BEANSCENE MAG Apr 2022

A World-Class Coffee Magazine

APRIL 2022

A new perception When design and performance collide

Federico Bolanos rises to the top of the coaching chain

How to build exceptional customer service Celebrating dairy & dairy alternatives

The M200 arrives in Australia

73 ISSN 1449-2547

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APRIL 2022

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contents 12 16

NEWS

STUFF ON THE SCENE

INDUSTRY PROFILES

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KNOWLEDGE LEADER

Federico Bolanos on his journey to the top of the coaching chain and why failure is always a good lesson

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CELEBRITY COOK

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A MAGICAL WORLD

KEEPING THE INDUSTRY COVERED

SOMETHING BREWING

Arkadia Beverages expands its portfolio to include an exclusive tea range EXPOSING THE POSSIBILITIES

Naked Syrups displays a playful new-look range 6 beanscenemag.com.au

Vitasoy Ambassador Matthew Lewin on how cafés can make sustainable choices

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ESPRESSO YOURSELF

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CAFÉ SCENE

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WASTE NOT WANT NOT

A CHAIN REACTION

A BARISTA’S GUIDE TO DAIRY ALTERNATIVES

How Mumac Museum transforms invisible machines into works of art M ELBOURNE COFFEE WEEK: BIGGER. BETTER. BACK

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Brew Solutions Australia wants customers to make sustainable coffee equipment choices

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Victor Vu refines his take on a classic parrot with a little more detail, and a lot more character

DESTINED TO THRIVE

Star Outdoor helps customers maximise brand presence during the outdoor dining movement

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VIRTUAL VICTORY

The World AeroPress Championship crowns first virtual winner

A week’s worth of activities to unite the coffee community

Five Senses Coffee coming to a Coles supermarket near you

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MasterChef Judge Melissa Leong talks AeroPress and memorable coffee moments

How WKSHOP helps businesses reach the next level of growth

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FEATURE NEWS

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THE M200

The first LaCimbali M200 arrives in the Asia-Pacific area POWERED TO PERFORM

Barista Technology Australia on how a suite of appliances can support ultimate workflow

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PERFECT PARTNERS

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READY TO ROLL

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A PARTNER FIRST

Brambati S.p.A and Lavazza join forces for a next-level project The market is ready and Rancilio Australia is open for business Espresso Mechanics has a device to suit every sized business

SKILL BASE

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TRAINING TACTICS

Suntory Coffee on how to build exceptional customer service

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SHAKE IT UP

MONIN showcases menu possibilities when quality coffee and flavoured ingredients meet

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UPSIDE DOWN AND BACK TO FRONT

Toby’s Estate flagship store reopens with a unique view of coffee

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ONE OF A KIND

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DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVES

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CAFÉ SCENE

Bombora’s Cameron McDonald explains how BRITA’s range of filters can treat the toughest of water conditions Must-have café products and equipment to meet demand Around Australia and New Zealand

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Members ride the COVID wave

102 PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Celebrating industry movements and new positions

BO

ND I MI C

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BeanScene

covershoot

PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au

Covershoot location: Brunetti Oro Flinders Lane 250 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000 brunettioro.com.au

JOURNALIST Hayley Ralph hayley.ralph@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey

M200 Distributor: Service Sphere 64-90 Sutton St, North Melbourne VIC 3051 servicesphere.com.au

DESIGN Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey

When BeanScene was told there was just one LaCimbali M200 in the country, and it was in the hands of leading equipment and service provider Service Sphere, we made arrangements to install the Italiandesigned and manufactured model onto the marble benchtop of another iconic Italian venue, Brunetti Oro in Melbourne.

Walking into the venue with restrictions eased and the bustle of city goers, eyes locked with the model as we spotted it from the shop entrance, yet customers were oblivious to the significance of the machine sitting amongst them.

“Like most LaCimbali espresso machines, the M200 is a piece of art, an installation and a symbol of architecture and technological innovation,” says BeanScene Editor Sarah Baker.

“To have the M200 finally in Australia is an incredible achievement for Service Sphere and the Australian coffee community.”

To fully appreciate the science and ethos behind the model, this edition BeanScene talked to Gruppo Cimbali Coffee Equipment Manager Filippo Mazzoni and Designer Valerio Cometti (see page 27) to understand the intricacies behind this statement piece. As we learned, LaCimbali has a unique way of turning everyday utilities into statements pieces. Not only has this model maintained Cimbali’s classic C trademark shape, its engine – the boiler – is raised off the ground, like a Ferrari F1 car, and its lines symbolise speed and effortless flow.

The M200 uses multi-boiler technology, featuring GT1, GT2 and Profile technology. GT1 technology controls the temperature of each boiler, GT2 technology allows the user to set up to two different temperature profiles on the one boiler, and Profile technology adds differentiated modulation of the pressure profile to the temperature control for an even more precise and consistent result.

Service Sphere Director Maurizio Marcocci says having the first M200 in the Asia-Pacific area is testament to Australia’s reputation as a “guiding light” when it comes to coffee standards.

“Cafés are becoming more sophisticated and experienced in coffee making,” Maurizio says.

“Cafés need to ensure they offer customers a machine that complements the ambiance of the A new perception venue and removes the barrier between the customer and the barista, and that’s what the M200 does so well. We know the Australian market is going to love it.

APRIL 2022

A World -Class Coffe e Magaz ine

When design and performance collid e

Federico Bolano rises to the top of s the coaching chain

How to build except ional customer service

Dairy & dairy alterna tives in the spotlight

The M200 arrives in Australia

73 ISSN 1449-2547

9 771449 254002

8 beanscenemag.com.au

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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 Juan Lee Lui CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Lewin, Victor Vu, Emma McDougall, Elouise del Rosario, Cameron McDonald, Emma McDougall, Madeleine De Gabriele 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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CARBON NEUTRAL happyhappysoyboy

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

Elouise del Rosario is the NSW Barista Trainer for Suntory Coffee Australia. Elouise has more than 15 years of experience in the coffee industry. She started as a barista, before moving into management, and now training.

Elouise has developed a wealth of knowledge that she enjoys sharing with the next generation of baristas, with a key focus on quality and consistency. When Elouise is not training, you will find her café hopping around Sydney, sipping on a single origin espresso.

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.

Cameron McDonald is the Business Development Manager at Water Filtration Specialist for Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies.

Joining the Bombora team in 2018, Cameron holds more than 15 years of experience working for two of the world’s leading international water filtration manufacturers, 3M Australia and Brita.

Having collaborated with some of Australia’s toptier machine, appliance, food service equipment, quick-serve restaurant, and plumbing and hardware companies, Cameron brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise in the specialised field of water filtration.

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

CHANGE IS BREWING

T

here’s a change in the air. Just as the autumn leaves begin to fall and the temperature takes a dive, the coffee industry is bracing for what feels like another round of operational challenges after a barricading two years of COVID. Staff shortages remain, finding the right quality of people is an ongoing battle, parts of Queensland and New South Wales are recovering from severe flooding, and the increased price of goods is being felt throughout the supply chain.

The price of coffee alone continues its upwards spike for the 17th straight month, the cost of freight has quadrupled for some, and many businesses are having to make the call to bare the price burden or pass it down the line.

It’s a challenging environment but one that forces conversations around transparency. It is also a time when café operators are questioning everything: the relationships they hold with suppliers and technicians, how they can get the best out of their espresso machine, and how to use products and equipment better to streamline workflow and maintain product quality and consistency.

And while change may be necessary, for the consumer, they want nothing but the same thing they experienced pre-COVID. They want the same-priced flat white and smashed avo, same café vibe, same barista banter, and same quality coffee experience they can’t replicate at home no matter how much they try.

Change can also be welcome. International borders are finally open, travel confidence is returning, and events are back. This means the countdown to MICE2022 and the World Barista Championship (WBC) on home soil, is on. For many, it will be their first encounter of a world competition. For others, it will be life-changing, much like it was for El Salvador-based barista coach Federico Bolanos.

This edition I speak with the three-time WBC-winning coach who explains why having extraordinary coffee is no longer enough to win the WBC. He also speaks about the value of failure. When times seem rough, and disappointment creeps in, Federico says it’s natural to feel defeated.

However, it’s what you learn from the experience the counts.

Hospitality workers have learned many lessons in the past two years: lessons of resilience, work-life balance and appreciation for human connection, which as Federico describes, is the fibre of the industry that he loves most, as do I, and I’m sure so many of you do too.

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

DANIEL SHADBOLT OF VENEZIANO WINS AUSTRALIAN COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2022 World Coffee Roasting Championship will be hosted at World of Coffee in Milan.

Daniel Shadbolt of Veneziano Coffee Roasters has won the 2020 ASCA AMC Australian Coffee Roasting Championship, held on 5 and 6 February at Criteria Coffee in Port Melbourne.

“To come out on top is a dream come true for me. Certainly a pinnacle in my career and something that I’ve strived for to be the best that I can be,” Daniel says.

Josh Xue of Campos Coffee placed second and Nawar Adra of Stitch Coffee placed third in the competition.

Daniel, who previously placed third in the 2019 Australian Coffee Roasting Championship, is still shocked to have

claimed the title.

“Having competed in the 2019 Roasting Championship really put me in a great mind frame and gave me an idea of how to approach this recent competition,” he says.

The competition was delayed several times due to COVID-19. The event was open for competitors only but live streamed for viewers to join in on the action.

AMC Australian Roasting Championship finalists were presented with four anonymous coffees, one for a single origin and three to be used in a blend.

Daniel’s single origin was a washed Ethiopian coffee and his blend consisted of washed coffees from Burundi and Mexico, and a natural coffee from Costa Rica.

All coffees were roasted in a Diedrich IR2 five kilogram coffee roaster before being assessed, graded and judged for sensory assessment.

“At Veneziano, we only use Diedrich coffee roasting equipment, and we have machines that range from five kilograms to 280 kilograms. I’ve been working with these machines for almost seven years now, so my experience behind those specific machines certainly helped in my preparation for the competition,” Daniel says.

He says the most difficult part of competing was the physical preparation.

“Preparation for me was quite difficult, as the separation from the business thanks to COVID-19 made it hard to roast

on the specific competition machines.

Lack of cupping made it a challenge to maintain that practice leading up to the competition,” he says.

Daniel says it was his meticulous organisational skills that contributed to the win, and even received a few comments from judges that he was the most organised on the day.

He adds that the victory signifies reaching a milestone in his roasting experience.

“I started at Veneziano seven years ago in a production roasting role, so just building on my knowledge and experience over the years has culminated in me being able to represent not only the industry but Veneziano as a company,” he says.

Daniel will represent Australia in the 2022 World Coffee Roasting Championship, taking place in Milan, Italy from 23 to 25 June at the 2022 World of Coffee.

To prepare, Jack Allisey of Veneziano Coffee Roasters, 2017 Australian Roasting Champion and the first Australian to compete in the World Roasting Championship, will be Daniel’s judge.

“He’s had experience on the world stage and is a very accomplished roaster with a huge wealth of knowledge behind him. I’ll also be working with Pete Licata, the 2013 World Barista Champion,” Daniel says.

“I’ve got a great team behind me, and I hope to learn from both of their experience. Now my attention shifts from Team Veneziano to Team Australia.”

CAFETTO, BRITA NAMED WORLD COFFEE CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIED SPONSORS The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has announced new qualified sponsors for the upcoming World Coffee Championships (WCC) seasons.

Cleaning specialist manufacturer Cafetto has been named the Qualified Cleaning sponsor for the World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, and World Cup Tasters Championship.

“Cafetto is a collective of people passionate about coffee. We work closely with industry leaders in the pursuit of brewing perfection through clean equipment. Of course, the art of the barista is crucial to this endeavour. It fills our hearts with joy to assist in promoting their craft by bringing together the world’s best to showcase their skills,” says Christopher Short, Managing Director of Cafetto.

BRITA is the Qualified Water

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Filtration sponsor for the World Brewers Cup and World Cup Tasters Championship.

“We are very pleased to continue our long and successful partnership with the SCA. After all – a cup of coffee is 98 per cent water, so the right type of H20 is vital. BRITA looks forward to sharing its water filtration expertise with the specialty coffee community,” says Thomas Hörning, Director Strategic Marketing Professional Filter with BRITA. Sage has also been named the Qualified Brewer sponsor for the World Cup Tasters Championship, and Breville is the Exclusive Coffee Brewer sponsor for the World Brewers Cup. These sponsors have signed multi-year agreements to support the strategic growth of the competitions, and dedicate time and resources to ensure that every world

Cafetto is a Qualified Sponsor of this year’s World Coffee Championships.

championship competitor is using the same high-quality equipment.

Manufacturers submit their equipment and products for performance testing in order to be eligible for qualified sponsorship. Testing for this round of the WCC Qualified Sponsorships took place in Milan, Italy, in October 2021.

For more information, visit sca.coffee

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NEWS

LOCALE COFFEE ROASTERS FUELS AUSTRALIA’S WINTER OLYMPIANS Between 24 January and 23 February, Locale Coffee Roasters State Manager Jacob King worked as Australia’s Winter Olympic team resident barista.

Jacob made coffees for Australian athletes, coaches and support staff in a permanent café established in the Australian headquarters in the Beijing athlete village.

“When I became a barista, I didn’t really think that one day I’d be walking with the Australian team in an Olympic opening ceremony,” Jacob says.

Locale freighted 100 kilograms of coffee beans, two Mazzer Major V grinders and two yellow La Marzocco Linea Minis to Beijing ahead of Jacob’s arrival.

“Once I arrived, we just set up the café and it was go time. The winter team is 46 athletes, plus the Australian Olympic people and support staff, and by lunchtime I would see everyone at least once. Some people would come by three or four times a day,” Jacob says.

“It was just me, so sometimes I’d be working 16-hour days. It was worth it though because the atmosphere was just electric.

“Athletes would go out to compete, then come straight back to the café wearing a medal around their neck and the entire place would just go nuts, everyone jumping up and down and cheering.”

The on-site café was inside the Winter Olympic ‘closed loop’, a carefully guarded bubble designed to prevent COVID-19 penetrating athletes’ accommodation and competition spaces.

“Luckily, I was in the closed loop so I could cheer Australia on at a few events.

Everyone really became one big team – I

Jacob King was the Australian Olympic team barista at Beijing.

even got the proper Olympic kit,” Jacob says.

The coffees were provided free to the Australian team, so members of other teams were not allowed into the café.

Unfortunately, says Jacob, the lure of authentic Australian coffee meant he had to be on guard against international interlopers.

“There were a lot of people from other teams trying to sneak into the café.

Uniform jackets were swapped, underthe-table deals were offered, people snuck under tent sides – Australian coffee has that international reputation,” he says.

As for the coffees themselves, Jacob says the Olympians have “fairly standard” tastes.

“We weren’t sure what the athletes would want, so I stocked up on a lot of milk alternatives and extra options before

I left Australia. Mostly though, everyone wanted classic coffees – I made a lot of long blacks and flat whites,” says Jacob.

The 100 kilograms of coffee beans provided by Locale, a mix of its Original Gangsta and MVP blend, was just enough to last the entire period. The espresso machines couldn’t be plumbed due to water quality issues, so Jacob filled the machines by hand with bottled water.

“I’d say I made around 150 coffees a day, every day for four weeks. So that’s about... you can do the maths on that,” he says.

One of the two Linea Minis Jacob used was gratefully autographed by the entire Australian Olympic Team. Locale plans to auction the machine and donate a portion of the funds to those affected by recent floods. Follow @localeespresso for updates.

COFFEE MACHINE TECHNOLOGIES OPENS NEW MELBOURNE SHOWROOM Coffee Machine Technologies (CMT) has opened a new store showroom in the heart of Carlton on Lygon Street in Melbourne.

The retail-based venue, which debuted on 7 February, replaces the Docklands showroom it operated for 12 years.

“Because this is a retail-based showroom, we’re displaying a variety of commercial and domestic machines for the domestic market, as after the pandemic, people have grown accustomed to making a coffee at home,”

Coffee Machine Technologies’ new Lygon Street showroom.

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says Managing Director John Colangeli.

The showroom will be accompanied by a café, serving coffee and cannoli.

“We want to bring Italy back to Carlton by creating a nostalgic, oldItalian feel, with lightbox displays of Italian actors from the 60s and Italian music played in the background of the showroom,” he says.

CMT has a large inventory of coffee equipment available, including leading brands such as Fiorenzato, Elektra, La Marzocco, Tech Bar, Viper, Brugnetti, and Orchestrale, to name a few.

CMT offers nationwide services, repairs, customisation, and machine refurbishments.

For more information, visit coffeemachinetechnologies.com.au

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STUFF ON THE SCENE

Stuff on the scene PUQPRESS Tamping is an important part of a barista’s craft, but doing it by hand hundreds of times a day allows inconsistency to creep in, let alone potential damage to your shoulders and wrists.

The unparalleled engineering and state-of-the-art design of the Puqpress automatic tamper ensures perfectly compressed coffee grounds and a precisely level tamp – every time – while saving your body from those repetitive movements that eventually take a toll.

The Puqpress automatic tamper frees you from worrying about a less-than-perfect extraction, allowing you to focus on the next customer and the next coffee.

With more than 50 per cent of Australian cafés now trusting Puqpress, for a limited time only, get your hands on a free Q1 Puqpress with every Perfect Moose ordered.

Because perfect milk deserves a perfect tamp.

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

DANDELION BLEND & DRIFTWOOD BLEND Dandelion & Driftwood is all about extending your palate experience and finding coffee that vibrates at your level. D&D offers two very distinct house blends representing the Yin & Yang of the business.

Dandelion Blend in the cup displays delicate stone fruit flavours of mariposa plums and cherries that mellow and temper out with a residual sweetness.

It showcases a medium body base and has refined yet nippy acidity. It is beautifully balanced and memorable.

Driftwood Blend is deliciously viscous and displays heavy notes of molasses and cedar. In tasting, the cup reveals dark chocolate notes and a rich creaminess much like that of a ganache. With a hint of subtle apricots in the background, it is sure to delight.

Enjoy at home or work.

For more information, visit www.dandeliondriftwood.com/shop

MELITTA INSIGHTS Ever since Melitta Bentz invented the coffee filter in 1908, the idea of innovation has been firmly anchored in the Melitta company. At the time, a digital communication-enabled Melitta® XT generation fully automatic coffee machine was still 105 years away.

Melitta Professional has now connected more than 10,000 fully automatic coffee machines for its customers worldwide. Melitta® Insights set a new milestone. With the new customer portal, the benefits of digitalisation are now available as part of the standard offering.

Melitta® Insights offers a wealth of possibilities to gain transparency about the coffee machine fleet, to analyse its production performance, to have key indicators reported automatically or to evaluate the statistics of its machines.

Depending on your requirements, optimise your coffee business with the Insights editions: Melitta® Standard Insights, Melitta® Professional Insights, or Melitta® Top Insights.

For more information, visit www.melitta-professional.com.au

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THE OMEGA The Omega is the latest addition to the Mazzer family line-up: a new manual hand-grinder, designed for coffee excellence at home and on-the-go.

Like all Mazzer grinders, the Omega is crafted with premium materials. Minimalistic yet solid in design, the Omega is made from high-tech machinery-processed steel and aluminium bars. It features carbon fibre components for strength and lightness, neodymium magnets for durabilitytested performance, and stainless steel and anodised aluminium to optimise mechanical performance. The Omega is versatile and easy-to-use, suitable for all coffee applications.

The True Zero Calibration system provides the user with a simple, ergonomic and precise micro-step adjustment ring complete with numerical index of the grind settings, allowing users to “dial in” coffee grind requirements.

Mazzer’s conical burrs guarantee even grind size distribution and consistent coffee extraction every time. The Omega is the ideal portable solution for those who wouldn’t dream of compromising on coffee quality.

Available in Australia from Coffee Works Express.

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

BRITA PURITY C 150 QUELL ST The BRITA PURITY C 150 Quell ST filter cartridges expertly reduce limescale deposits in many professional applications. It also reduces carbonate hardness in drinking water, reducing the danger of limescale deposits in equipment.

All of the water, including the bypass water, runs through an activated carbon filter. The filter medium retains metal ions, such as lead or copper, and reduces substances that can negatively affect taste and aroma, such as chlorine residues.

See page 50 where Cameron McDonald Technical Water Manager for Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies speaks to current conditions impacting the industry and how BRITA is a trusted Brand delivering high quality commercial results their specialty coffee customers expect.

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

ALL YOUR FAVOURITE BRANDS. UNDER ONE NAME. CWE - YOUR COFFEE EQUIPMENT SPECIALIST.

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KNOWLEDGE LEADER

Dare to dream Federico Bolanos on his journey to the top of the coaching chain, the reward of playing a backstage role, and why failure is always a good lesson.

F

ederico Bolanos has experienced two epiphanic moments which he credits to the position he holds as coach of three World Barista Championship (WBC) winners, two WBC finalists, five WBC semi-finalists, 15 national barista champions, and Founder of Alquimia Coffee Company, a roastery based in El Salvador.

