labuan Bajo in the Indonesian island Flores before the global pandemic halted his development plans.

“The name Bajo is inspired by its original destination in Indonesia,” says Haruka.

Determined not to let nearly nine months of planning go to waste, Jason joined forces with Co-owner Kantaro Okada to turn Le Bajo into a reality.

“Because Jason couldn’t go back due to the lockdown, he decided to bring his ideas to Melbourne instead,” says Head Barista Sean Then.

Le Bajo roasts its own coffee under the brand Ichihaze Coffee Roaster, including its house blend and a selection of single origin coffees.

“In our blend we have a single origin from Indonesia and Guatemala, which has a great flavour profile,” Sean says.

Haruka says the coffee profile pairs nicely with the smooth, full bodied flavour of Riverina Fresh milk, whom they partnered with last year.

“Riverina Fresh milk pairs really well with our coffee blend. It’s really versatile,” she says.

“The milk quality is very consistent.

We also use Riverina Fresh to make our bread and cream for our cakes and desserts, so they’ve supported us from the root.”

Le Bajo’s food menu is centred around Japanese milk bread, which is used to make most of its dishes. It’s baked on-site so the recipe can be fine-tuned to suit the cuisine.

“Having that classic Japanese bread is the most special part of Le Bajo because it hasn’t been done before in Melbourne. We use that bread as the main base of all our products,” says Haruka.

From the cups to the cabinets, Le Bajo’s tableware and furniture have

been gathered from antique markets, such as the Camberwell Market in Victoria, a place Jason loved to collect unique things from when he was young.

“You can feel the love of vintage items just by dining with us,” says Haruka.

Customers can expect to see more of the Le Bajo crew in 2022, with two new venues opening with completely different themes and ambiances.

“Being in an area that’s already very saturated with a lot of coffee venues, having our own identity wherever we go is something that we strive for,” says Haruka.

Le Bajo attracts local and remote customers to its recently opened venue.

KNEAD ON BENSON 76 Benson Road, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand 1050 Open every day 6:30am to 2pm When James Bryant decided to open Knead on Benson in Remuera, New Zealand, it was a return to his origin.

“For me, what is special about this café is it’s the same block of shops I grew up in and is where I got my first job in hospitality and fell in love the industry,” says James. “I’ve spent my whole life in this neighbourhood and have such a strong connection with the local community.”

Knead and Benson is an artisanal bakery with a focus on French pastries, located in a heritage building. It is the counterpart to James’ seaside restaurant, Takapuna Beach Café.

“The team at Takapuna are amazing, and I wanted to make sure I could continue to provide them with opportunities so they could continue to develop and grow,” says James.

“There was a drive there to have a focus on bakery items, however, following our philosophy at Takapuna, we wanted to create everything in-house ourselves and needed the space to do so.”

When James heard the venue was becoming available — which had been a bakery since 1930 — he knew it was the

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High ceilings, polished woods, a white coloured palate, and La Marzocco GB5x tie Knead on Benson together.

perfect fit.

“It’s been a real passion project for me.

For example, my mum and I designed the café together and I was sending off the order for the tiles on the day of my wedding,” he says.

James says the café’s design was inspired by places he has visited around the world, and a drive to create a space that was “out of the box”.

With its high ceilings, polished woods, white coloured palate and La Marzocco GB5x coffee machine centrepiece, it all ties together.

“This machine is important to me because none of my other venues have a feature piece

like this. It’s all thanks to the New Zealand branch of La Marzocco and our coffee roaster Allpress Espresso,” says James.

He says Allpress has been his choice of roasters since his early hospitality days, with the café’s most popular blend being the Espresso, a combination of sweet, balanced, and complex flavours.

“Having just opened since the start of November, it’s been fantastic hearing our customer feedback and seeing our team grow and love the products their creating and putting out,” says James.

“Looking to 2022, we can’t wait to move out of COVID, enjoy summer, and see what opportunities are in store next.”

Lakeside Café serves up Mocopan’s Pasquale coffee for its smooth, full-bodied flavour.