The first of those experiences took place at family meeting when Federico asked for a cup of coffee. When it arrived, he took a sip and thought he had been served hot chocolate instead of coffee. He asked again for a coffee and the waiter confirmed it was.

“I enjoyed that cup of coffee so much that I thought it was something else,” Federico says.

Like so many El Salvadorians, Federico

2021 World Barista Champion Diego Campos (left) and his coach Federico Bolanos.

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grew up understanding coffee to be a functional beverage. His grandfather and great-grandfather were coffee farmers but had sold the family farm and mill when he was little, leaving him with no emotional connection to coffee except for a photo he has playing amongst the coffee trees.

From that moment on, Federico started asking questions: “Why didn’t more people in El Salvador have access to the highquality coffee like I had enjoyed that day?

Why was the good stuff exported for the world to enjoy and not the locals?”

This research led Federico to start El Salvador’s first third wave specialty coffee café in 2006. In search of suppliers, that year he attended his first Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo in the United States. That’s where his second epiphany occurred.

At the back of the tradeshow, Federico heard loud noises, cheering. Inquisitive to the sound, he inquired to those around him. “What’s going on back there?” he asked. “It’s a barista competition. They are competing for the US National Barista Championship,” was the reply.

Eager to understand more, Federico remembers walking into the competition arena with grandstands either side of him completely full.

“It felt like walking into a football stadium. I saw the field, pitch, lights, and a barista/gladiator fighting for their life in the arena. It was epic, magical, exciting, and thrilling all together,” Federico says.

“I just knew I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to compete, and I began dreaming of winning the world barista championship.

It was love at first sight, like a lightning bolt that hit me. I had discovered something truly special, my passion.”

Federico didn’t even know how to make coffee properly at that stage, but he knew his dream to become a world champion had to start somewhere.

He returned home but realised there wasn’t a national barista competition in El Salvador. Instead, in 2007, he applied to be a barista competition judge. He did the necessary calibration, judged all the way up to the finals of the US Barista Championship and took the experience as an immense learning curve. “It only fed my dream,” Federico says.

In 2008, El Salvador announced it would host its first national barista competition. All the baristas from Federico’s café wanted to compete as well, but he decided to train just two of them, and himself. As luck would have it, Federico made the finals and placed third, and the other two baristas he trained won first and second place.

“Being on stage and having all the attention on myself was too much pressure for me. I discovered early on that I did a better job backstage than on stage. My gift was coaching,” he says.

From that point on, Federico focused on conceptualising presentations and coaching baristas. That year, Federico coached the

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Image credit: Juan Lee Lui

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

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All that’s left to do on Federico Bolanos’ coaching bucket list is to develop a presentation that is a real game-changer in coffee quality innovation, which he believes people like Australia’s Matthew Perger did when he competed in the 2013 WBC with the Mahlkonig EK43 to grind his espressos.

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KNOWLEDGE LEADER first barista champion of El Salvador all the way to the 2008 WBC in Copenhagen.

They placed 23rd overall. Everyone told Federico he would never win, but he wasn’t discouraged. Rather, he realised he wasn’t as far away from his dream as he thought.

“I knew it would take a long time, but it was not impossible,” he says. “I also learned that barista competitions were not only about coffee. I realised this competition is about extraordinary coffee and equally about knowledge, creativity, the concept you deliver, and the service experience you give to the judges. That was an eye opener for me.”

Federico did his research and took an academic approach to coffee, reading as much as he could about the science and chemistry behind it.

In 2009, Federico coached Flor de Maria Gochez in the WBC in Atlanta.

In his eyes, Flor was one of the most technically prolific baristas he had trained so far. That year she placed ninth, and Federico was a step closer to his WBC dream.

The final step was reserved for 21-yearold Alejandro Mendez. He worked in a fast-food chain. He didn’t drink coffee, but in the five minutes Federico spent interviewing him for a job, something told him he would be the next World Barista Champion.

“I just knew it. Something sparkled within him. I mentored him. He was like a sponge to information. In 2010, he went on to place 11th in the WBC in London.

Alejandro thought it was a backstep for the company, but it wasn’t,” Federico says.

“If you fail, you learn so much from it that it helps you improve. So, for 2011, we doubled his training.”

And it paid off. Alejandro won the 2011 WBC in Bogota, Colombia, making Federico’s dream come true.

“I cried like a baby. Even though I

didn’t achieve the WBC title myself, I did it as a coach, and it felt incredible,” he recalls.

“For me, it wasn’t about the greatness of the result, but how great it was to change someone’s life. When I met Alejandro, he was making a minimum wage at a drivethrough window, and two years later he was a world champion. I felt I had done something very good for someone else, and that’s what made me happier about winning the WBC.” From that year on, Federico’s baristas never stopped making WBC semi-finals and finals. He trained William Hernandez who placed third in the 2013 WBC in Melbourne. After that, Federico started receiving invitations from international baristas wanting him to coach them, including South Korean barista Jooyeon Jeon whom he started working with that year, and went on to win the WBC in 2019.

“At one point, I did try to train too many baristas at once and it was too much mentally, physically and emotionally. So now I try to stick to one or two, but I must see the right motivation behind the barista.

For me, it’s about working with passionate and good-hearted people,” Federico says.

“My way of coaching is very committed.

I develop every aspect of the presentation of the competitors I work with, but my core role as a coach, is to bring out the best in who I work with.”

To many, Federico is associated only with success, but he says it’s the mistakes along the way that have shaped the person he is in today. “You learn the most when you fail and the least when you win. The lessons that come with the fails is the treasure map to win WBC,” he says.

Federico says there’s no other secret formula to winning the coveted competition. The key is to adapt to change.

Scoresheets and rules are always changed from time to time, so whatever worked one year may not work as well the next. For

this reason, Federico’s first piece of advice to any barista is to study the WBC rules.

He says those who read it, interpret it, and understand it, usually excel.

“Each win is meaningful, but making a dream come true for the first time with Alejandro was magical,” Federico says.

“To me, Jooyeon’s performance and presentation in 2019 was one of the most beautiful and memorable in WBC history.

I wanted to coach the first female WBC champion and was hoping to achieve that with Jooyeon but Agnieszka Rojewska beat us there in 2018. It was equally special when Jooyeon won the year after. The next year I wanted to see a farmer become a barista champion, which I achieved with Diego Campos in 2021.”

Federico doesn’t know what to expect when the WBC takes place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo in September. He hopes to see more presentations focused on a better customer service experience but has one word of warning: “extraordinary coffee is not enough to win WBC. This competition is a lot more complex than just finding, roasting, and brewing great coffee,” he says.

Federico is working with the Mexican barista champion in what will be her first WBC. He could have chosen to work with any number of experienced baristas but wanted to challenge himself and develop someone from the ground up.

And to Federico, growth is the most important value of all. He is driven by the fact that the specialty coffee industry is still in its infancy, and competition keeps him at the forefront of evolvement and innovation.

“I have discovered an industry that’s so well connected in a human way. I know it’s business, but it runs through a strong human fibre,” he says. “It’s also an industry where dreams can come true. You just have to follow them with absolute passion.”

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CELEBRITY COOK

WOMAN OF MANY TALENTS

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Melissa Leong is a freelance food and travel writer, food media consultant, radio broadcaster, television presenter, MC and cookbook editor, a first generation Singaporean Australian and the first permanent female judge of MasterChef Australia.

Melissa’s moment Melissa Leong takes a judging break on the set of MasterChef to talk to BeanScene about AeroPress, Vietnamese coffee and the reason you can’t fake chemistry.

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elissa Leong is about a third of the way through filming her third season of MasterChef Australia, and she’s pacing herself for the months ahead.

“It’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

It’s a very long filming season, something like 60 episodes,” she tells BeanScene.

Thankfully, she’s already caffeine fuelled.

“Right now, I’m drinking Padre Coffee a lot at home which I’m quite a fan of, but I’m in Melbourne, you’re spoilt for choice.

There’s so many different roasters and brands that are doing great work. St Ali is always right up there as one of my trusted go-tos as a café and coffee roaster.”

While grateful for the variety of good coffee in Melbourne, Melissa says Australians are fortunate to have such a sophisticated and broad ranging coffee culture on their doorstep.

“Being such a multicultural nation, you’ll find really fine interpretations of how to drink coffee have come from so many places around the world, whether that’s really intense bitter Turkish coffee, a really, short sharp ristretto – standing up of course, or an AeroPress and seeing the influence of batch brew, American-style filter coffee coming through,” Melissa says.

“I think we’re really lucky because we have all of that at our disposal and there’s always going to be something for everybody.”

For Melissa, that’s a love for filter coffee thanks to the wafting aroma of French Press in her parent’s house growing up.

Describing herself as “a batch brew and AeroPress kind of gal”, Melissa admits espresso consumption is something she’s only just discovered thanks to her partner’s Giotto Rocket machine at home.

“These days I enjoy drinking coffee for the caffeine content that’s for sure. There’s no decaf going on in my life,” she says. “I think coffee beans are such an incredible expression of regional and seasonal produce. Anywhere that’s an exuberant expression of the time and place in which it is grown and roasted, then I’m a fan.

I like the subjectivity of the differences you experience from batch to batch and what roasters put in via way of their own

By Sarah Baker interpretation of how a bean should taste.”

For a while, Melissa was a Nespresso ambassador where she credits learning about the different coffee belts, and the role it plays culturally and economically in different countries, including Vietnam, the largest producer of Robusta.

“There’s some interesting and nuanced coffee that grows there. For me, the last time I was on assignment in Vietnam, I remember having a really intense coffee first thing in the morning. Traditional Vietnamese coffee is something I hold very dear to my heart,” she says. “I like to have it black, with a little condensed milk on the side. You still need to be able to taste the nuance of the coffee, the fragrance and aroma. It’s a really turbo charged version of coffee.”

Another version is the daring caffeine concoction chef and fellow MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has created on set.

“He’s famous around here for the Devil’s Lick. I think he’s the only one who can survive doing it regularly. In the afternoon when you’re having a hard one and you need to push on, he brings it out: 10 shots of espresso, half a teaspoon of sugar and a lick of milk – it’s a heart starter and a half,” Melissa says.

“Jock is the espresso obsessive of our production crew. Every single morning, he comes in probably an hour early to make coffee for whoever wants one. He’s so good. He put himself through barista training just because he wanted to learn how to pull the best espressos here, and I think he definitely does.”

When it comes to food writing however, Melissa has made a household name for herself as the best of the best, but it was an industry she fell into accidentally. While working in advertising, Melissa was drawn to social media when it was in its infancy and was encouraged to start her own account in different platforms.

“I choose [the medium of] food because I didn’t want to spend too much time researching the subject matter that I was engaging in communities about. I thought I knew enough about food that I could fudge my way through it. Through that experience I ended up starting a blog, an

editor read my writing and offered me a column, and it snowballed from there,” says Melissa, who freelanced as a food writer for 15 years.

Melissa is fortunate to be trained by some incredible food editors, travelled the world, and put theory into practice, but knows her skillset and passion for food had to start from somewhere real and honest.

And that’s thanks to her mother, whom Melissa says was as much in love with food as she could ever be.

“My mother made me feel very welcome in the kitchen when I was little.

It was like a slow emersion therapy of learning how to do things, smelling the smells, being involved in cooking, and helping. Throughout my childhood I built on little bits of information and before you know if it, you know how things are constructed,” she says.

“While I have always been an avid home cook and eater, I never wanted to be a chef. I still don’t. I spend so much time in close proximity to some of the finest chefs in the world. You do learn tips, tricks, and techniques, and that informs the way you’re able to judge [on MasterChef]. You can’t do this job if you can’t cook.”

Today, Melissa identifies her cooking style as “very eclectic”, a sum of her experiences in travel and the cuisines she happens to be interested in at the time.

“I’m very much a low and flow, easy kind of cook. You’ll never find me in the MasterChef kitchen cooking on a 75-minute challenge or something like that,” she says.

“My favourite kind of cooking is a Sunday afternoon set-and-forget sort of thing. Yesterday I did a roasted and braised chicken North African style, rubbed in Ras el Hanout (an aromatic blend of spice) and roasted with tomatoes, green olives and shallots. For me, that kind of aromatic, textural, easy going, effortless cooking is my favourite style, especially with the kind of work I do every day. ” It is now three years since Melissa was announced as one of the replacement judges on MasterChef, alongside Jock and former series winner Andy Allen.

“I actually said ‘no’ [to the role] quite a few times in the negotiation process. In

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CELEBRITY COOK the end I thought, ‘if not me, then who?’ I can do this. I was never seeking television, but I had done The Chef’s Line. I did find that medium of communication really interesting. Television production crews are some of the most hard-working, talented, wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” Melissa says.

“So I said ‘yes’ to the experience, and in the process of being the first permanent female judge and woman of colour in that space, I was surprised by how much it resonated. But then I guess it makes a fair amount of sense. I’m deeply respectful of the way I’m seen and if I am able to contribute something to popular culture by way of representation then I’m very glad to do it.”

What’s transpired is a deep admiration from viewers for Melissa’s extensive food knowledge, poise, and fashion sense. She was also voted fourth in the Australian Financial Review’s most culturally powerful people in Australia in 2020.

“I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for this role and the opportunity to show that women do this work. I hope to see further changes in this industry, and in media and food media as well,” she says.

Behind the camera lens is a camaraderie between the judges that is charismatic, jovial, at times serious, and something Melissa assures is a chemistry

Melissa joined MasterChef as the show’s first permanent female judge alongside Jock Zonfrillo (left) and Andy Allen.

that can’t be faked.

“It’s either there or it’s not, and I pinch myself every day that I have two really fantastic friends by my side, and we have each other’s backs. It’s a tough gig sometimes, you get a little tired, we all have things going on outside this job as well, and we take care of each other. It’s lovely to walk into a nurturing environment every single day,” Melissa says.

Outside the walls of MasterChef however, is a very full plate of work for Melissa that she’s excited to be collaborating on. While still under wraps, she insists it will be fun and consistent to who she is.

“It’s been a really crazy, unpredictable

few years. I’m very mindful how COVID-19 impacted so many of my friends, colleagues and loved ones in the hospitality industry so it’s definitely not lost on me that I’m very fortunate to have this role, so I will continue to celebrate food and my peers in doing so,” she says.

And as a knock at Melissa’s trailer door is heard and she says her goodbyes, she adds another thing she’ll continue to keep doing without question: “Coffee drinking – that’s one thing I never plan to stop.”

MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites premieres from Monday, 18 April at 7.30pm on Channel 10.

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COVER STORY

The M200

The LaCimbali M200 has arrived in the Australian market after years perfecting its technical capability, visual impact, and fusion of traditional and modern values.

The M200 is aesthetically appealing and technically advanced, with sales service and support in Australia through Service Sphere.

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runetti Oro Owner Yuri Angele has worked with many different espresso machines since he joined the Melbourne hospitality scene in the 1970s. Pre-COVID, the iconic Italian café and pasticceria was pumping out 250 kilograms of coffee per week at its Flinders Lane venue, and the most important consideration for Yuri, was that his espresso machine handled high volume and produced consistent output.

“The quality of our coffee has always been the foundation of what we do so well, and that’s why we partnered with LaCimbali – their machines are a workhorse,” he says. “At peak capacity, we need a machine that’s able to work under pressure and maintain consistency because when our customers come and visit, they expect the same standard of quality every time.”

For years, that’s been LaCimbali’s M100 which Brunetti Oro’s Flinders Lane store celebrates on an elevated bar for customers to watch and be entertained by as baristas manoeuvre across the fourgroup machines.

In February, LaCimbali’s latest release, the M200, made a special appearance on the café’s marble benchtop where the only machine of its kind in the country blended into the Italian-themed décor.

“It’s a very elegant machine for LaCimbali. I was so impressed when I saw it. Being an Italian brand with an Italian fit-out and produce, we really want to give customers an Italian experience when they come into the store, and that extends to our espresso machine,” Yuri says. “The M200 ticks all our boxes from technical needs to design. It has independent boilers on each group head with temperature control that allows us to customise some of the specialty blends we offer, so it really does suit our needs.”

Australian machine distributor and authorised service provider Service Sphere has held a close relationship with Gruppo Cimbali since it started importing its machines into Australia in 2015. Back then, Service Sphere Director Maurizio Marcocci was on the hunt for a manufacturer that would satisfy the

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COVER STORY needs of the Australian market that was becoming more discerning in terms of incup quality. The result was a partnership with LaCimbali which Maurizio says has matched its needs for performance, price, and technical innovation.

“LaCimbali is a company that is big on innovation, but it doesn’t rest on its laurels. That’s testament to its proven success with the M100 and now with the M200, which in essence is an extension of the LaCimbali brand and the design excellence and innovation it represents.

We welcome this model to the Australian market with open arms,” Maurizio says.

The M200 touched down on Australian soil on 6 January 2022, with Service Sphere securing the first model in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) area.

“Gruppo Cimbali is aware that the Australian market is very important for its LaCimbali and Faema brands, and the neighbouring Asian market that is evolving in its coffee needs at a high rate,” Maurizio says. “Gruppo Cimbali General Manager Enrico Bracesco understands the Australian coffee market is sophisticated with access to high quality coffee everywhere. They look to Australia as a guiding light when it comes to coffee standards and being a key account holder for the brand, they saw the natural alignment of our partnership and the need for us to have the first machine in the APAC.” But this wasn’t the first time Service Sphere’s eyes had laid on the M200. Back in 2019, National Sales Manager Alana Lombardi and Operations Manager Louie Cerminara were among the first in the world to see a prototype of the machine in a “top secret” focus group of key global partners.

“It was an exciting opportunity to see the development of the model from the M100 and present feedback on how it looked and functioned,” says Alana.

“It was a significant moment when you realise Gruppo Cimbali business owners and thought leaders are listening to the needs of the global market – from baristas and distributors – and was willing to make adjustments. The new model has really hit the benchmark. It’s about beauty and performance all in one.”

When roasters and coffee shops consider which machine should be added to their fleet, Maurizio says the question they need to consider is: what does the coffee taste like? Is it good, better, or best?

“There’s a lot of coffee machines out there but the M200 is best in quality, best in class in terms of in-cup quality, best in aesthetic appeal, and best in class in after sales service and support. It’s the professional’s choice for high volume needs,” he says. “From a service point of

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view, we know LaCimbali machines are built to last. They have superior up-time, so it’s cost-effective to service compared to other brands. We know which parts need to be changed, and we have dedicated preventative maintenance kits available.”

With the market for consumer machines also skyrocketing, Maurizio says customers are seeking “exceptional coffee experiences” at home, and in the café.

“Cafés are becoming more sophisticated and experienced in coffee

The M200 feature GT1, GT2 and Profile technology to control the boiler temperature and pressure profiles.

making. Cafés need to ensure they offer customers a machine that complements the ambiance of the venue and removes the barrier between the customer and the barista, and that’s what the M200 does so well. We know the Australian market is going to love it.”

Gruppo Cimbali Coffee Equipment Manager Filippo Mazzoni has worked for the Italian company for 27 years. Within that time, he’s watched the company evolve from the M30 LaCimbali model to

its latest M200 release.

“The purpose of this new machine was to have a key focus on ergonomics and deliver best performance in terms of extraction and flexibility,” Filippo says.

The machine has a low profile for the barista to maintain eyesight with the customer. The Up&Down system makes it easy to adjust the height of the worktop from 75 to 145 centimetres to allow the barista flexibility to use different cup volumes.

Touchscreen or mechanical interfaces with in-touch or button mode are in alignment with the barista’s hands and eye movements to optimise workflow and maintain best ergonomic practices at high volumes. The large steam knob is inclined and made with a soft touch material and the steam arm is cold touch and carefully positioned in line with the machine’s low profile.

To achieve excellent espresso, coffee quality is key. Then, Filippo says, it’s about setting the group head temperature, brew ratio, and grind size, followed by fine tuning pre-infusion and pressure profiling to enrich the desired flavour in the cup.

The M200’s predecessor, M100, was available in both single and multi-boiler technology. The M200 however, only uses multi-boiler technology. It features three key technologies: GT1, GT2 and Profile technology.

With GT1 technology, users can control the temperature of each boiler, guaranteeing the stability and flexibility for different coffee orders.

GT2 technology allows the user to set up to two different temperatures on one boiler, further expanding the machine’s potential.

“For example, you could set 93°C for espresso, and a lower second temperature for a caffè extra lungo with a large cup volume,” Filippo says.

The profile technology adds differentiated modulation of the pressure profile to the temperature control for an even more precise and consistent result in terms of body, acidity, bitterness intensity, and olfactory panorama.

“I think we have one of most available and consistent systems to control pressure profiles,” Filippo says. “We can control the pre-infusion time, extraction phase and final phase with different pressures.

For example, high pressure/shorter infusions can result in acidity, whereas long infusions or low pressure means less acidity in the cup. Then in the final stage of extraction, you may choose to reduce pressure which reduces bitterness. This technology is about respecting the coffee in every single shot.”

To enhance the sensory experience,

LaCimbali will soon release a sensory mobile app that connects to the M200 and allows the user to control exactly what they want from each stage of the extraction, such as acidity, aroma or more body.

Via Bluetooth wireless technology, LaCimbali’s new Elective grinder can connect with the M200, verify the extraction, and automatically make any necessary corrections to the grinding size and dose.

The M200 is what Filippo describes as a “perfect union of LaCimbali’s tradition and future ambition to deliver an extraordinary product”. It’s also been designed with mostly recyclable materials and around 50 per cent less energy consumption.

“THE PURPOSE OF THIS NEW MACHINE WAS TO HAVE A KEY FOCUS ON ERGONOMICS AND DELIVER BEST PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF EXTRACTION AND FLEXIBILITY.” The man responsible for representing the DNA of LaCimbali and translating it visually is Valerio Cometti and his team of designers, who worked closely with Gruppo Cimbali’s R&D team.

“The M200 is quite an achievement, and thanks to our strong collaboration, we believe we have raised the bar,” says Valerio, Founder and Creative Director of Valerio Cometti+V12 Design.

“Design is a vehicle of message, so it’s really important that before I get a pen and piece of paper, I understand who the client is, what their values are, and what they want to express to the end user. Then it’s about all the technical constraints the machine needs to have, such as the position of the boiler, portafilter and steam wand, and challenging those constraints in a healthy way.”

In the case of the M200, Valerio

says ergonomic consideration was fundamental, before adding a little bit of his “secret sauce” to bring the design to life, with long-lasting shapes and materials.

The vertical panel of the machine traditionally divides the barista to the end consumer, but not in the M200. On one side of the wall is the barista working space and all the instruments they need.

On the other is what Valerio calls the “controlled emotional” side that must bond with the consumer.

To celebrate the functioning hub of the machine, Valerio’s team has lifted and exposed the engine.

“We work a lot with the automotive industry. The engine of the Ferrari is always under a see-through panel, and for the M200, we wanted to celebrate the power of the machine,” he says. “We wanted to make the end user visually and emotionally involved in the process with a 360-degree experience of the machine.”

Aeronautical inspiration in the side profile is depicted in clear flowing lines that symbolise speed and effortless flow.

The trademark Cimbali “C” is also unmistakably evident, which Valerio says is a symbol of personality and simplicity.

“If you take away the C, the machine falls apart because it’s an integral part of the chassis,” Valerio says.

And no design is complete without a LaCimbali touch of red, of which several different representations were shared before the final pantone is selected.

“We invest a lot of time in getting the colour right. Colour differences are quite striking. Even your own perception of colour changes from one eye to another,” Valerio says.

“You can look at the current trend of colour and choose to follow or ignore it, and I ignore it. Why? Because trending colour palettes will change. When buying an M200, you’re going to keep it a long time, therefore the colour must be a statement, in the right ratio.”

For Valerio, the ultimate expression of enjoyment, however, is seeing his design creations in real life.

“I would love for baristas and the end user to go and touch the machine,” he says. “I have never once forgotten the barista in the whole design process.

When I see the barista swiftly and smoothly going through the process of coffee making and watching them enjoy themselves in their own art, in a flowing manner, using this professional productivity tool with soul and personality, that’s the best reward.”

For more information, visit servicesphere.com.au

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Coffee Meets Indulgence

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

WKSHOP Head of Coffee Paul Golding is excited to offer new blends at competitive prices.

Destined to thrive

With rising coffee prices and a heightened level of market uncertainty, BeanScene speaks with WKSHOP to understand how the private label roaster helps take businesses to the next level of growth.

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he past two years have been challenging for hospitality business owners, facing COVID restrictions, increasing supply chain issues, not to mention rising prices of green bean and freight. Dramatic cost increases are impacting every sector of the industry and more than ever, James Rodger, WKSHOP Director, says businesses are going through a rethink.

“Café operators and roasters have been through a tough season and are questioning what the future looks like. In that reflection, they realise they now need a roasting partner who will walk them through the next season, support them, help maintain profitability, and provide them with a better offer – and that’s where WKSHOP can help them shine,” James says.

WKSHOP Head of Coffee Paul Golding says the main concern operators have is around loss of already thin earnings, and loss of customers if prices are raised to keep pace with the increased costs.

“Business with a long-term view and strong financial organisation expect price

fluctuation and can budget accordingly.

It’s also important to make consumers aware of the increase in costs. This is no great mystery to the public today, and most people are primed for higher prices at the till. It might not be welcome, but the reasoning is well understood,” Paul says.

WKSHOP’s goal is to use its experience, relationships, and array of procurement and logistics strategies to minimise the increase, and spread it out over time while still offering consistent, high-quality origin coffees and blends to wholesale customers.

“While others might be raising prices or pulling back, we are looking to welcome more wholesale customers and offer blends with plenty of bang for the buck,” Paul says.

“I am always excited around sourcing time. Even in difficult times like these, are opportunities to explore new coffees, find new solutions, and widen our range of offering. This year I have been forced to find novel solutions for problems around shipping, crop shortages and quality issues. I think we are now in a very strong

position to offer a range of very exciting blends at prices that will surprise many enquirers.”

New single origins are available

WKSHOP Director James Rodger is passionate about supporting customers and workshopping their businesses.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

National Sales Manager Nic Naso (right) says WKSHOP has tools and services to help grow and improve each business, including packaging needs.

each month, with WKSHOP typically exploring lesser-known origins. Special lots will be arriving from Java, Flores, Congo, possibly Hawaii and Yemen, in addition to Brazilian, Colombian, and Kenyan beans.

To curb the supply chain challenges, WKSHOP makes advanced commitments 12 months ahead with key origins, to secure its green bean supply. It also ensures the strength of its relationships with suppliers and cooperatives to guarantee the quality of coffee.

“We’re prepared for any disruptions to transport. By securing coffee contracts and increasing our inventory we can guarantee consistency of coffee supply and quality for our customers,” James says.

Price is one thing, but quality and service are another the market has a high expectation of. As such, James says many people are taking the opportunity to consider the business they want to be. For many, this shift can be daunting, but for WKSHOP, it’s a process it thrives on.

Paul adds that the whole purpose of WKSHOP is to provide a stress-free option for customers, releasing them from an array of niche expertise and operational complexities.

“We specialise in producing the coffee; from green bean sourcing, blend development to roasting, while our customers are free to work on their business rather than in it, giving them the space to maintain a more strategic overview on growth,” he says.

“Working with us can remove so much complexity from the customer’s decision tree and offer certainty of long-term pricing due to our set future positions.”

James says while people have battled through COVID-19, he’s now seeing businesses get back to market, but they need a strategy to help take their business forward.

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“At WKSHOP, we’re all about workshopping your business. We love to talk to customers about what their business does, how they’re performing, how we can support them,” he says.

This could include improving a customer’s roasted coffee products, assisting with packaging needs, machinery equipment, technical support, marketing strategies, business training, coffee training through the WKSHOP Training Academy online, social media support, even how to manage costs of goods.

“We have tools that we have developed that help customers manage their costs in relation to coffee,” James says. “We’re here supporting the industry through significant change.”

Nic Naso, WKSHOP National Sales Manager says more than 80 per cent of WKSHOP customers utilise the business’s multi-touchpoints of resources as a means to improve and grow their business.

“As people spend more time with us, they learn what we offer, see the value for their business, and tap into it,” Nic says.

WKSHOP’s online training portal is one tool that has accelerated throughout lockdown when site-visits weren’t permitted. It became a staple in training baristas and hospitality staff remotely, and staff in general, to the point that it’s become an induction program for café and franchise groups to access without paying for separate training at an external site.

“It takes you through all aspects of coffee: coffee fundamentals, coffee sourcing and roasting processes, how to get the best from your equipment, comprehensive levels of barista training, and even different brewing methods, cupping sessions, and advice on how to train your palate. It really has been a way to share our knowledge and skills,” Nic says.

“During the lockdown season we’ve learned to be more flexible in our remote training. It’s the reason we’ve invested significant time and resources to make sure it’s accessible.”

The WKSHOP team have achieved close to 20 years in specialty coffee.

As an industry resource, Nic says the private label roaster is happy to share its knowledge and be a reliable partner that gives real solutions to drive a business forward.

“WKSHOP is a one-stop-consultant of coffee-related services. Our team essentially becomes an extension of our customer’s business. Our sales team help grow our café and wholesale accounts and increase their brand awareness.

Our training facilities, cupping rooms, WKSHOP space and team expertise in roasting and selling is at their dispose, including access to our Head Roaster and Head of Coffee to talk through sourcing, roasting and profiles. What’s ours is yours,” Nic says.

“We work with our customers in true partnership to provide a fresh perspective and approach to their business. We want them to be sustainable so they can keep growing and succeeding, whether they’re a small or large business doing 100 kilograms to one-tonne of coffee per week, a franchise, multi-site business, or a new venture looking to grow and expand their offering with private label roasting.”

What wholesale customers want in today’s environment, James adds, is reliability that removes the risks, pressures, and variables many businesses fear.

“People are apprehensive about what’s going on in the market. They need stability and certainty in their workplace and business, and we want to utilise our experienced team to help manage those goals and expectations. That’s the point – we want to workshop your business and help you on your coffee journey,” he says.

“At the end of the day, Australians are seeking community, and the hospitality industry is at the centre of that. It’s not going to be an easy year, but people will be looking for opportunities to create memorable experiences with family and friends, and will seek out cafés that have the best environment, a fantastic product, and a team that knows customer service well.

“We want our wholesale customers to be excited about the future and getting back to what they love, and that’s delivering customers with a great coffee experience.”

For more information, visit www.wkshop.com.au or call 1800 849 335

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Shake it up MONIN showcases the limitless menu possibilities when quality coffee and flavoured ingredients join forces to drive seasonal trends in the café market.

W

ith the months getting cooler, it’s not just food menus that undergoes a transformation.

John Davidson, Head of Advocacy and Innovation at Stuart Alexander, an exclusive distributor of MONIN in Australia, is equally excited for the flavour opportunities the autumn months present for beverage solutions.

“Australians have pioneered cold brew in summer, and now it’s time to move over to hot beverage serves, which always reigns supreme,” says John.

“Nostalgia is currently playing a big part in consumer’s decision making.

Particularly coming out of two COVID years, they don’t have a lot of purchasing confidence and are looking for familiarity.

The want something delicious and something they understand flavour-wise.”

As such, John says baked and cocoa flavours from the MONIN range are ideal to satisfy these cravings, especially when paired with coffee, a roasted product itself. He’s also a fan of dark chocolate, white chocolate, salted caramel, and biscuit-style flavours such as gingerbread and chocolate cookie, which John says MONIN has worked really hard to perfect at its innovation centre.

“Once you get these flavours into a glass and taste it, you can really feel the love and effort that’s been put into creating these syrups,” he says. “What you get in the glass is real chocolate cookie, for example. It doesn’t smell like artificial or highly processed chocolate cookie. It smells yeasty, baked, cooked, warm, fragrant, chewy, and bready. Once

During the cooler months, MONIN recommends experimenting with syrup flavours including chocolate, toasted marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate cookie.

you can put that into a serve and offer a gingerbread latte or hot chocolate on your menu, it heightens the senses and elevates your offering. It’s something additional in the barista’s arsenal.”

While coffee will always remain the hero ingredient, John says it’s time for baristas and the wider hospitality industry to experiment with how delicate flavour pairings can work together and how to do it seamlessly.

“If we had a really dark roast with chocolatey notes, for instance, you could add a MONIN chocolate flavour, but for an extra level of complexity, add walnut brownie flavour to give the coffee a more nutty element,” he says.

“Creativity is almost limitless. We already have specialty coffee, specialty chocolate and specialty milks. Australia is by far leading the world in coffee serves, so there’s no reason we can’t play with coffee flavours and extend it in the same way great chefs do with desserts or a bartender does to a cocktail menu. There’s a gap between specialty coffee and specialty menus and I believe there’s room to have some serious fun there. I’d love to see more baristas embrace a mocha and see what level they

can take it to.”

During the cooler months, John says caramel, vanilla and hazelnut are MONIN’s top three best flavour sellers.

The next two favourites fluctuate between popcorn, salted caramel and toasted marshmallow, but John says biscuit flavours such as chocolate cookie are also on the rise.

All MONIN syrup flavours are made with a pure cane sugar base and natural ingredients for intensity of flavour and shelf life. They are non-GMO, and free from gluten, dairy, fat, protein, and cholesterol. Where flavour can’t be harvested from a tree, MONIN uses specialised technology to innovate unique flavours.

This technology includes the use of Supercritical CO2 machines and rotary evaporators which are used to distil and synthesis flavours. For example, a chocolate cookie placed in a supercritical CO2 machine with immense pressure can be infused into a concentrated sugar syrup. John says the fact that the flavour is distilled at such a low temperature preserves the integrity of each flavour.

“This is the same equipment that’s used to make Chanel No. 5 [perfume].

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INDUSTRY PROFILE MONIN is investing in equipment that is pioneering the next tier of flavours, and we’re seeing market trends as a result,” he says. “Bar tenders are already embracing this equipment and bespoke flavours, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the World Barista Championship stage soon.”

For now, John says business owners such as Nawar Adra, Founder of Ensemble of Coffee Research and Education and Stitch Coffee, are at the top of their game when it comes to menu and beverage creativity.

Nawar opened his flagship coffee shop before Sydney’s second lockdown in 2021. At first, he had only intentions of offering coffee and pastries, but soon added sandwiches and cookies, until all of a sudden, customers kept coming back, and it wasn’t just for the coffee.

“We developed a cookie using our Higgs Field blend featuring beans from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia, which had notes of macadamia, chocolate and berry.

Then we added MONIN’s cookie syrup with a bit of chocolate and a touch of salt to enhance the flavour, and it’s been a winner,” Nawar says.

Stitch Coffee in Sydney experiments with flavour pairings in its coffees, chocolate bars, cookies and ice-cream to evolve its market offering.

Australia does coffee consistently well, but we do sometimes lack a bit of a commercial mindset and can be too emotionally attached to one thing,” Nawar says.

“Many people in the coffee industry come from a background where you don’t add anything to coffee, but why not? Car manufactures and cosmetic brands always come up with new product development,

Nawar Adra, Founder of Ensemble of Coffee Research and Education and Stitch Coffee, is at the top of his game when it comes to beverage creativity.

At the café’s dedicated chocolate bar are matcha tea and matcha pods, house-made vegan sticky chai, and Kandy Chai, Matcha Chocolate and Panama Gesha Coffee Chocolate bars. Nawar is also working on a steeped mocha bag with ground coffee, chocolate husk and chocolate nibs, and is looking to develop soft-serve ice-cream with coffee and MONIN infused flavours.

“We have to keep evolving and looking for new ideas. We don’t stop moving and exploring in the market. Everyone in

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but coffee has been stagnated for the past 20 years. We’re only now starting to see a breakaway such as the addition of mushrooms, superfoods and cascara spirits, but there’s room for so much more.”

With this in mind, Nawar is of the firm belief that infused coffees are one of the best things to happen to the coffee industry. He has experimented himself with cinnamon-fermented coffee and believes it’s a great way to help consumers experiment with flavour.

“I personally think if we are to evolve this market, we need to think about how to make beverages more exciting and interesting for consumers, so they can taste what’s there rather than thinking someone needs a particular palate to taste a certain flavour. People are looking for something new, so we need to start looking out of the box,” Nawar says.

As a business owner, Nawar says he can no longer afford Gesha coffee on his menu at around $2000 a kilogram.

Instead, he is open to mixing beverages together without the exorbitant price tag.

“Why don’t we give customers the best vanilla latte or a nice coffee with a little MONIN syrup in there. It’s a great quality product, so take a risk. What’s the worst that can happen?” he asks.

To help businesses drive innovation and navigate the world of flavourings, MONIN has dedicated training facilities and test kitchens in Sydney and Brisbane for customers to experiment with flavour options.

John says MONIN is passionate about engaging with the broader coffee industry and being an authentic contributor to help specialty shops, franchise customers and large chains develop exciting and delicious menu options.

“We are just as passionate about flavour as baristas are. When it comes to MONIN products, a small amount can go a long way to amplifying a beverage.

It’s about trialling the range, playing with them, injecting them, and seeing what customers like, the same way a barista would trial a new single origin,” John says.

“There is always an opportunity to drive something extraordinary and now is the perfect time to get people excited about being experimental with your café menu.”

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

THE POUR IS YOURS

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M I L K

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Waste not want not When it’s time to replace your coffee equipment with the latest market offering, Brew Solutions Australia wants customers to think again and make sure the outcome is made with sustainability in mind.

I

n a time when roasters are aiming towards B Corp certification, sharing transparency reports, and making sustainable plans to lower their carbon footprint, coffee machine service and equipment supplier Brew Solutions Australia is on a mission of its own to educate customers about waste reduction.

With so much emphasis already on the reusable cup culture, Brew Solutions Business Manager Stacey Benjamin says more attention needs to be paid to the way coffee machines are so often “swapped out” for shiny new ones.

“We live in a pretty big throwaway society. There are too many café customers and baristas who don’t appreciate or understand the value of their equipment, and in turn, don’t necessarily understand the upkeep required to look after it. It breaks my heart to see the volume of machines that gets thrown out when they could so easily be fixed and repurposed. Quite often their end life doesn’t have to be so soon,” she says.

What’s needed, Stacey adds, is better education so that café owners and baristas can understand how to best use, care, and maintain their equipment for a longer lifespan.

“There’s often been a stigma not to play with equipment, such as adjusting the grinder, and to wait for a supplier or technician to come and look at the problem. But in many cases, it’s for a simple thing that could be fixed without a tech call-out, such as a seal not sitting properly, a blocked steam tip or a sugar packet clogging the drain hose, which we can absolutely help troubleshoot with people over the phone,” Stacey says.

Brew Solutions aim for a first-time fix mentality to avoid charging customers additional fees for things that can be easily resolved or maintained. As such, when technicians do visit a call-out case, they ask the customer if there’s anything else that needs the technician’s attention.

The other sustainable solution is regular customer preventative maintenance schedules every six months

or more, depending on volume output, which allow technicians to stay on top of any potential lingering issues. Stacey says simple things such as seals and shower head replacements are better checked regularly instead of waiting to find a machine dysfunctional because it wasn’t properly maintained.

Technology is aiding the Brew Solutions team to assess potential issues.

Most of its roaster and café customers are connected via an instant messaging

platform to first communicate the issue, and share images and videos to measure if something can be resolved on the phone or needs immediate technical assistance.

“We are constantly thinking about how the decisions we make are impactful from an environmentally and economically sustainable point of view. If we can clean a shower screen rather than replace a perfectly usable part, it’s preferable from a cost point of view and a sustainable one. When we do replace water filters

Brew Solutions is passionate about customer education and maintenance to ensure equipment has a long lifespan.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE however, we bring it back to base and talk with our partners BWT about how to recycle it properly and safely,” she says.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, small, struggling café customers might be doing their sums and realise that in some cases, regular servicing of their machine and the replacement of parts will be a cost-effective solution to keeping their workhorse of a machine operating at full capacity rather than buying a replacement one.”

While education is key to sustaining the life of a coffee machine, Stacey says there is also increasing demand from customers asking to have their machine refurbished or sold for them and facilitated through Brew Solutions.

“Secondhand two-group machines are going to be hot property very shortly.

With a backlog of shipment delays, and supply chain issues for new machines, many café customers are looking at what’s accessible and cost effective.

Some can’t wait and need a machine now,” Stacey says.

“We also work closely with industry professionals in Brisbane such as Dipit Kustoms to customise machines and give it a fresh coat of paint for customers to call their own. Customers soon realise they can buy a secondhand machine and spend less money making it different simply through customisation.”

Brew Solutions is proud to work with many suppliers and more than nine different brands of espresso machines and grinders. The advantage of working with so many brands, Stacey says, is not only the ability to service many different models and makes of machines, but having the guarantee Brew Solutions can source new equipment.

While further education about sustainable equipment solutions is needed, at Brew Solutions’ Brisbanebased factory, education goes both ways.

Each morning, the team – consisting of four technicians – gather for a session of “tech talk”. Staff run through the job list for the day, equipment and parts needed, and take machines a part to demonstrate solutions so that each technician has the confidence to tackle any job. No question is too small, no solution too complex.

“Some of our technicians have a background in electrical or software engineering and have never worked as a barista, so we’re also passionate about empowering the team with the knowledge about coffee to help the customer,” Stacey says. “We teach them about dialling in and over and under extraction, and all the necessary skills to navigate coffee equipment. Coffee industry education is available on internal platforms for all staff to access,

Brew Solutions says regular machine servicing and the replacement of parts is a cost-effective solution to extend a machine’s usability instead of a replacement model.

from growing coffee right through to preparing the final cup. Education and up-skilling is a vital part of our processes.”

For Stacey herself, after a career in coffee spanning 21 years, working as a coffee trainer in cafés, big franchise chains, and roasters, she has moved into the technician world and is eager to extract as much knowledge as she can from her mentors, including Technical Ambassador Geoff Michelmore and State Manager Andrew Stacey.