LAKESIDE CAFÉ 69 Sir Ross Smith Boulevard, Oakden, South Australia, 5086 Open every day 9am – 9pm Situated next to a lake within Roy Amer Reserve is the Lakeside Café, a laid-back, family friendly venue that Manager Amy Yu has been running for the past year.

“I graduated with a degree in civil engineering just before COVID-19 and

found it difficult to find a job in China,” Amy says. “I decided to move to South Australia and fell in love with the area.

When the opportunity came up to manage the café, I jumped at it.”

The sunny suburban café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, catering to a wide demographic from young couples to families and older diners.

“We have a loyal customer base who I really love. Everyone here is so friendly

and welcoming that it makes me love working in the café,” says Amy. “One of the most unique aspects of the café is that we are located right next to a reserve so people dining outdoors feel like they are surrounded by nature.”

Amy adds that this location combined with her team’s warm hospitality makes it the perfect spot for both a quick takeaway meal or a dine-in lunch with family and friends.

Serving up classic café food, Amy says favourites include the Prosciutto Scacciata, or pizza herb bread with prosciutto, rocket, and bocconcini cheese, with the Gourmet Veg Burger or Seafood Platters always a hit later in the day.

Alongside its impressive menu range, Lakeside Café serves up Mocopan’s Pasquale coffee, which Amy says is a favourite among guests for its smooth, fullbodied flavour that releases an irresistible aroma.

With notes of chocolate, caramel, and sweetly spicy aroma, she says it complements both dairy and nondairy milk.

“Before I started managing Lakeside Café, I didn’t know a lot about coffee, but with Mocopan helping me with any technical issues and providing support, I’ve learned so much,” Amy says.

In the future, Amy plans to continue upgrading the café and building upon its menu.

Lakeside Café is located next to a reserve so people dining outdoors feel like they are surrounded by nature.

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TRAINING TACTICS

Babin Gurung is the New South Wales Barista Trainer of Suntory Coffee Australia.

Creating espresso recipes Mocopan Coffee’s Babin Gurung shares how to set your own espresso recipe and the critical variables to manage for consistent results and maximum flavour, every time.

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spresso recipes are a guide to producing consistent coffees in your café. Much like cooking or baking, having a recipe to go by helps set the variables to achieve the desired outcome every time. Often, your coffee roaster will provide you the recipe or brew guide to suit the coffee.

While this is a great starting point, further adjustments may be required due to variations in equipment on hand, style of coffee you serve, customer-base, and even the location of your café.

Having the knowledge and confidence to adjust your espresso recipe is key to getting the best out of your coffee and not wasting precious grounds in the process.

Today, we’ll look at how to create your own espresso recipe. But first, here are a few things to consider before we dial in.

• Coffee origin: In the October issue of BeanScene, we talked about single origin coffees and how flavours can vary based on their origin.

When creating a recipe, whether it’s for a single origin or blend, your goal should be to highlight the characteristics of the region. The other thing to keep in mind, is that coffees grown in higher elevation are denser and can be more difficult to extract compared to lower elevation coffee. A finer grind setting may be required to achieve maximum extraction.

• Coffee style: The two main styles of coffee served at cafés are black and

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milk-based. For milk-based, your espresso needs to cut through and complement the richness of the milk, while black coffee should highlight some of its origin characteristics. If you are planning on serving the same coffee for both styles, you need to find a good balance.

• Roast profile: Roasting has a big impact not only on the flavour of coffee but also how it extracts. Darker roasted coffees are easier to extract compared to lighter roasted coffees.

This will impact the size of dose you use, extraction time to water

temperature. A higher dose works well with darker roasts while a smaller dose may be required to extract full flavours from a lighter roast.

• Coffee age: As discussed in the February 2021 edition of BeanScene, ‘How to adjust and calibrate your coffee grinder’, coffee degasses over time, making it easier to extract.

When using freshly roasted coffee, it is important to adjust the recipe to encourage higher extraction, while coffee that has spent more time on the shelf may require lower yield and extraction time. It is ideal to have a

Remember to adjust your espresso recipe to encourage higher extraction when using freshly roasted coffee.

recipe that can be adjusted according to the age of the beans and changing weather conditions.