“I was that 17-year-old always asking the technician questions about how things work, so I’m using any opportunity to be in the workshop learning from the team, even about things such as static relays we just had a tech talk about this morning,” she says.

Geoff and Leigh Michelmore founded Brew Solutions in 2016 as a technical service provider to Southeast Queensland, but with a core focus on sustainability. Six years later, that focus is embedded in the company culture and drives all facets of its decision making.

“Leigh and Geoff are passionate about creating a business and environment where sustainability is at the core, in

the way they upskill their staff, guide employee career paths, and in the services they provide to customers,” Stacey says.

Within the Brew Solutions factory, sustainable practices are considered in the recycling of various plastics and metals, instalment of LED lighting throughout the building, refurbishing parts where possible, composting of food scraps in the lunchroom, and moving towards fully compostable or recycled packaging when sending out any orders.

Brew Solutions works alongside the Queensland Chamber of Commerce ecoBiz initiative, helping business to save money and increase efficiencies, to ensure it is working towards a more sustainable business.

“We want to have a clear conscience about our waste and our contribution to the throw-away world,” Stacey says.

“It’s been refreshing to see the impact we’re having on our customers and their understanding of machine wastage.

Hopefully we can continue to spread awareness, one machine at a time.”

For more information, visit brewsolutions.com.au

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

A chain reaction Five Senses Coffee is in a supermarket near you. The specialty coffee roaster explains why its partnership with Coles is a win for consumers and the broader industry at large.

Y

ears ago, the perception of specialty coffee brands sitting on supermarket shelves was met with industry concern and misunderstanding. Fast forward just a few years and now, it’s almost a badge of honour to join the exclusive club.

For roaster Five Senses, rolling out a new range of specialty coffees in Coles nationwide from mid-April is not just a win for the brand, but for the acceptance of specialty coffee in a mainstream consumer platform.

“It’s a pretty amazing development for us, and a moment the wider specialty coffee community can celebrate. It’s a sign that specialty coffee has made it out of our niche world and into the mainstream market where we can move people away from commodity coffee, open the door and welcome them into this wonderful world of specialty,” says Five Senses Strategic Projects Manager Ben Bicknell.

“Specialty coffee should be accessible to anyone. For so long there’s been a barrier between the specialty world and regular home coffee drinkers, and that gap is now closing.”

When Five Senses started in 2000, it was on the cusp of the specialty coffee

movement that quickly spread throughout the country from early to mid 2000s.

In the 22 years of operation, the roaster has shared its love for specialty coffee with customers and worked with top wholesale accounts that shared that same excitement.

Now, Five Senses is ready for its next adventure. Director of Coffee Matt Slater has curated the new range with Five Senses’ same ethos to specialty coffee, just in a more accessible way.

Rather than overwhelming customers with specialty coffee language about extraction parameters, brew ratios, water temperatures and malic acidity, just three key tasting notes are written on the front of each bag. On the back, is a simple lifecycle diagram depicting the four key steps of coffee making: farm, coffee mill, roasting, and into the cup of coffee lovers.

“We wanted the messaging to be fun, visual and approachable, not an information dump of stats and figures, which we love talking about, but it’s about offering bite-sized steps first,” Ben says.

“It’s about taking consumers on a journey, and this new ‘discovery range’ of coffee aims to do just that.”

The All Aboard espresso blend celebrates notes of chocolate, roasted

nuts, and praline. Ben says this coffee is a “steppingstone blend” into specialty coffee, allowing consumers to improve their coffee experience with a comforting profile that tastes delicious as a milk-based coffee.

“All Aboard is not just a name, it’s a philosophy based upon collaboration.

The coffees which make up this super balanced blend have been sourced from Five Senses Coffee relationships spanning a decade,” Matt says. “The trust, integrity and mutual respect of these human centric relationships have created a unique opportunity to celebrate not only these amazing coffees, but the very people who are responsible for them.”

The Sightseer is a single origin espresso offering featuring beans from SanCoffee in Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, a relationship Five Senses has had for the past 12 years. Ben notes that the profile of toffee, choc fudge and raisins is a great introduction to single origin coffees.

The Rambler single origin coffee features beans sourced through womanowned Primavera Coffee in Guatemala. It offers softer stone fruit acidity and notes of nougat and milk chocolate, which is more suited to black coffee drinkers looking to try something different.

The new range includes the All Aboard espresso blend, Sightseer single origin espresso using Brazilian beans, and The Rambler single origin from Guatemala.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE “We want customers to discover the range, be curious and welcomed,” Ben says. “It’s about inclusivity and sharing our enthusiasm and knowledge of specialty coffee that embraces flavour, traceability and the people behind the cup.”

Five Senses roasts in Western Australia and Victoria, ensuring it can deliver stock on demand and uphold its value for quality and freshness.

It has also considered the end life of its packaging bags, using a soft plastic wrapping that can be recycled in all Coles supermarkets via the REDcycle soft plastic collection program, helping to turn recycled plastic into children’s playground equipment, roads, and carparks.

How far the customer wants to go down the specialty knowledge path is up to them.

If the consumer wishes to learn more, the QR code on all retail bags takes people to a dedicated page with information to digest at their own pace. This includes recommended recipes to brew the coffee, as well as transparency information, and the farm behind the coffee.

To back it up, Five Senses has four Academies across the country – Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth – where it can take enthusiastic coffee drinkers to the stage of information that suits their interests and abilities, from small group classes to private tutorials

with education that excites and empowers.

Generously sharing specialty coffee knowledge and skills is an approach Five Senses has taken since its founding, says Lena Richrath, Five Senses National Curriculum Manager and podium finisher in the 2020 ASCA Australian Barista Championship.

“At our Academies, we strive to educate and inspire industry barista and home coffee enthusiasts alike. Our goal is to deliver a better understanding for specialty coffee. To do that, we need to meet people where they’re at and help

“SPECIALTY COFFEE IS MADE WITH HUMAN HANDS. THE FARMERS ARE THE CORNERSTONE TO WHAT WE CELEBRATE.”

Five Senses will launch its new specialty coffee range in Coles supermarkets nationwide.

44 beanscenemag.com.au

them take that next step.”

Five Senses’ e-store has been operational on its website for the past 17 years. While many were quick to implement their own versions for retail customers during the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns, Five Senses has always experienced a positive reception.

“When COVID hit, it really opened the door to start having great conversations with people who would normally go to their café. People were stuck at home and still wanted good quality coffee,” Ben says.

“We had training sessions through our Academy, ran home barista classes and did one-on-ones. We’re probably one of the few specialty roasters in the country that doesn’t have a dedicated café, so our connection to our customers through our great café partners and via the Academy has always been a great reminder about how to reinvigorate the information and language we use around how coffee can be prepared and how it tastes.”

With more people learning the art of coffee making at home, Ben says people will still retreat to cafés for an elevated coffee experience that celebrates service and ambiance at the highest level.

“Specialty cafés are all about hospitality. Cafés invest in the top-end of equipment and professionally, have refined their knowledge and skills with the flexibility to offer a more dynamic and broader range of coffee experiences – blends, rotating single origins, and filter options featuring unique flavours,” Ben says. “At home, it’s about enjoyment of a personal craft and ritual. Connecting with that, taking the product, and translating it through a few simple steps – grinding, extraction, milk steaming – and experiencing the end result.”

Ultimately, Ben says educating more home consumers about specialty coffee is part of a greater goal to acknowledge those at the start of the coffee chain.

“Specialty coffee is made with human hands. The farmers are the cornerstone to what we celebrate. The more people we can move away from buying bulk commodity products, which are not sustainable and don’t acknowledge the people behind it, and onto specialty coffee, which is intrinsically about the people behind it and has a much greater impact.

It’s about a much bigger picture,” Ben says.

“Our whole mission is to impact people positively and use coffee as a delicious tool to create connection of the people and local communities involved along the coffee supply chain. If we can do that, then it creates an exciting picture of where specialty coffee is headed.”

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

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

Upside down and back-to-front Toby’s Estate flagship store has reopened with a reversed counter and mirrors over the baristas, offering a unique view of coffee.

E

ntering Toby Estate’s flagship Chippendale store in Sydney, open again after seven months of renovations and lockdown, customers are presented with a sleek, modern space, an enormous sweep of hardwood countertop – and the back of a barista.

“We flipped the bar around,” explains Toby’s Estate Chippendale Flagship Store Manager Jack Stapelfeldt.

Customers also get an eyeful of an even more unusual perspective, courtesy of the curved mirrors hanging above the coffee machines that reflect a birds’-eye view to those sitting at the bar.

“Customers can see exactly how their cup of coffee is made, and understand what baristas do,” says Jack.

This choice typifies the ethos of the entire refurbishment, according to Jack: to share and educate customers on the highest-quality specialty coffee and invite them into every stage of coffee making, whether that’s observing the roasting facility behind the café or asking a barista about brewing methods.

To accommodate this perspective change, the Chippendale coffee bar is built according to exacting specifications. The bar features a custom three-group espresso machine, four Mahlkönig grinders – two E80s and two EK 43 models – a V60 brew bar, Acaia pearl scales, a four-spout milk juggler, three Fellow Stagg EKG electric kettles set between 88°C and 92°C and a custom jug rinser in the filter bar.

Much of this hardware is tucked beneath the bar or integrated directly into the countertop, allowing the equipment to shine. Toby’s Estate collaborated with Dutch manufacturer Kees van der Westen for the refurbishment, supplying the only custom-made Slim Jim in Australia, which Jack describes as a “baby model” between the Spirit and the Mirage espresso machines.

“The exact set-up of the bar was so important,” says Jack. “We didn’t want baristas walking back and forth to get the

Mirrors overhead offer close-up views of coffee creations as they are prepared.

things they need. Everything is where they need it, right to hand.”

Being so visible to customers can create a bit of extra pressure says Jack, but the baristas are more than up to it.

“Baristas always have pressure to make a great coffee for every customer, so it was more about getting used to the set-up.

We practiced new workflows to get the routine down before the grand opening,” Jack says.

“The layout is going to be unexpected for a lot of people, but it works because you can see the baristas’ focus and skill.

You appreciate how hard people work to make a perfect cup every time.”

Customers will also be encouraged

to ask questions about the coffee-making process, the specialty coffees used, and the custom machinery.

“We want people to feel like it’s absolutely fine to ask anything, because we really want to educate people about the whole process,” Jack says.

“It’s very exciting working in a space that is really an exhibition for amazing coffee,” says Charlotte Malaval, Toby’s Estate’s Green Bean Buyer.

Charlotte and the Toby’s coffee team curates the rotating reserve menu, featuring some of the world’s best specialty, select and small-lot coffees. Most of the drinks on the menu range between $12 to $24, with top-shelf rarities around $40-plus.

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

The custom café counter will feature star baristas alongside the only custom-made Slim Jim in Australia.

“We buy beans from a lot of small producers in young regions,” says Charlotte. “For some of these coffees, this is the only place in Australia you could buy a cup.

“One of my current favourites comes from a Myanmar producer called Melanie Edwards from Behind the Leaf mill.

Myanmar farmers typically grow very small amounts of coffee among their other crops, so Melanie collects cherries from entire farming villages and processes them in really original ways, experimenting with all kinds of fermentation microorganisms to produce absolutely delicious cups of coffee.

“She’s always tweaking and updating, and soon we be showcasing her latest crop with some exciting innovations and new profiles.

Charlotte says her goal is for Chippendale to become a coffee destination in itself.

“We want people to come and have unique experiences, and be curious about different origins, farms, varietals, processes and how we have curated the menu,” she says.

“We’re highlighting industry-leading coffees, including some of the best farms in Panama with some Geishas from the Kotowa and Elida Estates. We also have frozen competition coffees, as well some classic and more humble expressions from different regions. It’s a real celebration of diverse coffee around the world.”

Besides the unique menu is a bank of custom-built freezers sitting behind the coffee bar, displaying shelf after shelf of vacuum-packed roasted beans.

This coffee cellar preserves unique seasonal and diverse locations of harvested beans, giving Charlotte the ability to create menus that draw from exceptional crops of past years without compromising on quality.

“Vacuum-packed frozen beans are super stable,” she explains. “We can store them for over five years without seeing any change in quality.”

“I want to make menus exploring how

48 beanscenemag.com.au

coffees taste year by year as a producer’s crop changes according to innumerable variables.

“We can take coffees from the same region, of the same variety or process and compare them side-by-side. The freezer system gives us the flexibility to explore the infinite.”

“WE WANT TO BREAK DOWN THE BARRIER BETWEEN THE BARISTA AND CONSUMER AND ENGAGE AND EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR COFFEE.” It’s these high-quality coffees that underpin the logic of perching customers behind the coffee machine.

Even the most knowledgeable coffee connoisseurs are likely encounter something unfamiliar, and if you don’t know a Maragogype from a Mundo Novo, the staff are ready and willing to help navigate the menu.

“The whole space is geared towards interactions,” Jack says. “You can sit at the bar and watch coffee be made, or you can take a table and talk to your waiter about the options.

“We want to break down the barrier between the barista and consumer and engage and educate people about their coffee.”

Guests will be able to engage with star barista power, with regular bar appearances from Charlotte, a two-time World Barista Championship finalist from

France; Simon Gautherin, 2021 Australian AeroPress Champion; and Carlos Escobar, 2021 fourth place World Brewers Cup Champion.

Jack’s passion for talking coffee is unmistakable. He became Toby’s Estate’s Flagship Manager in late 2021, roughly a week before COVID-19 restrictions closed the flagship he was hired to manage.

“It was rough for everyone,” he says.

“But the plans for the refurbishment had been kicking around in the background.

Since we were closed anyway, it seemed like the best chance we’d get.”

Now, months later, Jack can finally welcome customers to the Chippendale store.

“I think people will be gobsmacked when they walk in,” Jack says. “Everyone felt so disconnected during the pandemic, but this whole space is designed around supporting interactions.

“I was amazed at the level of detail in the plans when I first saw them. Even the wall near the retail area has three specific curves to channel sound, so you can hear someone talking quietly next to you without background noise echoing around the big space.

Jack says the entire café is designed to create smaller spaces for conversation and observation.

“You can’t learn when you’re sitting 1.5 metres apart from anyone,” says Jack.

“But now we can welcome people in and make sure there’s a really energising atmosphere.”

The importance of personal connections underlies the small but solid food menu. Curated by ex-MasterChef contestant Tommy Pham, which is largely supplied by Sydney locals such as Simon Says juice and Too Good pastries.

“We get our bread from Brickfields bakery, which is just around the corner, and all the jams and relishes are from Justin Arnoux at Drunken Sailor Co., who makes really cool flavours like jalapeño and tequila relish, stout and chipotle mustard,” says Jack.

“Our coffee is the star of the show, so the food is designed to be bold and satisfying without competing too much for your attention.”

Most of all, Jack is happy to be talking to people about coffee: “Everything you taste here, you can buy from us in retail or wholesale quantities, so we want to help find your new favourite coffee.

“We want customers walking away knowing that they’ve just experienced the industry standard of coffee and service.”

Toby’s Estate Chippendale is located at 32-36 City Road, Chippendale.

For opening hours and more information, visit www.tobysestate.com.au.

WATER WORKS

Cameron McDonald is the Business Development Manager at Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies.

One of a kind Bombora Coffee + Water Supplies Business Development Manager Cameron McDonald explains how BRITA’s range of filters can treat and block even the toughest of water conditions.

I

n March, torrential rain impacted communities across the east coast of Australia, resulting in severe flooding, mass town evacuations and thousands of damaged homes.

After what had already been a wet summer with above-average rainfall, the saturated, close-to-capacity water catchment areas cannot cope.

The intensity of the floodwaters caused significant erosion of dirt, sand, and clay.

As a result, local water agencies estimate that the turbidity or cloudiness of the raw water in flood-affected regions has risen at least 100 times above acceptable levels.

Turbidity is caused by solid particulates within a water source, which can include soil, sand, as well as clay. These particulates can cause significant damage to municipal water that water authorities distribute to communities.

This particularly affects municipal water sources that rely on large-scale sand filters, which can clog under the sheer volume of contaminants, or ultraviolet disinfection systems. This requires water turbidity to be below one NTU (nephelometric turbidity units), water containing one milligram of finely divided silica per litre. This is so the transfer of the disinfecting light can reach and neutralise bacterial coliforms.

So, what does this mean for local small businesses, including cafés? The chances are high that the incoming water supply has suffered sediment and particulate matter ingress.

The key here, is to address this issue before recommissioning your machine, including disconnecting the machine feed line, and running water into a bucket until it is clear of particulate matter.

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The next crucial step is changing the water filter as any contamination to the line will also be trapped within the water filter.

Thankfully, this is where BRITA water filters can shine. Its filters are designed to mechanically remove, absorb, and exchange the three most common contaminants found in Australia: chlorine, particulate matter, and of course scale.

Filters are designed to mechanically

block or absorb incoming contaminants, including sediment, chlorine, scale, and bacteria.

When a filter is left unused, these contaminants can begin to cause the filter to resemble a stagnant pond internally.

They may also affect the structure and overall integrity of the filter, which can lead to the filter dumping contaminants into a coffee machine.

It is for this reason that a filter change

The recent floods in Queensland have shattered rainfall records, resulting in increased water turbidity.

BRITA water filter technology provides businesses with quality water on demand.

should be a part of the recommissioning process of any coffee machine or water dispensing device.

When a coffee machine is left to stand for some time, contaminants tend to settle and form a barrier within solenoids, flow meters, group heads, and boilers. The recommissioning of a machine is best carried out by a qualified technician to ensure that the correct process steps are followed. However, during this process, water filters are over-looked.

When it comes to ideal time to change a water filter, most cafés and service technicians work off time in use, such as three, six or 12-month intervals.

This method potentially risks your machine being supplied by a filter with depleted media, allowing harmful scale and gypsum to block solenoids and destroy boilers.

The best way to ensure that your machine is protected is to change the filter based on the machine’s capacity.

This figure can be measured by installing an inline flow meter or using a simple calculation, as shown in the breakout box.

BRITA’s 4 in 1 media composition will protect your machine from critical contaminants that can cause a premature expiry of expensive components.

At Bombora, we work with BRITA for our water filtration needs, and are committed to providing education about the importance of water quality and how it can affect the taste profile of coffee.

COVID-19 made it difficult to facilitate the usual onsite training. However, our team produce regular articles on the water testing, performance, usage benefits and

handy tips regarding water filtration, which can be found on our website.

To ensure our customers always receive top quality water, we stock Australia’s number one filter brand.

This ensures that we have a vast array of filtration products to choose from when providing solutions for our customer’s applications.

We also offer free inhouse water testing to ensure that we fully understand each customer’s unique application requirements and provide the correct solution, which ultimately results in great water.

The Purity C range is a staple of Bombora’s product offering. It guarantees optimum water quality for every application of the coffee machine within the Australian market.

Its quick-change, multi-purposed head allows anyone to easily do a filter interchange between the Purity C Finest and Quell offerings, depending on machine boiler types. This removes the need for a technician to change your filter and provides a cost-effective solution.

Namely, we recommend the Quell filter range for copper boilers and the finest

filter offerings for stainless steel boilers that require PH buffering to help prevent low PH corrosion.

BRITA continues to be a leading manufacturer of softening-based water filtration solutions for roasters or café owners. Bombora has shared a working partnership with BRITA since 2008.

We believe a good business relationship requires trust, respect, inclusion, and open communication. All these attributes exist within our working relationship with BRITA, and this is the key reason why they are considered a valued partner of ours.

Beyond being a great company to do business with, take great reassurance in the fact that its filters provide the best solution for all water qualities and conditions nationwide, even in the most extreme situations such as floodwaters.

Our thoughts are with those businesses impacted up north. We wish them well on their path to recovery.

For more information, visit www.bomborasupplies.com.au or www.brita.com.au

CAMERON’S RECOMMENDATION TO CHANGE A WATER FILTER: • Base the café on 40 kilograms per week.

• Base the café on Sydney metro with hardness levels of 70 parts per million (ppm) • The assumption of 10 grams of coffee per shot • The use of 50 ml per shot (This includes pre-rinse)

1 shot = 10 grams of coffee.

10 shots = 100 grams of coffee x 10 = 1 kg 100 shots per kg x 40kg per week usage = 4000 shots.

4000 shots times the 50 ml of water per shot = 200 litres.

The C150 has a capacity of 4766 at 70 ppm.

4766 divided by 100 litres = 23.83 weeks.

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TODAY’S MILK IS NOT NUTTY IT’S ALMOND.

Proudly pouring at:

ALTDAIRYCO.COM /altdcbarista

ADC_BeanScene_APR_v1.indd All Pages

@thealternativedairyco

ALMONDS ARE A BARISTA’S BEST FRIEND Specialty coffee is all about partnerships, whether that’s between roasters and producers or cafés and their suppliers.

Since launching in 2018, partnerships in the coffee industry have also been at the core of The Alternative Dairy Co. and have contributed to the success of its Barista Oat, Soy, and Almond Milks.