Equipment: Depending on the capacity of your coffee machine and grinder, adjustments may be required to the recipe. Water temperature and pressure plays a big role in extraction. Extracting finer ground coffee on a machine with pressure below nine bars can cause uneven saturation and slower extraction.

Lighter roasted coffee works better in higher water temperature (90°C+) but darker roasted coffee may need a lower temperature to avoid over-extraction.

Similarly, baskets in a portafilter are designed to hold different amounts of coffee. Your coffee dose needs to match the basket size as you do not want to overfill or underfill the basket. Ground coffee expands as the water passes through it, so you need to factor that in before choosing the right dose.

Now that we understand these variables, let’s look at the steps needed to create an espresso recipe.

Step 1: Choose a brew ratio. Here are some common ratios.

Ristretto: This has approximately 1:1 ratio of ground coffee and liquid. This ratio gives you a smaller shot, producing intense flavour, which works for some coffees, but ristrettos can sometimes lack clarity of flavours and therefore are not suitable for all coffee types.

Espresso: This has a ratio of 1:2 – one gram coffee to two grams liquid.

Compared to ristrettos, espresso has more water flowing through the coffee which allows more flavours to extract.

Along with body, you also get more clarity of flavours, making it a popular choice in cafés around the world.

Lungo: Lungo has a higher ratio of approximately 1:3 coffee to liquid. The coffee is more diluted in this ratio which can result in the decrease of intensity.

But what you’ll find is that the individual flavour notes are more pronounced. Any coffee with delicate flavour notes will benefit from a lungo ratio but it may not work for milk-based coffees. Picking the ratio will help you determine your dose and volume (yield).

Step 2: Choose dose size. Dose will depend on the above mentioned factors such as style of coffee, roast profile, and basket size. Traditional Italian style coffee has between 14 to 18 grams of coffee while modern espressos use around 20 to 24 grams. If unsure, use the amount of coffee that your portafilter basket can hold. Dose will help you control the body and mouthfeel of coffee. Once you pick the dose, you are ready to test

Extraction time dictates what flavours you extract. Aim for a 25 to 30 second extraction, then taste and adjust.

your shot. It is important that you make manual adjustments and not auto-set the machine for any variables at this stage.

Step 3: Run a shot to check extraction time. Extraction time dictates what flavours you extract. Quicker extraction time can often lead to under-extraction making your shot taste sour with lack of balance while longer extraction time can make your coffee taste bitter, astringent, and hollow. Somewhere in the middle is your sweet spot. Taste the coffee and record the time. Around 25 to 30 seconds is generally a good place to start. You can achieve a slower extraction time by making your grind finer and faster extraction by going coarser.

Here’s what to look for while tasting: Balance: Regardless of what type of coffee you are using, you are looking for balance between bitterness, sourness, and sweetness.

Mouthfeel: This refers to the body of coffee. Bigger body and texture can work really well for some coffees while some fruitier coffees may need a more subtle and light mouthfeel. Brew ratios often dictate the body and mouthfeel of coffee.

Sweetness: Sweetness is a big part of enjoying coffee. The goal should always be to find maximum sweetness from the coffee. Extraction time can help you chase the sweetness and minimise bitterness.

After taste: How the coffee sits in your

palate after the sip is important. Coffee with the right body and sweetness will add to the experience of enjoying your coffee. Flavour dissipating quickly or lingering bitterness is often a sign that coffee isn’t extracted properly or that further diagnostics is required to improve the flavour.

Once you taste the coffee, it is time to see if you’ve achieved the desired flavour.

If further adjustment is needed, always change one variable at a time.

Start with dose to find the right body and mouthfeel then chase the sweet spot by changing extraction time. Where possible, push the limit of extraction, and stop just before you start seeing negative or diminishing returns.