Some of these partnerships are with the most prominent names in the coffee industry, including Sydney’s Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters which began using and recommending The Alternative Dairy Co. Barista Almond Milk in 2021.

“There’s definitely been an upward trend with alternative milks and a shift away from dairy over the last few years,” says Josh Haidinger, Assistant Head Roaster at Toby’s Estate.

“We tested a range of alternative milk suppliers and Alternative Dairy Co.’s almond milk was our number one choice when paired with our coffee.”

After tasting several almond milks, Josh says Toby’s Estate found The Alternative Dairy Co. open to feedback and collaboration, which confirmed their choice to partner with the Australian owned company.

“We love working with and supporting local brands. They also have an extensive knowledge of the local markets and trends,” Josh says.

“Our focus is always around taste and how the milk pairs with our coffee. The Alternative was a standout when it came to almond. It’s also great to know that they’re a brand with a focus on baristas.”

Since partnering with The Alternative Dairy Co., Josh says they have been an engaged partner in supporting initiatives and events like Swirl Club.

“We’ve had a great response within our network which can be attributed to the unique flavour profile that The Alternative Dairy Co. has and how it pairs with our coffee,” he says.

“We are definitely seeing an upward trend of alternative milks that is only going to get stronger over time. We are likely to see an increase in alternative milk options/offerings and looking forward to seeing our relationship with The Alternative Dairy Co. continue to strengthen.”

Another esteemed specialty coffee roaster embracing The Alternative Dairy Co.’s Barista Almond Milk is Melbourne’s Proud Mary Coffee.

“We were looking for a new almond milk supplier and after some research on what strong alternative milks there were out there I came

“I’M NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING WHEN I SAY IT’S ONE OF THE BEST ALTERNATIVE MILKS THAT I’VE USED IN MY CAREER.” Brodie Roberts Café Manager at Proud Mary Coffee

across The Alternative Dairy Co.,” says Brodie Roberts, Café Manager at Proud Mary Coffee.

“Coincidentally, their office is just down the road from us and they were actually already regulars the café. I’ve been able to build really great relationships with the rep and the rest of the team.”

Brodie adds the biggest adjustment when switching to The Alternative Dairy Co. was Proud Mary’s customers getting used to the higher quality almond milk.

“Our old almond milk had quite an unusual texture and strong almond flavour, whereas The Alternative Dairy Co.’s has a texture very similar to dairy milk and a neutral flavour,” she says.

“After giving samples to a few of our regulars, some of them couldn’t even tell it was almond milk.”

Proud Mary’s also aligned with The Alternative Dairy Co.’s on several values, such as quality, sustainability, and supporting local.

others offering a similar product. They’re an Australian owned company who focus a lot on sustainable practices and do everything to ensure that they are providing the best possible product,” Brodie says.

“They’re also pretty transparent in the way they share their sustainable practices with us, like ensuring that the water and other waste from their almond production is processed, recycled, and put back into the farms. They also don’t use any harsh like chemicals or pesticides and to me that’s a very important thing.”

With health and sustainability becoming more and more important to customers, Brodie says demand for plant-based milks will continue to rise.

“We have a few projects on the horizon together and hopefully will continue to grow our relationship,” she says. “I’m not even exaggerating when I say it’s one of the best alternative milks that I’ve used in my career.”

“It’s pretty important for us to be able to support other businesses that are in similar industries and circumstances, particularly when their product is light years above

10/3/22 3:47 pm

2022

Dairy & Dairy Alternative feature BeanScene celebrates the many brands that are shaping the Australian café landscape with a comprehensive listing of products that are in demand, on trend, and reflective of consumer preferences.

The Alternative made thoughtful with Australian Almonds Alternative Dairy Co Almond Milk is made with Australiangrown almonds from suppliers who are mindful of bee health. Bees are an integral part of the pollination process for almond trees, and its growers ensure bee health initiatives are kept at the forefront of their practices.

Delivering a subtle and neutral nutty taste, its Aussiegrown, owned and made almond milk is the milk that baristas go nuts for (literally).

For more information, visit altdairyco.com

The Alternative made with Aussie grown Oats and simple ingredients Made with Australian-grown oats and just five ingredients, Alternative Dairy Co Oat Milk surprises and delights delivering a smooth and creamy cup. Simple, clean, delicious. Welcome to the new frontier where, for the first time, it’s easier and tastier to switch to plant-based without compromise. It’s clear to see why, like crema, it’s rising to the top.

For more information, visit altdairyco.com

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2022 DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVE FEATURE

Bonsoy Almond Milk

Bonsoy Soymilk

Pair your beans with our nuts.

Baristas – we’re not being crude, we’re being healthy.

At Bonsoy, that’s very important.

Its all-natural almond milk uses roasted almond paste.

(Hint: it’s the good stuff, that’s really good for you.) With a light flavour profile that holds when heated, and a natural nutty almond fragrance, it’s the perfect pairing for whatever you’re blending. And boy, does it love to froth.

100 per cent vegan. Nothing artificial. But it won’t wax lyrical. It’ll leave that to your happy customers.

For more information, visit Bonsoy.com or follow socials @originalbonsoy

Bonsoy can handle you at your hottest.

Not only are baristas attractive, they have to work under pressure. Nine bars of pressure, to be exact. Not to mention the steam. Sounds like a good party? It can be, as long as everyone turns up and plays their part.

All milk is not created equal. Not everyone can handle the heat. Fact: Bonsoy won’t change its flavour profile when heated. With quality ingredients and organic soybeans, Bonsoy is non-GMO and vegan, and it’s the perfect canvas for latte art and creamy coffee because it stretches further.

In short, (or long macchiato) it does hotter, better. It’s no wonder Bonsoy’s famous golden cartons are a beacon for quality around the globe.

For more information, visit bonsoy.com or follow socials @originalbonsoy

Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend When it comes to dairy alternatives, Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend is a hit with baristas across the globe because of its full-bodied creamy texture. Unrivalled in performance, Califia’s oat milk perfectly complements the natural flavour of coffee without overpowering it.

Served in more than 6000 cafés nationally, Oat Barista is easy to stretch for impressive latte art. It’s fortified with calcium and completely unsweetened with no added sugar or gums making it the perfect plant-based partner.

For more information, visit califiafarms.com.au or contact australia@califiafarms.com

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Chobani Oat Milk Barista Edition Made with the goodness of real oats, Chobani Oat Milk Barista Edition is a delicious way to milk.

Made with baristas in mind, Chobani created the ultimate oat milk that tastes amazing, is super versatile and leaves you with a delicious coffee. Designed to froth, foam and behave like real milk for the perfect plant-based coffee every time.

Chobani Oat Milk Barista Edition is the perfect smooth and creamy alternative to dairy.

Chobani believes food should be made the right way and its Oat Milk is no exception.

Putting extra care and time into the process; taking whole oats and carefully soaking them batch by batch to create a unique flavour experience.

With no added sugar and lactose free, Chobani Oat Milk Barista Edition is creamy, delicious, and steams superior, ensuring a consistently smooth pour for impressive latte art.

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

h.alt barista crafted hemp milk Are you alt enough?

It’s not a question meant to push you away, rather challenge your perception. With so many options in what we consume today, and more people turning to the alt, our challenge is this: Have you looked hard enough? To be alt is to make the conscious decision to seek change. For h.alt, this search led to the discovery of the perfect dairy alternative – hemp.

Born in Manly, NSW, h.alt is Australia’s first barista crafted hemp milk. For coffee lovers, by coffee lovers. Its rich creamy taste and silky texture make coffee the hero and is great for so much more. Where other alt milks can overpower, h.alt complements, and is packed full to the brim with health benefits while remaining vegan and gluten-free.

Low in sugar, and a good source of calcium, h.alt is great for the planet, great for you and great for your coffee.

Make the alt choice with h.alt.

For more information, visit haltmilk.com

Happy Happy Soy Boy Happy Happy Soy Boy is high in protein and low in sugar, containing just five natural ingredients that complement the flavour of great espresso. The team have worked hard to deliver a plant-based product that is better for the environment than the plant-based products that came before, while still delivering on flavour and nutrition.

As a climate responsible company, Happy Happy Foods is committed to taking responsibility for its environmental impact by embracing the challenge of transparency and accountability.

All Happy Happy! products carry a climate score, much like the heath star rating, on its packaging and is 100% carbon neutral.

It’s time to upgrade your plant-based milk – choose Happy Happy!

For more information, visit www.eatdrinkhappyhappy.com

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2022 DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVE FEATURE

MILKLAB Macadamia

MILKLAB Oat

The rich and creamy alternative to dairy from the #1 plantbased milk used by Australian cafés. Made in Australia with 100% Australian Macadamias which have been delicately roasted to deliver a sweet, buttery flavour and creamy mouthfeel. Designed in true MILKLAB style in collaboration with baristas to texture, stretch and pour with high performance and perfectly complement the flavour of espresso coffee.

For more information, visit milklabco.com/macadamia-milk/

The new smooth and creamy alternative to dairy from the #1 plant-based milk used by Australian cafés. Proudly made in Australia with 100% Australian Oats, MILKLAB Oat has a subtle oat-y flavour and no added sugar delivering a natural subtle sweetness. Designed in true MILKLAB style in collaboration with baristas to texture, stretch and pour with high performance and perfectly complement the flavour of espresso coffee.

For more information, visit milklabco.com/oat-milk/

Riverina Fresh Gold Milk Riverina Fresh knows that not all coffee blends are the same and that making great coffee requires the right ingredients. That is why it developed Riverina Fresh Gold milk, the extra cream milk for a variety of coffee blends.

Riverina Fresh Gold milk was developed in close collaboration with Sasa Sestic and the team from Ona Coffee. It has been specially crafted to deliver a rich, creamy mouthfeel that balances darker, stronger coffees, while also allowing subtle, fruity and sweet notes to shine.

The 2021 Australian Barista Champion Hugh Kelly used Riverina Fresh Gold milk at the 2021 World Barista Championships (WBC) in Milan to complement his unique Liberica coffee.

“I blind tasted 30 to 40 different milks and Riverina Fresh Milk not only promoted the most distinct fruit characters from my coffee but also maintained a creamy balanced cup profile,” Hugh says.

Riverina Fresh produces a range of award-winning milks, creams and yoghurts and distributes a full range of leading dairy and non-dairy products for cafés, restaurants and hospitality outlets across NSW, VIC and ACT. For more information or for a free milk trial in your café, please call 1800 993 081 or visit www.riverinafresh.com.au *Maximum of 2 mixed crates per store.

Follow Riverina Fresh on Instagram & Facebook @Riverina Fresh

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Riverina Fresh Full Cream Milk Riverina Fresh is an independent, 100% Australian owned dairy manufacturer and foodservice distribution business based on the Riverina region of New South Wales. This year it celebrates its 100th anniversary with a continued focus on producing premium, innovative dairy products.

Riverina Fresh milks are highly regarded by leading roasters and baristas for their taste, functional performance, and consistency.

Riverina Fresh has built a reputation as the milk of choice for specialty coffee by focusing on the science and art of delivering quality milk for coffee, understanding the key role of milk composition, the importance of on-farm practices, and the many other factors that influence the functionality of fresh milk with coffee.

Riverina Fresh Full Cream has a smooth, full-bodied flavour, delicious taste, and exceptional mouthfeel.

It has been chosen as the competition milk at the upcoming 2022 World Barista Championships in Melbourne.

It delivers a rich mouthfeel and creamy flavour, complementing a wide range of coffee blends.

Riverina Fresh produces a range of milks, creams and yoghurts and distributes a full range of leading dairy and non-dairy products throughout Victoria, NSW and Australian Capital Territory to meet your café’s needs.

For more information or for a free milk trial in your café, please call 1800 993 081 or visit www.riverinafresh.com.au *Maximum of 2 mixed crates per store.

Follow Riverina Fresh on Instagram & Facebook @Riverina Fresh

Vegan friendly

Limited only by your imagination

Australian made

Gluten free

No artificial flavours

No artificial colours

hello@nakedsyrups.com.au nakedsyrups.com.au beanscenemag.com.au

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2022 DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVE FEATURE

Vitasoy Café for Baristas Almond Milk

Vitasoy Café for Baristas Oat Milk

“Best tasting Almond Milk!

Get on board!”

Vitasoy has worked closely with one of Australia’s best baristas to achieve a rich, creamy mouthfeel with a round smooth finish.

Now you can create the perfect almond latte made with Australian grown almonds.

“It has a smooth, decadent, and high-quality sweet almond finish that together with coffee creates a complete experience – utterly delicious,” says Matthew Lewin, 2019 Australian Barista Champion.

Proudly grown and made in Australia.

For more information, visit vitasoy.com.au

Made in Australia with Aussie grown oats!

Finally, a plant milk that works like dairy.

Vitasoy Café for Baristas Oat Milk has been specially formulated to deliver a perfect plant-based coffee.

Made from 100% Australian grown whole oats, it has a mild and balanced flavour that lets the beans speak for themselves.

Vitasoy makes its plant milk using only the best ingredients, through a process it’s refined to be as simple as possible. It believes in supporting local Aussie farmers, proudly manufacturing its Café for Baristas products in regional Victoria, Australia.

Proudly grown and made in Australia.

For more information, visit vitasoy.com.au

Success with coffee needs passion.

We are your partner.

Welcome to Melitta Professional Not only do we provide you with everything your coffee business needs today. But also important impulses for tomorrow, for example Melitta INSIGHTS, our web-based online portal with valuable services.

How can we delight you? professional.au@melitta.com

® Registered trademark of a company in the Melitta Group.

DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVE DEDICATED EQUIPMENT

Caffe Assist® – the automated milk steamer Caffe Assist® is the only self-cleaning automated milk steamer on the market.

Fill the jug and press a button, how easy is that?

The Caffe Assist® monitors the milk profile and temperature during the entire process of texturing different milk types – precisely the same way as an experienced barista.

This labour-saving technology is programmed by touchscreen to ensure an efficient and consistent coffee service that allows for increased positive engagement with customers.

Caffe Assist’s patented steam wand technology promotes full flavour development and is designed to steam all milk variants to perfection. Low fat dairy and alternative milk products all display gloss, sweetness and complexity when prepared using Caffe Assist®.

Connectivity with e-assist® telemetry allows for remote access in real time minimising down time. This feature delivers cost savings and consistency across a brand.

Caffe Assist® neighbours an espresso machine or can be connected to its own boiler.

For more information visit www.caffeassist.com

Cafetto’s MFC Tabs white 4.0 & 2.1 In addition to Cafetto’s established line of milk cleaning tablets such as its MFC Tabs Blue 9-gram tablet, the Australian cleaning specialist has added two new sizes to its range, 2.1-gram and 4-gram tablets, suitable for sanitising of selected ranges of automatic coffee machine milk systems and lines.

Cafetto’s MFC Tabs White 2.1 Alkaline milk cleaning tablets kill all common bacteria associated with milk, including E-Coli, Salmonella, Listeria. It provides excellent milk fat removal along with descaling of automatic milk frothers.

Cafetto’s MFC Tabs White 4.0 is formulated to clean automatic coffee machine milk lines and frothers. Regular use of MFC Tabs White 4.0 cleans the milk system and removes milk-stone from the lines and system components, helping avoid a blocked milk system. It’s also ideal for cold regions where freezing is an issue.

For more information, visit www.cafetto.com

Franke Specialty Beverage Station (SB1200) The winner of the MICE Product Innovation Award 2020-2021, the Franke SB1200 professional fully automatic coffee machine offers maximum beverage choice to boost self-serve coffee business and share delicious coffee experiences with customers. Customise your beverage menu and serve a vast variety of specialties so your customers come back for more – of everything, from espressobased and milk-styled beverages to iced coffee, cold brew, and flavoured drinks.

The SB1200 is packed with Franke Coffee Technologies which ease operational tasks and ensures each beverage is perfect. Unique iQFlowTM technology is integrated as a standard feature for consistent high in-cup quality, all day, every day. The FoamMasterTM technology serves hot/cold milk and milk foam just like a barista would make it, and Franke’s fully automatic CleanMaster cleaning system delivers optimal hygiene with minimum effort.

The SB1200 also features Franke’s game changing IndividualMilk Technology which uses dedicated fluid systems. This enables two different milk varieties to be prepared completely separately within one machine footprint. It relies on Franke FoamMasterTM technology to guarantee each milk choice remains free of cross-contamination and residues, from storage through to cup. This means the dairy choice is purely dairy, and the vegan choice is purely vegan. Capture your share of specialty coffee market and double the menu variety with this twoin-one solution.

For more information, visit coffee.franke.com

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DAIRY & DAIRY ALTERNATIVE DEDICATED EQUIPMENT

S30 with Turbosteam Milk 4 The fully automatic S30 is unequalled in variety and taste. This machine is ideal for medium-sized businesses seeking the perfect accompaniment for high quality coffee.

The patented Turbosteam Milk 4 allows customers to enjoy perfectly frothed hot milk. With the possibility to set four milk recipes with or without foam, and the option to set the temperature and frothing levels, this technology lets users create beverages based on their own personal preferences.

The Cold Touch steam wand coating prevents contact with hot parts for an added safety measure and comfortability.

Moreover, thanks to the exclusive Cold milk foam technology, businesses can expand their menu to a vast drink selection of recipes that can appeal to any taste.

Enjoy hot and cold milk foam as if it had been prepared by hand in the preferred consistency and at the right temperature. At the end of a long day, daily maintenance of the machine is hassle-free with the Automatic Washing System. This innovative system cleans deeply and efficiently, ensuring maximum hygiene at the touch of a button.

For more information, visit www.cimbali.com or servicesphere.com.au

Perfect Moose Perfect Moose is the smart, automated milk-steaming technology that lends a helping hand.

Designed for anyone with the need for speed, consistency, and efficiency across their café or staff, Perfect Moose’s smart technology produces café quality milk, fast, effectively – and hand’s free.

Connecting to all major espresso machines with a small footprint, Perfect Moose is ideal for dairy, oat, soy, or almond milk, with smart RFID jugs knowing what you’re steaming and exactly how to steam it.

Winner of the SCA 2021 Product Innovation Award, Perfect Moose keeps your waiting lines short, your milk quality high, and your business in the green – and for a limited time only, get your hands on a free Q1 Puqpress with every Perfect Moose ordered. Because perfect milk deserves a perfect tamp.

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

Wally Milk Meet Wally Milk, an automated milk steamer and the latest release from La Marzocco. Built for seamless connection to all La Marzocco, Modbar and many other commercial espresso machines, Wally Milk ensures consistent and premium quality dairy and alt-milk orders, no matter who is behind the machine.

With no waste and minimal training required, Wally Milk is built to allow baristas to seamlessly change between steaming dairy and alternative milks through the machine’s 20 pre-programmed and customisable recipes.

Built with 24V electronics for reliability and easy diagnostics, the machine’s key features also include a Pro Touch Steam Wand with a Vortex Steam Tip, an infrared and proximity sensor, and a tilting platform allowing the Wally Milk to replicate the tilting movements of a barista.

An innovative addition to the barista’s workflow, Wally Milk has already assisted countless cafés in upkeeping the quality of their pour in times of high-volume rushes and staff shortages.

For more information, visit www.wally.coffee or contact sales.au@lamarzocco.com

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Übermilk At the touch of a button, Übermilk delivers consistent micro foam milk at the ideal temperature. This product streamlines barista workflow, reduces café training time, and decreases milk waste. Rather than using steam to heat and texture milk, Ubermilk syphons the desired volume of milk from the refrigerator into an aerator, where a needle valve controls how much air is incorporated into the milk.

The milk then runs through a high-power heater and filter, resulting in micro foamed milk pouring out of the nozzle.

It further allows baristas to concentrate on perfecting espresso shots and latte art, while allowing them to better engage with customers. Barista Group exclusively distributes Übermilk in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information, contact sales@baristagroup.com.au or visit baristagroup.com.au

After decades honing our craft alongside top cafes, our new Discovery Range for grocery stores is dedicated to making delicious specialty coffee even more accessible.

• Specialty sourced.

• Roasted fresh to order.

• Soft plastics recyclable.

• Grocery-shelf friendly.

• Available in Coles nationwide mid-April!

Impacting People Positively through Specialty Coffee

fivesenses.com.au @5sensescoffee

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• Designed to froth, foam and behave like real milk for the perfect plant-based coffee every time • The creamy texture makes for the perfect professional steaming experience, made with baristas in mind • No added sugar and lactose free

For all enquiries or to receive a free sample of Chobani Oat Milk contact; foodservice@chobani.com.au. For further information head to: www.chobanifoodservice.com.au/distributors/

TECHNOLOGY PROFILE The Flow telemetry system shows baristas in a physical form if they’re adhering to the programmed recipe in real-time.

Powered to perform Barista Technology Australia explains how a suite of innovative appliances can support hospitality workers with the ultimate workflow it requires.

W

ith small businesses and cafés grappling with staff shortages due to the global pandemic, CEO of Barista Technology Australia Brett Bolwell says automation and devices that improve workflow and product consistency are exactly what staff need to help manage increased workload with fewer available hands.