Where you find your flavour peak is when you need to lock in the variables and record the numbers in the order of dose, extraction time, and volume (yield). This is now your coffee recipe or brew guide. This can now be set in any automatic grinder and coffee machine which allows you to replicate the same flavour every single time.

It is also important to frequently check these variables to ensure no changes have occurred due to factors such as weather change, equipment or human error.

With these principles in place, you can dial in any coffee and create your own espresso recipe to get the best out of your coffee.

For more information, visit mocopan.com.au

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POWERED BY VITASOY

Matthew Lewin is the 2019 ASCA Vitasoy Barista Champion and Café Ambassador for Vitasoy.

A barista’s guide to dairy alternatives: tips & tricks Matthew Lewin shares his top 10 tips & tricks for making the most out of your plant-based milks.

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’ve really enjoyed taking a deep dive into the world of plant-based milks in the past few columns and hope you’ve learnt something new along the way. Now that we’ve covered the ‘theory’ behind plant-based milks, this time around we’ll get straight to the practical things you’ll need to know when working on the coffee bar.

Here are my top tips & tricks to help you master dairy alternatives in your café.

Matthew recommends using dairy alternative cartons with an airtight lid so they can be shaken each time before use.

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1. Have the right options available.

More and more customers are becoming plant-based milk drinkers, but people often have different tastes and preferences. There are many options on the market and having too many can make service difficult to manage. If you have the ‘big three’ of oat, almond, and soy on your roster, alongside dairy and light/skim milk, you should be able to satisfy most customers.

The Vitasoy Café for Baristas range includes these three milks, which have optimal taste for pairing with coffee. They are also locally made and support the Australian community and rural farmers, as well as the barista championships.

Having worked with Vitasoy for a while now, I’ve come to really appreciate their vision and goal to become widely known as the best plant-based milk for coffee.

2. K eep your milks cold, even after opening.

During the morning rush, you’re likely to be going through bottles and cartons of several different dairy and plant-based milks. While it’s easier and quicker to leave them all on the counter for easy access, you don’t want them out of the fridge for more than a couple of minutes.

Leaving them out too long becomes a food safety issue, but beyond that, room temperature milks don’t texture as well as cold milks.

They won’t perform as well while you’re steaming and will lack clarity and sweetness in the cup. It also frees up bench space, giving you more room and flexibility to work, which balances out the speed benefits of having all the bottles and cartons out anyway.

PRO TIP: Try to keep your milk jugs cold too. This helps keep the milk cold before you steam it and gives you more time to work with it.

3. S hake the carton every time before using it and try to use cartons with lids.

Most baristas know to give the carton a shake before opening it, but really, you should be doing this every time you use a plant-based milk. This is because plantbased milks contain several solids and liquids, which can separate if they’re left to sit, so a quick shake will harmonise the dairy alternative and give it a consistent performance from cup to cup.

Working on coffee bars, I’ve come to prefer plant-based milks like the Vitasoy Café for Baristas range that come with an airtight lid. This makes it easier (and cleaner) to shake repeatedly and does a better job of keeping air from oxidising the milk after opening the carton.

4. I ntroduce air to milk in vortex immediately after you start steaming.

Start with the tip of your steam wand submerged in the milk so you can get it spinning. Once the vortex is going, start introducing a light amount of air. You should only be hearing little hisses. Stop introducing air once the milk is around 40°C and you’ll get a much sweeter product.

PRO TIP: If you’re using powdered hot chocolate or chai mixes, use a small whisk or nanofoamer to blend the powders into the milk before you start steaming. This ensure a more even texture and stops the powder from clumping.

5. S team all plant-based milk as you would for a flat white, rather than a latte or cappuccino.

Plant-based milks can foam faster than traditional dairy, so you don’t want to introduce too much air into it. Think about it like a flat white compared to a latte or cappuccino and aim for only 0.5-to-one centimetre of foam for each coffee.

6. D on’t push dairy alternatives past 55°C to 60°C and keep your cups preheated.

Plant-based milks will denature and split at a lower temperature than dairy, so you don’t want to overheat them. To make up for the lower temperature, use preheated cups so the coffee cools down slowly. The simplest way is to keep cups upside down on top of the coffee machine.