“Democratising the barista experience is fast becoming an essential part of every café, because advanced technology makes the lives of baristas much easier,” says Brett.

“With such skill loss in the industry combined with the added responsibility of training new staff, automation tools can increase efficiency, improve consistency, reduce the likelihood of errors, and create a healthier work environment.”

Brett says quality and consistency

are key reasons people frequent their favourite café, and automation is what helps achieve this no matter which barista is behind the machine.

“After the last few years of isolation, we can all appreciate moments of face-toface interaction. But to have a profitable business, tools must offer assurance of consistent quality and therefore an insurance policy to protect your brand,” he says.

While good machinery will make a barista’s job easier, Brett says a skilled barista can always take advantage of all the functions that the machine offers.

“They understand coffee extraction and create and troubleshoot recipes.

They dial in profiles. They look after the equipment, cleaning machinery and spotting problems. They’re the ones pouring and creating the latte art,” he says.

“They also provide excellent customer

service, ensuring that customers are satisfied and return to the shop. They adapt to individual customers’ needs, they cross-sell and up-sell, boosting the café’s profits per transaction. Ultimately, they’re the ones creating that positive shop environment.”

To keep that level of engagement, tools such as the Puqpress automatic coffee tamper free the barista from a repetitive and, at times, laborious task of manual tamping. It ensures perfectly compressed coffee grounds and a precisely level tamp every time that improves overall espresso consistency.

“The automatic tamper is an important tool, because if you’re not an expert barista, it helps you tamp evenly, it’s useful for proficient baristas, and great for trainees,” Brett says.

“If you want perfectly tamped coffee every time, if you have lots of staff who

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TECHNOLOGY PROFILE

Barista Technology Australia says automation and devices that improve workflow and product consistency are what staff need to help manage increased workload.

are tamping inconsistently, or if you only have one or two staff who are tamping hundreds of times a day, then you need a Puqpress.”

To complement the Puqpress, is a range of new grind-by-weight (GBW) automated grinders, available in the Fiorenzato F64 XGi, F83 XGi, and the Mahlkonig E65S. Brett says the GBW technology offers real-time scalecontrolled dosing, allowing for precise individual grinder settings that were previously never available.

“Until only a few years ago, coffee grinders mostly operated on a timed basis, such as 11-second intervals. This rarely guarantees identical weight outputs and often gives inconsistent results over continued use,” he says.

Now, with built-in scales, Fiorenzato GBW grinders will grind to an adjustable pre-set weight, reducing wastage and helping ensure consistency of coffee flavour.

“The grinders take away that process of having to weigh every shot, which is quite time consuming,” Brett says.

“The shift from timed grinding to GBW, are just further examples of evolving standards within the industry, that are helping baristas maintain consistency in every cup of coffee.”

To uphold the quality of each extraction is Flow coffee telemetry system.

This technology can record the average time and weight of every pulled shot of coffee, as well as the average brew ratio.

“The Flow telemetry system shows you in a physical form if you’re adhering

to the programmed recipe in real-time, providing baristas the opportunity for incredible precision,” Brett says.

“It’s these small things that are easy to forget about or get lost in a busy period.

Automation is like putting a guardrail up against these issues. It’s the solution to the problem.”

To round-out the coffee-making experience is the fully automated Perfect Moose milk steamer. This device saves the barista time and accelerates their workflow without any sacrifice to the quality of the product.

“A great cup of coffee is the product of craftsmanship, and as with any craft the term ‘automation’ can be looked at with an understandable degree of scepticism, where efficiency often comes at the price of quality,” says Brett.

“However, once you’ve experienced the fully automated milk-steaming utility of the Perfect Moose, you won’t ever go back. Barista’s love it, and it’s quickly becoming an integral piece of equipment for many within the professional coffee industry.”

Where previously a barista may have stood steaming milk for 30 to 60 seconds, Perfect Moose’s automation simplifies the process entirely by doing it for them.

“This consistency also helps avoid possible human error, guaranteeing that every jug poured conforms to the same standard of quality,” Brett says.

Maintaining that standard is a common challenge shared amongst baristas, made even harder with staff shortages and the challenges of training

The company’s goal is to solve a range of problems caused by the manual process when making coffee.

staff, especially when short-term employment is often the nature of the barista job.

However, having high-tech machinery such as the suite of automated products such as the Puqpress, GBW grinders, Flow telemetry system and Perfect Moose, creates opportunities for a whole different range of people to do the job to a consistent and high standard.

“If anything, this technology extends a hospitality worker’s longevity in the industry, because it’s allowing the person behind the machine to spend more time engaging with customers,” he says.

With more time, baristas can focus on the most important aspect of working at a café- ensuring the customer comes back.

“When you put automation tools in play, it gives the barista more assurance that a consistent blend can be met, allowing them to focus on engaging with the customer, getting to know them, and selling more coffee,” Brett says.

The ultimate goal, he adds, is to use automation to expand a business and customer base in a manageable way.

“The goal is to grow as a leading roaster. If you don’t offer the tools to your cafés, you then run the risk of [making] mistakes and that’s the reality,” Brett says.

“It all comes down to workflow efficiency and ease of operations. Every product we bring in improves the way baristas work or increases productivity in the café.”

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

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01.03.2022 08:48:30

TECHNOLOGY PROFILE An example of an installed Brambati S.p.A BR 6000 specialty roaster, operating with state-of-the-art technology.

Perfect partners Italian coffee giants Brambati S.p.A and Lavazza have joined forces for a next-level project thanks to Brambati’s commitment to technical innovation and flexible solutions.

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hen Italian coffee roaster Lavazza was looking for a roasting manufacturer to help expand its existing plant in Torino, it looked no further than the neighbouring company it had collaborated with over the past eight years.

Brambati S.p.A was the chosen one, commissioned to provide three of its latest generation BR 6000 advanced specialty roasters, along with complete plant engineering.

“The fully automated BR 6000 gives Lavazza complete control over the roasting process, with the ability to adapt the roast profile to alter specific characteristics and flavour highlights,” says Brambati President, Fabrizio Brambati.

“Lavazza has a lot of tools to work with, both during the roasting process and the analysis phase, to understand which parameters require adjustments to increase the quality of the final product.

This fine-tuning can be performed in realtime during or after the roasting process.”

Fabrizio says the installation process of the machinery will take approximately six months.

“All the machines will be precommissioned in our premises before delivery and all dimensions double checked and verified through laser scanning and 3D lay-out, to ensure the

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roasters are installed smoothly,” he says.

“Every installation is a challenge, but as long as the machinery is pre-verified, we expect a smooth installation.”

Fabrizio says because the project was arranged with accurate timeframes and adequate resources, both companies are prepared to face any eventual issues connected to the supply chain.

“We are extremely satisfied that this commitment has been recognised by a major company such as Lavazza, which has achieved the excellence known to consumers worldwide, thanks to its use of high-quality raw materials and the utmost attention to production processes,” says Fabrizio.

Brambati’s partnership with Lavazza began in 2014 and has continued with multiple collaborations aimed at modernising the plants of certain production sites of Lavazza Group.

“We have always had a great relationship with Lavazza. They’ve provided us with unlimited assistance and we really appreciate having a partner that listens to our ideas and takes our feedback on board,” says Fabrizio.

“We’re constantly learning from one another and having bonded with such an important company with great experience and knowledge, means a great deal to Brambati.”

Fabrizio says the consistency of

Brambati’s roasting equipment and highly advanced technology has proven itself the ideal fit for the global coffee roaster’s latest expansion project.

“We take pride in our products being adaptable and reliable. We know Lavazza is a company that works tirelessly to ensure its roasting equipment guarantees the same results 24 hours a day, and through our control systems and advanced software, it’s easy to ensure everything runs smoothly,” Fabrizio says.

“The machinery is very reliable and highly efficient. We have improved accessibility to all points of the machines to ensure fast maintenance.”

Each roaster is capable of producing 600 kilograms of coffee per batch and up to five batches per hour, equating to three tonnes of green coffee per hour.

This volume will go a long way in aiding Lavazza to serve more than 30 billion cups of coffee consumed globally each year.

Brambati is also assisting Lavazza with plant engineering relating to the expansion of its existing green coffee and roasted coffee plant. The green plant will increase its storage capacity with the addition of conveyor lines for increased flexibility.

The roasted coffee plant expansion will include product dosing and control systems, with different types of pneumatic, mechanical and disc conveyors and storage section.

“The installation of highly automated systems allows for real-time control of all elements of the production process,” says Fabrizio.

“With the number of safety controls the roasting machinery has, we can guarantee any possible problem is monitored before it happens. If you were to run into an issue, operators are on hand at all hours of the day to intervene and fix an issue immediately.”

Brambati was confirmed as the roaster of choice after a number of trials and machines tests, and an evaluation of the company from a corporate point of view.

This included Brambati’s financial reliability, corporate welfare, and understanding of the need to implement systems with the ability to preserve the environment and reduce its environmental impact, which is of great importance to Lavazza.

It passed with flying colours, noted for its energy saving equipment and process tolerability.

“All the technology utilised is targeted to guarantee maximum efficiency in terms of consumptions and lower emissions,” says Fabrizio.

“For example, the roasting equipment has hot air recycling capabilities, which reuses much of the heat created in the

roasting process without penalising the quality but reducing power needs and emissions considerably.”

Brambati also offers modulating afterburners. These burners work in conjunction with roasting equipment, and automatically adjust their power levels based on roasting activities, while reducing emissions and odours created during the roasting process.

“These afterburners only work to the level that is required. Because various phases of the roasting process produce different levels of exhaust, these burners ‘speak’ with the roasting equipment, to limit energy usage and maintain high efficiency,” says Fabrizio.

He adds that the afterburners, paired with a catalytic converter, a device that reduces gases generated by the roasting process, have showed Lavazza how committed the company is to reduce its environmental footprint.

“High technology, reliability and attention to environmental impact are the values that led us to choose Brambati as a partner for this project to expand our production plants. Lavazza seeks excellence on every level, from the selection of the coffee to the cup,” says Chief Operations Officer of Lavazza Eleuterio Quagliarini in a press statement.

Distributed in Australia by Coffee Tools Distributing www.coffeetools.supply Proud sponsors of the World AeroPress Championship

Scan the QR code to discover more.

Fabrizio says one of the key strengths of Brambati lies in its capacity to listen, differentiate proposals and develop solutions based on the specific needs of customers.

“Our customers have always been taken care of, even remotely. We have organised remote webinars for companies all over the world, and we make extensive use of virtual commissioning,” he says.

“Our technicians are able to carry out tests and train operators online abroad to ensure the continuity of our high-quality standards, a crucial aspect for a company that produces more than 30 tonnes of coffee every hour, 24 hours a day.”

Once the project is completed, Fabrizio says it will be a celebration of two Italian companies both committed to coffee excellence – in processing and the cup.

“After working with Lavazza for many years, we believe this strategic partnership has benefited everyone, from our companies to our consumers.

Our hope after every expansion project is that it will be followed by other expansion projects, to further grow both companies,” says Fabrizio.

For more information, visit www.brambati.it or www.lavazza.com.au

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Keeping the coffee industry covered Star Outdoor’s Mark Star explains the impact of supply chain issues on his business and how customers can maximise their brand presence during the growing outdoor dining movement.

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ustomers who have attempted to buy consumer products in the past two years are likely familiar with the severe supply chains delays that have disrupted shipping times and postal deliveries from everything including clothing items and cosmetics to kid’s toys and furniture.

While COVID-19 has created and exposed broken links in the global supply chain, Star Outdoor Managing Director Mark Star is navigating those hurdles and finding ways to alleviate production delays in the outdoor branding industry.

“Before the pandemic, there was a lean towards ‘just-in-time stock’ for outdoor branded products such as café umbrellas, wind barriers, and a-frames, as there was no need to preserve storage,” says Mark.

“The pandemic has changed this outlook. Now that supply is unreliable, it has taken away the advantage of ordering as you require product. Instead, if you leave ordering too late, businesses won’t Star Outdoor have been assisting clients to active their brands for more than 15 years.

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get the products they require until months down the line.”

Multiple national lockdowns have continued to slow or even temporarily stop the flow of raw materials and finished goods, disrupting manufacturing as a result.

“As countries around the world imposed COVID travel restrictions, this caused a lack of access and long wait times for shipments at major ports around the globe,” says Mark.

“And these same COVID restrictions in ports have meant fewer workers being able to handle shipments.”

The result is a backlog of shipments and supplies waiting to be delivered to distribution hubs, congestion of shipping containers in destination ports, and a lack of containers in origin ports, further limiting the capacity of shipping companies.

For Star Outdoor, this meant a lack of supply and rising shipment costs.

“One of the more convoluted issues we’re facing at the moment is that the

fabric we use for our outdoor umbrellas is made overseas in Spain,” Mark says.

“That fabric then gets shipped to China and is made into canopies for the umbrellas.”

“But as we know, Europe has had its own issues with COVID, so production at the factory for the fabric has been severely reduced and delayed.”

Australia was not the only country that responded to indoor hospitality density restrictions with extended trading outdoors, resulting in high demand for shade in alfresco dining across the globe.

“The demand for acrylic fabrics has skyrocketed, and the supply from factories has gone down, which makes [supplying customers with product] quite difficult.

In previous years, our factory in China would already have the stock we need,” he says.

Mark says before the pandemic, freights costs for a 40-foot container from China to Brisbane were about $1500.

Twelve months later, that same container costs $10,000.

“Steel and aluminium prices have also risen drastically, which has really affected production pricing,” he says.

Mark adds that as prices go up and wait times get longer, everyone is feeling the effects of the post-COVID supply chain struggle.

“It saddens me to hear the disappointment on the other end of the phone when customers realise how long production will take, as it’s something we can’t change,” he says.

“The challenge for companies will be to make their supply chains more resilient without weakening their competitiveness.

“I believe the key to a successful supply chain is making promises you can deliver on, and that’s something our company stands by.”

Thanks to the rising popularity of outdoor dining as consumer confidence

bounces back, Mark says companies need to consider using branding on outdoor stock to avoid any further interruption to their business which may already be suffering.

He says outdoor advertising offers the perfect creative canvas for companies to deliver their brand message to targeted audiences with ease and efficiency. They key however, is forward planning.

“In order to secure supplies for one of our larger customers that required outdoor branded products in April, we placed that order back in December so it would arrive on time,” Mark says.

“We recommend that businesses do the same and be more proactive and think about their branding needs months ahead of schedule.”

Mark says the company tries to educate its clients on current supply chain issues, and that businesses should keep the possibility of sourcing items locally front of mind like Star Outdoor plans to do in the coming months.

“In the coming year, we’ll start to incorporate onshore production into our regime, which I believe will have a positive impact on the market as businesses start to focus on how they can manufacture more products here in

Australia,” he says.

“The timeliness and quality of our products are more important to us than paying premium price for onshore production. We’ll sacrifice the extra costs to guarantee a secure supply for our clients.”

In the meantime, Star Outdoor is stocking outdoor branding products with a generic plain black colouring, such as black canopies and black inserts on wind barriers, which the company can ship out the next day.

“We make sure we always have plenty of these products in stock, so if a client is desperate and they can’t wait to get their logo printed on something, we can provide them with a product, so they have something to display to embody a professional café. And then later they can get the tops branded,” he says.

In addition, Star Outdoor has increased its stock of umbrella and wind barrier frames by 50 per cent.

“This allows for a shorter turnaround time, as when canopies with printed fabric are made and flown in, we can add them to the frames we already have. We can turn around those types of orders within three or four weeks,” says Mark.

“We also have an in-house graphics team, which allows us to get our clients

graphics and artwork completed quickly, which also shortens the process and helps get orders out on time.”

While Australia’s hospitality industry has faced its own challenges throughout the global pandemic, Mark says Star Outdoor has remained committed to its clients and delivering solutions that achieve the most added value for their businesses.

“We’re a family-owned business, a lot like many cafés and roasters, and we have a passion for what we do, which is why we will continue to supply our clients with the best outdoor branding products sold in the Australian market,” he says.

“We want everyone in the café industry to know, you’re not alone. We’re all part of the hospitality family and we need to continue to encourage each other to persevere and look forward to better times ahead.”

“2022 is the year to be seen and grow your business. This is the hospitality industry’s opportunity to make the most of a cultural movement wanting to get back into the community and enjoy themselves.”

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

Brew Solutions Australia is the official distributor for Ascaso. Contact us for more information on our commercial and domestic equipment offerings. www.brewsolutions.com.au | 1300 211 173

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Something brewing Determined to leave no stone unturned, Arkadia Beverages is expanding its portfolio to include an exclusive tea range to simplify the procurement process.

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rom hot chocolates to chai lattes, Maltra Foods’ Arkadia Beverages line manufactures powdered and liquid products to complement a café’s beverage menu beyond coffee, and now it’s adding Australian made tea to its collection.

From April, Brand Manager Nathan Alfrey says the company will launch a range of seven varieties of ethically sourced teas and infusions, obtained exclusively for Australian cafés.

“The range has something for all types of cafés depending on your menu, from core lines such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Green Sencha to herbal infusions including Chamomile, Lemongrass and Ginger, and Peppermint,” he says.

“Arkadia is probably best known for our chai, so we have of course included a Chai Spice as well.”

Nathan says Arkadia’s new black and green teas from Ceylon, packaged in loose leaf and biodegradable pyramid bags, are

Developed for the Melbourne café scene over 10 years ago, Arkadia Chai Tea blends are now consumed all over the world.

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a Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe grade, which signifies a high-quality broken tea leaf made from the first two leaves and bud of the shoot. This is derived from the grading process that evaluates tea products based on the quality and condition of tea leaves.

“They are grown at the ideal elevation above sea level to deliver an excellent cup of tea for café customers,” he says.

“The one exception to the range is the English Breakfast pyramid tea bag, which has a blend of Broken Orange Pekoe and Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings for faster brewing time and stronger flavour to be paired with milk or a milk alternative.”

When it comes to expanding Arkadia’s product range, Nathan says taste always comes first.

“We have worked closely with our suppliers to source some of the best quality ingredients to form this range of teas and infusions. Every time a barista or consumer experiences an ‘Arkadia moment’ we want it to deliver the best taste possible,” he says.

“Every café has its own set of criteria when it comes to delivering their customers a great experience, which is why the Arkadia range is so extensive. We aim to have something for everyone, no matter their preference.”

Nathan says the company finetunes its recipes by spending ample time in the research and development lab with its suppliers.

“We are testing and tasting until we’re satisfied that we have a product that delivers on the Arkadia brand promise, to craft premium beverages that excite the senses and create an experience of indulgent pleasure,” he says.

He adds that the selection process for the new tea range was a lengthy one, tasting teas from various estates

Ethically sourced, the Arkadia tea range is available in loose leaf and biodegradable pyramid tea bags.

and different grades. As such, Nathan is confident the range will exceed tea lover’s expectations when they have their next cup in a café.

“Arkadia aims to be the one-stopsolution for all café beverage menu needs aside from coffee. We are well known for our powdered and liquid beverage bases, and the desire and interest to extend our range into traditional teas was on the cards for quite some time,” he says.

Nathan says Arkadia aspires to simplify café’s supply chains by making sure they can get everything they need for their hot and cold beverage menu from their preferred coffee roasters.

“The Arkadia brand is known and trusted to deliver exceptional taste, so the new tea range is an opportunity for cafés to deliver great tasting products to their customers and make their lives easier with simplified procurement,” he says.

Arkadia’s parent company Maltra Foods is one of Australia’s largest foodgrade powder and liquid manufacturers, founded in Melbourne in 1997.

Beginning with a focus on powdered drinking chocolate, the family-run business has since expanded its product range to a complete menu offering, including syrups, frappes, smoothies, milkshake toppings, and dessert sauces that are exported to more than 20 countries across the world.

“Arkadia was born out of the laneways of Melbourne, supplying a few cafés with locally-made drinking chocolates. As word

spread, demand and the range grew, and new products were added to the line-up, and cafés all over the country started requesting the products,” Nathan says.

“Arkadia was one of the first Australian made chai brands to enter the café scene about 20 years ago, and with that, a reputation for quality and taste has grown to become the most consumed chai in Australia.”

Nathan says that throughout its growth, Arkadia has built incredible relationships with key business partners around the country to help take Arkadia to the café scene.

“Often cafés will approach us for certain products, which we happily refer to our distribution partners to help them grow their business too, so everyone wins,” he says.

Arkadia has also maintained a close relationship with consumers throughout the global pandemic, adapting its range of products to be adaptable at home, in the office, or on-the-go. To broaden its reach, the Arkadia website shares recipes online to inspire customers to be creative and embrace its full range of products.

It also heightens consumer connection via social media, direct customer interaction, and through recipe cards provided to distributors.

With new additions to its syrups line-up for hot and cold beverages on the horizon, along with new milkshake toppings adorned by new packaging, Maltra Foods’ Arkadia Beverages intends to create flavours that will keep customers coming back.

“Consumer trends never stand still so we are always looking for what consumers are wanting next, whether that’s something completely new, or an old trend that comes

The Arkadia tea range will be available throughout Australia from foodservice distributors to coffee roasters.

compostconnect.org

back into popularity,” Nathan says.