PRO TIP: Try to use ceramic cups instead of glass. They’ll hold the heat better, the coffee will taste better, and their design is usually easier for the barista to handle.

7. K eep moving and don’t let the steamed plant-based milk sit for too long.

As soon as you’ve finished texturing

Introducing a small amount of milk to your coffee before the main pour will help harmonise the two liquids.

a plant-based milk, it’s a good idea to start pouring your coffees straight away.

Moving swiftly will avoid separation from happening in the milk jug, ensuring your customer gets a silky and delicious milk.

A steadier pour will also encourage more harmonisation between the milk and coffee, so the end drink looks and tastes better than a jumpy or inconsistent pour will. The overall experience is more of a marriage, rather than just coffee with milk added.

PRO TIP: Always use the handle to hold the cup. Especially after COVID-19, hygiene is more important than ever, so try not to hold the cup by the rim the customer will be drinking from.

8. Build a canvas.

This might sound like it goes against my last point, but before your ‘main’ pour, add 10 to 20 millilitres of textured milk to the espresso base and give it a small swirl.

This creates a ‘coffee canvas’ that sets the foundation for pouring the remaining milk with ease of integration, colour contrast between the milk and coffee.

9. Pour from height.

This applies to dairy milk too. Pouring your milk from a high starting point helps it to pierce through the espresso coffee, preserving the coffee’s visual appeal. Pour slow and carefully and draw closer to the

surface when you’re ready to create latte art, usually when the cup is halfway full.

During normal café service, simple latte art is always best. More complex patterns take time and can throw off the milk/coffee balance in the cup. A nice and simple heart is always a good way to go and lets you top up your cup without ruining the pattern.

10. T ry to pair your plant-based milks with coffees or beverages that suit their flavour profile.

Ultimately, the customer will usually decide what plant-based milk they want, but if they’re open to different options, try to steer them to whichever one you think will work best with their drink.

Oat is creamy with a nice neutral flavour, which is perfect for lighter fruity coffees or complex mochas.

Almond is rich and nutty with a round mouthfeel perfect for hot chocolates and chocolatey coffees.

Soy has a decadent texture, is cloyingly sweet, and a beany taste, that works great for chai lattes and classic, dark roasted coffees.

For more information, visit vitasoycafe.com.au, or contact your local distributor or the Bega Dairy and Drinks Customer Service team on 1800 000 570.

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ESPRESSO YOURSELF

Victor Vu of Ona Coffee Melbourne is the 2020 ASCA Australian Pauls Professional Latte Art Champion

Phoenix Victor Vu spreads his wings with a classic mythical symbol to kick-start the year.

L

ike a phoenix rises from the ashes, I think 2022 will be a year of hope and revival for our special coffee community.

Lockdowns are – hopefully – in the past and we can get back to business, serving amazing coffee to

the people.

For this edition, I chose to highlight my phoenix design, one of my first latte art patterns that has gone through many lives and iterations over the years. This pattern is a good turning point in your latte art journey, taking the skills you’ve built in the café up to the next level to create something more detailed and complex.

The beauty of this pattern, aside from its aesthetics, is that

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it’s produced using the same simply techniques you’d use for beginner latte art designs like the swan, but with a bit more detail and finesse.

You’ll need a good handle of the basic techniques to perform this pattern. Swaying and pulling builds the body of the phoenix while carefully poured and places rosetta motions create its wings and features. A small drag creates the neck with a small heart forming the head. These features combine to create the iconic mythic bird, a symbol of rebirth, healing, and good luck.

The last point, good luck, is what I hope this design provides to you in the year ahead, as well as myself as I prepare for the World Latte Art Championship in June at World of Coffee in Poland.

1.

Build your base and with the handle at three o’clock, pour a wide three-leaf rosetta and pull through the middle to create the body.

3.

Pour a parallel rosetta on the left side of the body.

5.

Pour a parallel small rosetta above the left wing.

7.

From the centre of the cup, drag a slightly curved line up towards this crest.