“The last few years have been incredibly tough on Australians, and they are looking for moments of joy in their everyday lives. We are glad to be able to offer products that bring a smile to consumers faces, give them a moment to indulge themselves, or share a cup with a friend.”

Maltra Foods is now looking ahead to continue its exponential growth, and with that, celebrate its upcoming 25-year anniversary.

“We’ll celebrate as a team in March, but the main event will be towards the end of the year, coinciding with the planned ribbon cutting at the new Maltra manufacturing site currently under construction in Packenham, Victoria, with cocktails and canapes on the menu,” says Nathan.

“Our purpose-built manufacturing facility, a dedication to continuous innovation and the development of new products will keep Arkadia at the forefront of modern café culture. We will continue to build a name and a reputation synonymous with that feeling of relaxed indulgence.”

For more information, visit www.maltrafoods.com and www.arkadiabeverages.com.au

INDUSTRY PROFILE

For the first time, the 2021 World AeroPress Championship was held as a virtual event.

Virtual victory The World AeroPress Championship has crowned its first virtual winner while uniting the global coffee community at a time it needs it most.

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hat started as a playful pastime is now a worldwide phenomenon. The 2021 World AeroPress Championship (WAC) saw more than 40 national representatives vie for the title of World AeroPress Champion, held as a ‘Compete from Home’ event on 5 March.

Going virtual for the first time, the 48 competitors brewed their best recipe for the judges via surrogate baristas in Melbourne at Bureaux Coffee Roastery and Coffeebar.

The knockout tournament followed, with judges blind tasting each AeroPress coffee and picking the cup they found tastiest each round.

That honour consistently went to Finland’s Tuomas Merikanto.

“The Finnish AeroPress Championship was the first competition I’ve ever competed in,” Tuomas says.

“I haven’t been on the third wave coffee scene all that long. It wasn’t until I started working at Kahiwa Coffee Roasters a year ago that I really got into coffee. To go from having minimal knowledge on the subject to winning a world competition in such a short time is an honour.”

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“All my thanks go to my gorgeous coaches [at Kahiwa Coffee Roasters].

Owners Joonas Reinikainen and Joonas Markkanen taught me everything I know and have been such an important part of my journey.”

All competitors used Third Wave Water capsules to add minerals to the distilled water. Tuomas, however, was the only competitor to use the Espresso Profile capsule, which is a 100 per cent espresso profile capsule.

“I would have liked to use the same recipe as I did in the Finnish AeroPress Championship because I liked it a lot, but it didn’t just come out right with this specific coffee, so I made adjustments to suit the brew,” he says.

Maru Mallee from the Netherlands won second place, and Brandon Smith from South Africa won third place.

Simon Gautherin, Australia’s World AeroPress competitor from Toby’s Estate, unfortunately did not make it to the quarter finals.

While the event was not open to the public, online coverage was accessible across the Bureaux Coffee and World AeroPress Championship platforms.

Event Organiser and CEO of Bureaux Coffee, Tim Williams, says at its heart, the

World AeroPress Championship exists to bring coffee-loving people together in an open, inclusive, and fun environment.

“Over the last two years, that has been very difficult to do. We developed a remote competition format so that anyone around the world could still take part,” he says.

“Although it was spectator free, we shifted our focus to ensure it was broadcasted and made people feel connected to the global coffee community, while still keeping safe.”

Tim says what originally started as a joke when two coffee lovers tested who could brew the best cup of AeroPress coffee, has blossomed into a global sensation.

“The first competition took place in a small room in Oslo, with only three competitors. Like many simple ideas, the competition has since grown organically, and now spans 120 regional and national events taking place in over 60 countries,” he says.

“I think anything that starts as a joke and 14 years later has a following in 65 countries and tens of thousands of people involved has some significance of its own.”

Tim adds that while it’s nice to crown an AeroPress champion, the real value is coming to an event like the AeroPress

Championship is the sense of unity between participants.

“When 60 different countries are all getting together, you’re all in the one room, spending time together, brewing coffee, learning from each other, it really fosters a huge sense of community.

I think that’s why the AeroPress Championship has grown exponentially,” he says.

“And certainly, what we’re very much looking forward to is getting back to a face-to-face event for the 2022 Championship, and that chance for people to actually connect properly again.”

Each season now sees more than 3000 competitors involved, and despite its size, the competition remains a light-hearted pursuit.

Coffee Tools Distributing has been an exclusive Australia distributor of the AeroPress since 2006 and for the first time, sponsored the WAC. “We’ve always been involved with the competition, especially at the Australian level, and have had a long working relationship with Tim. It’s important to our company to show our support for the brand and for the product, especially as they’re a local group running the competition,” says Coffee Tools Distributing Director Curtis Arnold.

“Tim does an excellent job running the event. We always try to attend the competition and participate in any way we can, while providing financial support. We appreciate its informal nature and see the value in its authenticity.”

Curtis says to have a worldwide event based around such a humble idea as making an AeroPress coffee, is a triumph.

“It’s pretty rare that you have a competition like this spring up around a product, especially a simple tool like the AeroPress. It’s really cool to be a part of this phenomenon,” he says.

“The competition is taken very seriously, but at the same time it’s a little bit tongue-in-cheek too. Nobody’s going home with a million dollars or anything like that. It’s a nice community event,” he says.

WAC Organiser Tim has worked with Curtis for many years to help create an entertaining coffee competition. Without support such as that from Coffee Tools Distributing, events such as the WAC cannot simply come to life.

“Coffee Tools Distributing have been the distributor of AeroPress in Australia for the entire time I’ve been running the championship, and they’ve been a constant source of support,” says Tim. “Every time we come up with a different crazy idea of how we’re going to conduct the championship, and what we’re going to do and how we’re going to adapt it to keep it interesting, Curtis has always been incredibly supportive and has shown a lot of trust in our ability to put an event together that really connects with the coffee community.”

For more information, visit www.coffeetools.supply/ or www.worldaeropresschampionship.com/

Surrogate baristas represent first-place winner Tuomas Merikanto (centre), runner-up Maru Malle (left) and Brandon Smith in third place (right).

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Exposing the possibilities Complete beverage brand Naked Syrups is helping cafés expand their beverage repertoire with a new suite of products that proves there’s more to flavouring than meets the eye.

Naked Syrups’ beverage flavourings can be used across café menus for multiple beverage applications.

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hether consumers want to add a splash of flavour to their latte, sweeten homemade hot chocolates, or concoct specialty teas and frappes, Naked Syrups’ Sales Manager Vince Monardo says the company’s beverage range is up for the task.

“It was important to us to release a wide variety of high-quality beverage flavourings, powders and sweet sauces that customers can add to their menu,” says Vince.

“While there has been an evolution of

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boutique bakers and coffees, we felt there was a need for further flavouring options, so we wanted to create a product range that would complement the Australian café market.”

Working with natural ingredients, Vince says each product in the Australianmade range is meticulously crafted in single batches, ready to be used across a café menu including its flavoured syrups.

“They’re remarkably versatile and have the potential to add extra depth to a number of common dishes we all love to indulge in regularly,” he says.

“They’re not just a syrup, they’re a staple pantry ingredient, and a great way to get the most out of your purchase.”

As such, Naked Syrups is launching its new dessert range of sauces, available in three flavours: Wild Strawberry, Chocolate, and Salty Caramel.

“We wanted an authentic, old school flavour profile with a nostalgic feel to take you back to your childhood flavours,” says Vince.

“We didn’t just want standard chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauces.

We came up with wild strawberry that tastes like it’s been picked straight from the farm, salted caramel that combines those slight salty tones with rich, creamy, butter caramel tones, and a chocolate sauce that incorporates real chocolate powder.”

Featuring a thicker consistency than liquid-flavoured products, Naked Syrups’ new dessert range can be used atop whipped cream or blended into sweet frappes. Customers can also mix them into milkshakes or smoothies or use them to garnish ice cream, sundaes, cheesecakes, or pastries.

The dessert sauces are available in easy-to-use bottles with compatible pumps for quick and simple dispensing.

“Our products are probably more concentrated than some, so a little goes a long way to make a high-quality shake or add that extra flavour to an ice-cream sundae,” says Vince.

“Our goal is to make sure our customers are aware that we don’t sell sickly sweet flavourings that mask the flavour of their beverage.

“Our flavourings have been designed to be a secondary flavour and not overpower. For example, when used with coffee, the coffee will always be the hero ingredient, which is what our customers like about the product.”

Each dessert sauce flavour is gluten-

Naked Syrups’ dessert sauces are gluten-free, with no added artificial colours or flavours.

free, with no added artificial colours or flavours.

Naked Syrups’ products are Australianmade and a range of Vegan Australia Certified.

“That versatility of offering veganfriendly flavourings, powder and sweet sauce options, as well as lacto-ovo vegetarian options is really important to us.

We cater for those who prefer alternative milks or are lactose-intolerant,” Vince says.

One coffee roaster that appreciates that versatility is White Horse Coffee.

Dom Majdandzic, Head of Coffee at White Horse Coffee, has worked with Naked Syrups and its products for five years. He says the company uses Naked Syrups’ beverage flavourings as a new twist for cafés to improve coffee service and spice-up their menu.

“We use Naked Syrups across our family stores and offer it to our wholesale partners because we believe in the quality of the product,” says Dom. “There are no artificial flavours in the syrup, it’s tasty and doesn’t upset your stomach.”

White Horse Coffee incorporates the flavourings into its shakes, coffees, and odd dessert, in particular the caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut syrups.

Dom says the flavourings lend indulgence and personalisation to a drink, transforming it from a functional beverage to a tasty treat.

“THAT VERSATILITY OF OFFERING VEGAN-FRIENDLY FLAVOURINGS, POWDER AND SWEET SAUCE OPTIONS, AS WELL AS LACTOOVO VEGETARIAN OPTIONS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.” “They make our coffee shine, and our guests smile. In our experience, caramel is the crowd favourite, because its silky sweet and that’s what people love,” he says.

Dom adds that he’s also enjoyed partnering with Naked Syrups due to aligning values, such as dedication to flavour, celebration of natural ingredients, and a commitment to beverage customisation.

“We have known Vince [Naked Syrups Sales Manager] for almost 20 years from working in the hospitality industry, and he has always been an honest person who represents authentic, wholesome brands.”

Even throughout White Horse Coffee’s five-year partnership with Naked Syrups, Dom says he’s always valued the great service Vince has provided and the consistency and reliability of products.

“We don’t have to question the quality.

Once we were comfortable with the quality of the product, we have never seen it waiver,” Dom says.

In the Naked Syrups range is also a suite of easy-to-use beverage powders with flavours including spiced chai, chocolate, light chocolate, turmeric, matcha, beetroot and frappe base.

Also designed to enhance a café’s beverage menu is its flavouring range, with flavours that Vince says have been formulated to deliver a delicious taste.

This includes flavours of hazelnut, vanilla, caramel, chai concentrate, strawberry, gingerbread, lemonade, and liquid sugar.

Vince says the possibilities for delicious creations are limited only by the imagination.

“Whether you love thick, sticky dessert sauce dribbled over your thick shakes, iced drinks, and ice creams or warm, runny sauce covered over your freshly baked cakes, waffles or pancakes, Naked Syrups dessert sauces are versatile and delicious both hot or cold and can be used across your menu for multiple options throughout the year,” he says.

“If you want to bake hazelnut muffins, you can use our hazelnut syrup in the batter. If you want to make a lemon iced tea you can use our lemonade syrup.

“We also bring to our customers a brand with big personality that enjoys a cheeky play on words, a brand that’s bold and speaks the truth.”

Vince says incorporating playful branding like its title and tagline “we’re not afraid to get bear Naked” is what draws customers in and makes the company stand out from the crowd.

“First and foremost, that cheeky play on words engages consumers right away.

Once they see not only the extensive range of flavourings, powders and sauces we have to offer, and that we cater for all dietary requirements, it shows customers we’re not just a gimmick,” he says.

“It’s great to have that brand acknowledgment when we see people post about our products or overhear someone compliment the brand. Watching it grow and become more recognised is a big accomplishment for us.”

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

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TECHNOLOGY PROFILE

Ready to roll The coffee market is waking up after a challenging twoyear period, and Rancilio Australia wants the industry to know that it’s open for business.

W

ith the start of a new year and renewed optimism in the Australian coffee market for a return to business as usual, Rancilio Australasia General Manager Paul O’Brien is fuelled with excitement for what lies ahead.

“We know roasters and cafés have really struggled over the past two years, but the message we want to convey to them, is that we’re here to support them.

Rancilio is open for business. We want to engage in conversations and already there’s a real buzz about the opportunities we can partner on,” Paul says.

Experiencing little to no supply chain delays over the past year, in what Paul describes as “an extremely vigilant production process” at the manufacturer’s Milan base in Italy, means Rancilio Australia is in a fortunate position to assist new and existing customers with available equipment.

“Milan was the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, but even through the thick of it, our production has not stopped. We have managed with skeleton staff the whole way through. We had stock in our Melbourne warehouses the entire time, and have been ordering regular containers without delay,” Paul says.

“What this means, is that we have good stock of both machines and spare parts across Australia, including our range of premium grinders, homeline machines and specialty models. It’s all available today and we are open for business.”

Rancilio Australia has been busy building local capability to support its products and customers. It recently hired a dedicated technical support manager based in Melbourne to provide technical

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An RS1-style group handle will soon be available on Rancilio’s entire range.

assistance for the range nationally. It also has a parts and labour warranty, meaning the manufacturer will cover each machine in its range for 12 months.

A large reason Paul says Rancilio has remained busy throughout the past year, is thanks to the backing of Moffat Group, which it joined in November 2020 and established Rancilio Group Australasia.

Both companies belong to Ali Group, one of the largest leaders in the global foodservice equipment industry. Paul says the partnership with the “powerhouse company” has provided the brand with the capability to dream big.

“They’re an absolute powerhouse which has helped Rancilio Group Australasia guarantee the highest customer care to support, distribute, and develop our portfolio of products across Australia and New Zealand,” Paul says.

This includes Rancilio Australia

supporting the national rollout of Jack’s Café under the Hungry Jacks brand, installing more than 350 Classe 7 isteam machines across the country. Paul says this was no mean feat amid a two-year global pandemic.

The Rancilio Classe 7 continues to be the brand’s biggest seller globally.

Paul says the model is “everything to everybody at the right price point” with the best balance of performance and reliability which the company is renowned for.

An updated Classe 7 model will be launched in Q3 of 2022 as part of a full range refresh coming later in the year.

This includes a number of barista-focused features such as the RS1-style group handle from the Rancilio Specialty brand, which is being rolled out across Rancilio’s entire range.

For the Australian specialty market,

The Classe 7 comes with Steady Brew technology to keep water temperature stable during extraction and guarantee thermal precision.

Paul is excited to see the growth of the RS1 espresso machine, which now comes with an optional personalisation platform for customers to modify with wood panelling, powder coating and logo customisation right from the Rancilio factory in Milan.

“Most manufactures import the machine, unbox them, remove multiple panels and fittings before shipping to powder coating, while trying not to scratch the panels when reassembling. It can be a long and delicate process that takes anywhere from two to six weeks – and that’s on top of any supply chain delays,” Paul says. “So, to have an RS1 already customised with timber features, powder coating, company logos, straight out of the box when it arrives in Australia – all to ISO 9001 quality management standards – it’s definitely a time and money saver for local businsses.

All Rancilio single boiler commercial machines including the Classe 7 now come with Steady Brew technology at no additional cost. The Rancilio-patented thermal control system keeps water temperature stable during extraction and guarantees exact thermal precision, reliability, and maximum repeatability during work peaks and in low-usage conditions.

Another significant development is the RS1 passing the rigorous Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) testing standards, thereby obtaining the title of an SCA Certified Espresso Machine. Compliance testing was conducted in October 2021 at Fiera Milano in Italy and the Rancilio

team is thrilled with the result.

“This is a big deal and not easily achieved. Talk is cheap, so for us to have SCA approval and meet its standards with

“I’M SO EXCITED TO BE SHARING SOME NEXT-LEVEL UPDATES THAT ARE PUSHING THE BRAND FORWARD.” the tick of approval on our specifications and test methods is a real badge of honour for Rancilio, and a nod to the quality and ability of the RS1,” Paul says.

Also excelling in the past year has been a massive demand for the Rancilio’s Silvia Pro X dual boiler Homeline machine since it was launched at Host Milan.

“This model is a big ticket item. Its popularity has completely blown me away. What’s impressive, is that Rancilio R&D has listened to lots of global feedback and market needs on the original Silvio Pro, and responded in the middle of the pandemic with the Pro X and a suite of functional changes,” he says.

Such modifications include a soft preinfusion, allowing the user to program a

soft pre-infusion between zero to three seconds to obtain the most flavour out of the extraction. Changes also include an automatic purge after extraction, the addition of a pressure gauge, bigger baskets, addition of the RS1-style group handle, and wider colour availability, including black, white, and hot pink.

The model has been in production since February, with shipment already on its way to Australia with scheduled Q2 arrival.

The model has also been recognised with World Barista Championship (WBC) compliant thermal stability. Paul says the fact that all Rancilio machines now have this tag to certify the thermal temperature process, including its high-end domestic model, is a real sign of the company’s commitment to innovation and achieving best performance standards.

“Rancilio has been committed to innovation in the middle of the pandemic, and I’m so excited to be sharing some next-level updates that are pushing the brand forward,” Paul says.

“All that’s left to do, is connect with the market, and engage with cafés and roasters who are seeking something different. I invite them to cease the opportunity of the industry opening back up and know that we’re here to work with them and offer local support and locally available stock with a brand that is growing on so many levels. We’re open for business.”

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

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TECHNOLOGY PROFILE

The Nuova Simonelli Appia Life XT 2 Group commercial coffee machine displays data about dose program, counters, cleaning, setting buttons and display brightness.

A partner first BeanScene talks to Espresso Mechanics about the popularity of its range, and why it has a device to suit every sector and sized business of the Australian hospitality industry.

M

achine distributor Espresso Mechanics has been supplying the Australian hospitality industry with premium coffee equipment and support for more than 50 years.

And with the hospitality industry fully open for businesses following two years of sporadic lockdowns and density restrictions, Espresso Mechanic has a huge variety of equipment and services available to help businesses thrive in the ‘new norm’ of operation post-COVID. When it comes to the company’s most in-demand equipment, National Business Development Manager Matthew Galea

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says it’s difficult to choose just one. The company is an importer of leading global coffee equipment including Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli and supplier of Barista Technology Australia equipment.

“The popularity of our coffee equipment varies on customer base and need. If a customer is more specialty focused, the Victoria Arduino range will guarantee coffee they can be proud of.

Each product is crated to provide the optimal performance, design and precise controls desired by baristas,” he says.

“From our convenience sector we find there’s a high demand for Rex Royal’s bean to cup machines. For example,

the Rex Royal S300 meets the highest standards for hotels, gastronomy, and self-service. The large touchscreen ensures an engaging experience, and the intuitive menu makes it very easy to navigate.”

Matthew says Nuova Simonelli’s range are also some of the company’s most popular pieces of equipment thanks to the Simonelli Group’s market reputation for engineering precision that improves workflow and ultimately saves time.

“When making coffee at home, Nuova Simonelli’s Oscar and Musica coffee machines offer compact convenience and simplistic design, featuring programmable volumetric shots, commercial grade parts, and ergonomic design,” he says.

The company is a total service provider, meaning its products come with adjacent services such as ongoing maintenance, training, and technical support at all hours of the day.

“We have a broad range of coffee equipment, from traditional coffee machines and grinders to fully automatic bean-to-cup brewing equipment and more. We provide constant technical support right across Australia. We’re a one-stop shop,” says Matthew.

“Our national capability of servicing and supplying our brands means we can cater to all markets, whether that’s a small café or a roaster.”

At Espresso Mechanics, Matthew says the company prides itself on its reliable reputation and the quality of its products and services.

“Our aim is to provide customers with services directed at their specific needs. We’re not just suppliers, we’re partners to our clients,” he says.

Matthew says the equipment that Espresso Mechanics supplies to the market provides consumers with consistency, reliability, and the ability to make a great coffee.

“Our clients know they can depend on us. We’re capable of delivering efficient results because we have extensive knowledge not only of our brands but the industry itself,” he says.

All Espresso Mechanic technicians are barista-trained with specialised knowledge to best support chain operator and office building operations as well as a café’s business needs.

“Our expertise includes traditional machines, super-automatics, water filtration systems and hot water/coffee bulk brewing systems,” Matthew says.

“We strive to provide customers with the best possible service and our reputation for being reliable and trustworthy is testament to our level of dedication.”

Matthew says this reputation is achieved in part due to stocking the latest technology available.

Last year, Espresso Mechanics became the exclusive distributer of the Perfect Moose automatic milk steamer thanks to a new partnership with Barista Technology Australia.

The Perfect Moose is a Belgium designed smart automated milk steaming system, intended to assist baristas during those busy times.