2.

Along the right side of the body, pour a curving 14-leaf rosetta and pull back through the inside of the rosetta.

4.

On top of the right rosetta wing, pour a five-leaf rosetta pointing upwards and pull through towards the centre of the cup.

6.

At the top of the cup, pour a quick and tiny little rosetta to form a ~ shaped crest.

8.

Pour a small heart to form the head and cut through like you would in a swan pattern.

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NZSCA

Emma McDougall is the Communications and Administration Co-ordinator of the NZSCA.

Collaboration over competition

A

The NZSCA on working together to grow the specialty coffee industry.

previous article of ours had front footed the situation of explaining what goes into each cup of coffee. As we all know, there are hidden factors which are our customers, some of whom are predominately driven by price, don’t want to pay for. Educating the public has been relatively easy, probably even romantic for the New Zealand wine and craft beer industry but drawing comparisons with coffee, our daily luxury, has been slightly harder as the consuming public are reactive to any price fluctuations. We must remember that 70 per cent of the New Zealand public drink instant as their go-to morning beverage. So how do we tell and sell them the story on specialty coffee?

The uncertainties of COVID-19 have been a challenge for us all, emotionally, mentally and financially. When a clickbait article hit the media on the price of the NZ$7 flat white, Richard Corney of Flight Coffee in Wellington defended his company’s stance. We have all felt the impact of inflation, rent, minimum wage increases, packaging, and transport as well as the cost of green. Consumers seem to have forgotten January 2020 when it was reported that the flat white would hit $5 and the outrage it caused then.

We all need to stand in solidarity when selling the story of the value in each cup.

The comments (on Stuff, New Zealand’s online media platform) generated more traction than if we were arguing which side of the trans-Tasman the flat white or pavlova was from. Other members jumped in on the cause. David Huang of Society Coffee broke down the exact price of each component in the cup. Our consumers are passionate coffee drinkers and we are united

in serving them tasty brews. We are lucky to have a market where everyone can operate and cooperate. We can’t succinctly capture the feeling of having to operate a business with ever changing mandates, passes, border closures, and logistic challenges of the past two years. It’s the networking and knowledge sharing on things like subsidies, business risk assessments, and government requirements which has allowed us to continue to trade.

After the snap August lockdown, a prolonged period of limited hospitality and negotiating the traffic light system of restrictions, our industry has a lot to deal with. Closed borders have made employing transient staff a challenge, working from home has decreased inner-city foot traffic while regional is increasing, and many of us are buying coffee machines for our own home kitchens. This is a definite win on machine sales, bean subscriptions, and online barista training for our members and it’s this concept of diversifying the market that has allowed our members to continue to trade. Recently, we heard a great example of this from one of our members: ‘What about an advent calendar featuring NZ roasters, a different coffee to discover each day, and a tasty cup to countdown to the holidays?’ So, Paul Harris from member company The Snobby Collective collaborated with packaging suppliers, green bean suppliers, and 16 roasters to create a New Zealand coffee first.

“To be able to create something that gets us all in front of our target market with little financial risk is exactly what we needed.

Though the reach may have been small, it has not gone unnoticed. It’s exactly what I had wanted to do, but hadn’t thought of that format or any way to make it reality. A

bit of a daunting task, it’s definitely revived some of my lost passion and enthusiasm since this whole pandemic debacle,” Paul says. “The Coffee Advent Calendar was a highlight and a perfect way to get coffee drinkers stepping outside their routine and trying coffees and roasters they may not have otherwise sampled.”

Paul says the aim of the collaboration was “to bring as many roasters together under one roof as possible”.

“That process lead me to wanting to create something of a coffee festival in a box. I think it hit that mark,” he explains.

“Given the success, I am committed to doing the same again next year and have confidence it will grow.” Paul has ideas to other boxes in a similar series, and the sizes will vary as will the theme.

Paul says he was inspired by exactly what he didn’t want to do, but now has the perfect reason to get roasters together again.

Isn’t that the nature of coffee?

Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, like put the price up after absorbing the variable costs for too long.

Each coffee in the advent calendar may have a perceived high cost overall, but knowing the value in sustainably sourcing, roasting, and packaging, we are creating the base knowledge for our consumers.

Despite the dauting task we have ahead, our industry is inspiring you to explain the value in the cup to your customers, diversify, innovate and collaborate to spread the message.

For more information on the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association, or to join, visit www.nzsca.org

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the move BeanScene celebrates the latest industry appointments in the Australian coffee landscape.

CALEB CHA – HUMBLE TIGERS COFFEE ROASTERS Caleb Cha, 2015 World Latte Art Champion, World Coffee Events Certified Visual Judge and CEO of Tigerous Espresso specialty café in Melbourne, has added the title of “roaster” to his resume.

Caleb has launched his own Humble Tigers Coffee Roasters brand, which he says is strongly influenced by Zest Coffee and Acoffee’s roasting style – two brands he has learned a lot from over the years.

“Roasting coffee always has been my ultimate goal for a better understanding about coffee.

I really wanted to experience the complete seed to cup process as a coffee professional and this career move is a step forward in that direction,” Caleb says.

Caleb has since gained retain accounts and was invited to Korea to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Korea and Australia, and represent Australian coffee culture.

Caleb looks forward to expanding Humble Tigers Coffee Roasters to clientele in Southeast Asian, Australasian, and eventually the United States.

“I am very excited about the future.

After all, it is the year of ‘the tiger’,” he says.

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KATHY WOOD – SEVEN MILES COFFEE ROASTERS, HEAD OF PEOPLE, CULTURE AND IMPACT Seven Miles Coffee Roasters has welcomed Kathy Wood, ex- Head of Human Resources at Guzman y Gomez, as its first Head of People, Culture and Impact, a role created to support and enable the 7M objectives in the areas of attracting, developing and retaining talent, championing its cultural values, and driving its Environmental, Social, and Governance Impact agenda.

Kathy’s wealth of experience will enable 7M to continue the focus on happy thriving people to enable happy thriving customers.

Importantly, 7M will now have additional focus on galvanising its collective efforts on the impact it makes on the world, ensuring its continued focus on environmental, social and economic sustainability continues to move in the right direction.

ANDRÉ EIERMANN – VICTORIA ARDUINO AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND GENERAL MANAGER After waiting 21 months, André Eiermann has finally made it onto Australian soil to join Brett Dedman at the Victoria Arduino Experience Lab in Melbourne.

The 2017 Swiss Barista Champion, author, and brand ambassador for Simonelli Group first spent time in Australian in February 2019.

Before making a permanent move to Melbourne, André worked on new equipment in the Victoria Arduino R&D lab in Italy.

The Swiss national will now resume his role as General Manager of Victoria Arduino Australia and New Zealand from Melbourne, where he is excited to start this new chapter.

“I was impressed when I first stepped into the Lab. It was a true experience with so much attention to detail,” he says.

Andre looks forward to connecting with the local coffee community to help them discover the new Victoria Arduino Mythos grinder and Black Eagle Maverick espresso machine.

“It is always great to pull shots with other coffee professionals, to stresstest new equipment and to fine-tune it thanks to baristas who will work with it on a daily basis,” André says.

WANTED: EMPLOYEES! Is your business looking to fulfil a vacant position in the coffee industry? Tired of sifting through non-industry specific candidates via saturated marketing platforms and failing to find “the one”? Look no further. BeanScene has created a new “Jobs” page on our website to help target industry-specific roles. Standard and premium listings are available. All job listings will be promoted through our weekly EDM and shared on BeanScene socials.

For pricing inquiries and more information, contact: COURTNEY WALKER courtney.walker@primecreative.com.au +61 481 736 890

If you have taken on a new role in a prominent coffee business, or if you would like to promote your exciting new hire, send details of the career news alongside a high-res photo to Ethan Miller at ethan.miller@primecreative.com.au

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In Australia, we are proud to support the work being done in Lambari, Brazil and Meta, Colombia with our locally roasted food service range.

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