“Baristas are slowly moving towards automation in order to increase workflow efficiencies as well as the opportunity to engage more with their customers and having the Perfect Moose foaming your milk will give you that,” says Matthew.

From Nuova Simonelli, Espresso

Mechanics Sales and Marketing Manager Carly D’Agostino says the range is suited to small and medium-sized cafés with the Appia Life from its MD on-demand range of grinders, which are best suited to high performance needs in little spaces.

Espresso Mechanics is now an exclusive distributor of the Perfect Moose automatic milk steamer, designed to assist increased workflow.

“Our brands are tried and tested and have been around for many years.

Our machines are trusted for world competitions and go through rigorous research and development before it leaves the manufacturers, so we know they will always satisfy our customers,” she says.

More than just a service supplier, Carly says Espresso Mechanics has become a trusted brand because it

understands the needs of the Australian market, whether it be a small café, corporate customer, chain coffee or convenience station.

“For instance, for a coffee chain, we believe a Puqpress automated tamper would be really valuable as it would bring greater consistency and reliability to such a laborious task of tamping at high volume. Other automated products such as the Perfect Moose automatic milk steamer is another simple solution that removes texturing variables when working at busier periods,” she says.

Beyond the showroom floor, Espresso Mechanics has an inventory of spare parts that cover a wide selection of international brands.

“When it comes to ordering equipment or parts, we can provide our customers with same-day dispatch. We also offer installation and expert services such as advice on coffee machine filtration,” says Carly.

“All Espresso Mechanics-supplied equipment comes with a manufacture warranty as well as our ongoing services, including maintenance, technical support and emergency breakdown assistance.”

Carly says the company has several exciting launches on the way, such as Nuova Simonelli’s Oscar Mood domestic coffee machine, arriving in Australia mid-year.

“With a thermo-compensated and dispenser group, the Oscar Mood provides consistent, quality coffee pulls with its 1200 watts of power, combining a heat exchanger system and proportional-integral-derivative controller to ensure consistent results and thermal stability,” she says.

The company will also showcase new products from Victoria Arduino, which has a new Mythos launch involving its newest grinder. Carly says more information will soon be available from the Victoria Arduino Australia team.

After a challenging few years supporting its key customers through constant operating restrictions, Carly says Espresso Mechanics is eager for face-to-face interact with its consumers beyond supporting their technical needs.

“It’s been a crazy two years, so to be able to get out there and see our customers again is really important to us,” she says.

“We want to share what we’re planning with our customers. We can’t wait to showcase these new products on the world stage at the Melbourne International Coffee Expos in September.”

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

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

A magical world To honour the 10th anniversary of the Mumac Museum, BeanScene speaks to manager Barbara Foglia about transforming invisible machines into works of art.

The Mumac museum holds around 300 machines, including collections from Maurizio Cimbali and Enrico Maltoni.

W

hen people visit the Louvre in Paris, they go to appreciate centuries of fine art.

When people visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York, they admire one of the largest collections of modern art, and when they visit the Mumac Museum of Coffee Machines in Milan, they witness the history and cultural phenomenon of espresso machine manufacturing. But the reality is, they discover so much more.

The museum was first commissioned in 2012 to celebrate Gruppo Cimbali’s centenary. Architect Paolo Balzanelli and Valerio Cometti of V12 Design were the team responsible for transforming the former spare parts warehouse into a historical masterpiece.

“We can therefore call Mumac ‘the’ coffee machine museum. It is the only one of its kind in the world, which resulted from the union of two passions and two collections: that of Maurizio Cimbali [Cimbali Group President] and Enrico

Maltoni, the world’s leading collector of professional espresso machines,” says Mumac Manager Barbara Foglia.

The Cimbali family’s private collection has been preserve over time, from the first machine produced in the 1930s to the present day, encompassing primarily LaCimbali and Faema brands.

Enrico Maltoni’s collection is full of unique pieces from espresso machine brands that have shaped the history of the industry. This includes the original Pavoni Ideale built on 1901 Bezzera’s patent, produced in 1905; the 1948 Gaggia Classica, the first lever machine to produce espresso coffee with crema; the gleaming Faema Saturno created in the late 1940s and early 1950s; and the D.P 47 designed in 1947 by Gio Ponti for La Pavoni in 1947. This machine was untraceable until only a few years ago.

Its discovery is considered one of Enrico Maltoni’s most exciting acquisitions. “[It is] unquestionably the most prized and important piece in the collection,” Barbara says. “There are only two

examples in the world and the one in Mumac is the only model that is on permanent public display. The other belongs to a private collector.”

The museum holds around 300 machines, of which approximately a third are on display. The others are available on rotation within the exhibition rooms or for loan both nationally and internationally.

The museum’s best pieces have been lent to museums including the Triennale and ADI Design Museum in Milan, the Museo do Café in Santos in Brazil, Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Louvre, Paris, and the Deutsches Museum in Munich, among others.

The collection is continuously expanding with new acquisitions each year, making the heritage of the museum ever more comprehensive with the display of historical machines and contemporary models.

At the heart of the museum is the “exploded view” of the LaCimbali M100 installation, which took proportionally longer to design and create than to

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83

INDUSTRY PROFILE build the entire museum. The work of art displays the M100 disassembled into hundreds of pieces, suspended in the air with steel wires in a “perfect, yet precarious balance”.

Designer Valerio Cometti says if the pressure to build the museum wasn’t already enough, he came up with the idea for the exploded M100 which he then had to deliver.

“So many people underestimate the complexity of a coffee machine because it’s such a familiar item. When visitors reach the ‘exploded M100’, it helps them understand the coffee machines in a different perspective and their level of complexity. Twenty minutes ago, they saw how coffee machines were dragged along on a cart by a horse. And in the past 100 years, look what it’s become,” Valerio says.

At first, Mumac was exclusively open to visiting Gruppo Cimbali customers.

It was only in late 2012 that it opened to the public with guided tours, workshops for children, university and master’s students, and temporary exhibitions. The year 2016 saw the establishment of the Mumac historical coffee library and the Mumac Academy with training centre and cupping room for knowledge and expertise to be shared.

Mumac also comes to life as a reception venue. It hosts machine loans to international museums, film and television productions, conferences, lectures, and trade fairs, reaching an increasingly wide and varied audience. Adjacent in a large open space is Hangar 100, which has

Gio Ponti designed the famous La Cornuta espresso machine for Pavoni in 1948.

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Mumac Manager Barbara Foglia says visitors are always surprised by the museum’s historical and contemporary discoveries.

also enabled the museum to organise temporary and themed exhibitions, and hosts immersive photographic displays, and multisensory installations.

The museum’s versatility was on display in March 2021 when it became a COVID-19 vaccine hub. Reorganising the spaces in record time, Mumac became one of the first company premises made available for this purpose, providing the community with more than 33,000 vaccine doses. “The opening of the hub was a momentous occasion and once again made me proud to be part of this company,” Barbara says.

She adds that her perception of coffee machines has change forever thanks to

her role at Mumac, which she started nine years ago. The seemingly invisible parts of our everyday lives suddenly become visible at Mumac where they are the stars of the show. “[Mumac is a] world full of history, beauty and design with remarkable exhibits around every corner. When I stood before the Pitagora designed by the Castiglioni brothers – which to this today remains the only machine to have won the Compasso d’Oro – I wasn’t familiar with its history yet, but I already felt that I shared it. I remembered seeing that machine as a child in a coffee bar in the Marche region where I spent my holidays,” Barbara says.

“WHEN VISITORS REACH THE ‘EXPLODED M100’, IT HELPS THEM UNDERSTAND THE COFFEE MACHINES IN A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND THEIR LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY.” “I think everyone at Mumac can identify a machine that has left an imprint on them, one that makes them say ‘I remember this one’, perhaps without ever having paid conscious attention to it, a model that in some way, at some time and in some place defined a moment in our lives.”

Over the years, Barbara has observed the emotions that visitors experience when visiting Mumac. Each time they walk through the museum for the first time, they always find the experience “unexpected” and completely encapsulated by the wonder and surprise of discovery.

To mark 110 years of Gruppo Cimbali history and 10 years of Mumac, Barbera has co-authored a booked titled Senso Espresso: Coffee. Style. Emotions. Just as the museum does not exclusively celebrate the history of the company, the book does not solely promote the contents of the museum. Rather, it serves as an act of restitution and gratitude to all the key industry icons who have enabled the industry to flourish over the past 100 years.

The volume of work took more than nine months of complete, including the process of gathering ideas, in-depth research, and establishing connections with organisations and archives.

The coffee table book is split into six chapters that are each dedicated to a sense: aroma, sound, sight, touch, taste, and synaesthesia. Every sense corresponds to a historical figure, in chronological order, and images and relationships between coffee and its various tangential worlds are dedicated to each sense.

It includes a published photograph of Gruppo Cimbali Founder Giuseppe

The ‘exploded LaCimbali M100’ installation at Mumac, created by designer Valerio Cometti.

The museum celebrates the history and cultural phenomenon of espresso machine manufacturing.

Cimbali, dating back to 1905, on which a caption written in calligraphy explains that Giuseppe was working on the creation of La Pavoni machines for a 1906 exhibition. It was this young worker who was tasked with producing the machines that would usher in a new era of Italian manufacturing.

Barbara says immense beauty and care has been invested in the book’s narrative, representing genius and inventiveness, and slightly resembling the people who contributed to it. Business archives and museums also provided a wealth of images and content that enhanced the book in a way that would otherwise have been impossible.

“Each of us has a story to tell.

Companies have stories to compile and tell. Culture is history. Business is continuous storytelling. History is culture.

Business is culture,” she says.

Gruppo Cimbali will celebrate its

110th anniversary and Mumac’s decade of existence on the same day it opened 10 years ago, 12 October 2022. Until then, its door remains open to explore coffee’s incredible coffee legacy.

“Mumac has undoubtedly made a difference in terms of the focus on this industry. While there are other museums in Italy and around the world devoted to coffee or coffee machines, Mumac remains the first to have concentrated on the entire history of professional espresso machines, and is currently the most extensive museum in terms of its number of exhibits, wealth of documentation and books available for consultation,” Barbara says.

“To learn more about its history, I invite you to visit Mumac in person or virtually through the website.”

For more information, visit www.mumac.it

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EVENTS

Melbourne Coffee Week: Bigger. Better. Back.

After three gruelling years, Australia’s biggest coffee events are returning to Melbourne this September. The industry is ready to make up for lost time with a week’s worth of activities to unite the coffee community once again.

T

he pandemic was economically devastating for Australia’s hospitality industry.

Businesses along the coffee supply chain adapted on the fly to changing restrictions, technology, markets, and business models, all while largely isolated from industry peers.

Now, after three years of postponement and cancellation, this September the De’Longhi Melbourne Coffee Week will bring Australia’s coffee sector together in person to compare notes, secure essential contacts and partnerships, and celebrate making it through years of seismic upheaval.

Hario will introduce manual brewing instruments to further develop coffee brewer trends at MICE2022.

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Event sponsor De’Longhi will kick off the week with a launch party on 27 September. The following four days will see product launches, cuppings, training courses and the Asia-Pacific region’s largest dedicated coffee trade show, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE).

Wrapping up the week on 30 September will be the World Barista and Brewer Championship Final, crowning the world’s best barista and brewer. The event will conclude with a bang, with several official after-parties scheduled to conclude the week’s festivities, essential items on the industry’s social calendar.

More than 200 companies will exhibit

at MICE2022, showcasing the latest and greatest in roasting, equipment manufacturing, green beans, cup packaging, dairy and dairy alternatives, ancillary suppliers and much more.

Exhibitors include large European and United States manufacturers, growers from across South America and Africa, and strong representation from a growing Asian market.

Simon Coburn, General Manager of MICE, says he feels a buzz in the air when he talks to exhibitors and attendees about being face-to-face again in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“In a normal year, MICE would expect about 11,000 attendees. This year, after three years with almost no in-person industry events, we could easily see 15,000,” says Simon.

The industry landscape has changed dramatically since the last time Melbourne Coffee Week ran in 2019, according to Simon.

“Companies have changed business models, found new markets, cut costs, and upgraded digital platforms, all with very little – or no – industry contact,” he says.

“Part of the appeal for attendees is definitely the chance to size up their peers and see what everyone else has been doing.”

But the main attraction for industry players, Simon says, is the opportunity to put their latest products in front of decisionmakers in the café industry, who will be trying equipment, tasting drinks, and meeting contacts face to face.

“We have international companies who

MICE2022 is expected to see crowds of up to 15,000 attend this year’s event.

have displayed at MICE many times over the years. Seeing them sign up again for the 2022 expo confirms how much value they see in attending,” says Simon.

The sophisticated Australian market is a draw for international companies testing potential new bestsellers, according to John Jang, Executive Director of Japanese manufacturer Hario.

“Australia is leading the world’s latest coffee culture trends. That’s why international companies, including Hario, pay attention to MICE and want to be recognised in the Australian coffee market.

“At MICE 2022, Hario will introduce manual brewing instruments, which we think will further develop the coffee brewer trend which we began with the V60,” says John.

John says he will be closely observing how the new instruments are received at MICE to confirm the support of the coffee industry.

Other exhibitors will be keeping an equally close watch on the outcome of the MICE Product Innovation Awards, which judges new coffee equipment, accessories and novel beverages in a number of categories.

Manufacturers aren’t the only ones showcasing their latest products on the world stage at MICE. Farmer and coffee growers’ associations from around the world will be displayed in Origin Alley, many of whom will demonstrate select green beans in the nearby cupping room.

“MICE introduced a cupping room in 2018 to create a dedicated space for tasting.

We see roasters, traders, coffee boards and farmers use it – it’s a great educational tool for those sourcing a specific type of green bean,” says Simon.

For those seeking ready-to-use beans, Roasters Alley and Roasters Marketplace will feature a mixture of well-known specialty brands and boutique specialty roasters.

“There’s so much to choose from. It’s great to see all the different options side-byside, but it could get overwhelming if you go in without a plan,” says Simon.

“I’d recommend attendees pick one product to hunt per day, whether that’s a milk steamer or a new bean variety. Check the online guide, mark off the specific stalls to visit and just hit those.”

Skill shortages remain a key problem facing the hospitality industry, with tens of thousands of job vacancies across Australia despite government support and the slow return of overseas seasonal workers.

To support up-skilling domestic workers, MICE is offering a series of training courses for baristas at beginner and intermediate level over the four-day event.

Other courses will cover topics tailored

for a wide range of knowledge, from basic skills for a general coffee lover through to industry training in the Australian market.

Aspiring baristas can also be inspired – or intimidated – by seeing the world’s best baristas compete under pressure at the World Barista and Brewers Championships.

Heats will be held daily from 27 September. Competitors from around the world will go head-to-head to produce multiple coffees, including espresso, milk beverages and signature drinks, while judges award marks for presentation and creativity as well as taste and flavour.

“Australia is the first country outside the United States to host the world finals twice,” says Coburn. “The last time was in 2013, in what was only the expo’s second year. Having the privilege to host the championships for a second time reflects the strength of our coffee industry, and the international scale of the expo, which has grown from just a national celebration of our coffee market, to a global one.”

Coincidentally, the 2013 expo was the first time John attended MICE, bringing Hario’s sleek glass equipment to a receptive Australian audience.

“I was impressed in 2013 with Australia’s coffee culture and passion,” John says.

“We are deeply moved this event will be held in Melbourne again. I hope it will be an opportunity to overcome adversity and revitalise the coffee industry.”

For more information and ticket sales, visit internationalcoffeeexpo.com

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GlobalCoffeeReport

GlobalCoffeeReport

November/December 2021 MAY/JU NE 20 19

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DIRECTOR Buencafé General Director Cristina Madriñán on the premiumisation of solubleOFcoffee, BUENachieving CAFÉ CONS ECON LEHMANN OMIC SECU RCEL results D MAsales BOAR record in a COVID year, and the importance of creating sustainable value RITY OF MOR TANZA MEJÍA ON HE NT ME GE NA MA E LPIN TH RY E THAN 540, ST OF R DU KE IN DING P SPEA 000 COLOM G INCREASE THE HEMRO GROU ION FOR THE COFFEE GRIN com BIAN FARM www.gcrmag.

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March/April 2019

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Global Coffee Report is the leading business magazine covering the international coffee industry. In‑depth features explore on‑the‑ground developments at origin, coffee pricing issues, technology updates, research breakthroughs and much more.

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CAFÉ SCENE

Local Folk is a central hub for the community.

LOCAL FOLK 43 Epsom Road, Kensington, Victoria, 3031 Open Monday to Saturday 7am – 3pm And Sunday 8am – 3pm 0410 639 393

away to provide the best quality beans is really fantastic.”

For the gnocchi obsessed, Local Folk puts a breakfast spin on the much-loved

Italian classic, elevated with an assembly of mushroom, bacon, haloumi, and crowned with a fried egg. Although far from traditional, Ashley says it’s one of the cafés most popular dishes.

“The menu also offers some great breakfast staples, like our smashed avo and breakfast burger, what I would call comfort food. We keep it simple, with fresh, local ingredients,” says Ashley.

Little Folk’s menu also incorporates kids favourites such as cheese and vegemite toasties, and chicken nuggets and chips.

With lots of shady street-side seating and plenty of space inside, the café is split into two levels, with the sunny upper level more suitable for families.

“If you carry the pram up a few stairs, you’ll find a little kids corner complete with a chalk board, mini table, colouring activities, and books,” he says.

Ashley says he always strives for customer satisfaction, making it his main priority to employ local staff who enjoy the work to maintain a sense of community.

“Local Folk is a quiet, friendly, neighbourhood hub where you can grab a coffee or settle in for a more substantial meal while the kids can be entertained,” he says.

Ashley adds that he hopes to expand the Local Folk community, with new venues on the horizon.

“In the next few years, we’re planning to expand with some Little Folk venues in residential areas. They’ll be smaller cafés with basic coffee and menu options similar to Local Folk.”

What started as a pizza restaurant is now a cosy family-friendly café in the heart of Kensington. Local Folk, as its name suggests, is a place for the community to relax with a cup of coffee and tasty brunch.

Café Owner Ashley Benson says with the help of Toby’s Estate’s Brunswick blend, the café has developed a steady stream of regulars filtering in each morning.

“The Brunswick blend is very unique, with caramel, hazelnut, and praline notes.

It’s well-liked by our customers and my personal favourite,” Ashley says.

Having partnered with Toby’s Estate for six years, Ashley says he’s always enjoyed working with the roaster.

“We’re well supported by Toby’s Estate on the coffee side of things. We have a very strong relationship with them. They’re all about supporting the community and small businesses,” says Ashley.

“I’m very passionate about getting the right products for the customers, and to know that they’re always one phone call

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CAFÉ SCENE AGAINST THE GRIND 9 Young Street, Neutral Bay, New South Wales, 2089 Open Monday 6:30am – 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday 6:30am – 3:30pm and Sunday 7am – 2pm (02) 9953 5896 Homemade food and fast-paced friendly service is the experience one receives when visiting Against The Grind café, located in the central city suburb of Neutral Bay. Managing Director John Lepouris has upheld the family business for the past five years after his father developed an apartment building with the café located on the ground floor.

“I co-founded the company with two baristas who worked at my local coffee shop: Davide Crespi and Hoky Michael.

While we started the business together and had a great relationship, last year the boys moved onto their own ventures, and I now head-up the café on my own,” John says.

Located just a few doors down from Military Road, Against The Grind has a stylish European fit-out with a curved timber wall feature, long terrazzo benches, and hanging ferns.

One of its most unique features is its open plan design, with no counter tops separating staff from customers.

“We didn’t want the café to have any barriers. We want people to come in and feel like they are having a coffee with friends,” John says.

Having grown the business exponentially, John was able to expand the café to include the shop next door, integrating a deli into the space.

“Our deli is stocked with award-winning chorizo, house made taramosalata, and we also make a range of paninis fresh to each order in house,” John says.

His love of Asian culture has strongly influenced the café menu, with staple favourite the Brekky Fried Rice, including Chinese style fried rice and lap cheong (Chinese cured sausage).

“I wanted to incorporate something different into our menu. Now it’s a highlight among customers, and I think that’s one of my favourite dishes too,” John says.

These are all presented beside Campos Coffee’s Superior Blend, a coffee the café has served since its opening in 2017.

“We chose Campos because we wanted to deliver exceptional coffee to our consumers,” says John.

Alongside the usual flat whites and cappuccinos, Against The Grind serves up a quadruple shot coffee called the ‘brutale’ (Italian for brutal) which includes two shots of Campos Superior blend espresso and

Henry M’s offers brunch seven days a week and uses Five Senses’ Dark Horse blend.

HENRY M’S 27 Welwyn Avenue, Manning, Western Australia, 6152 Open Monday to Wesnesday 6am – 4pm, Thursday and Friday 6am – late and Saturday and Sunday 7am – late Tucked away in the heart of Manning is Henry M’s, the new kid on the block, having recently opened in December 2021.

Operations Manager and co-owner Earl Randall says due to the overwhelming response of its original venue, Hoopla Espresso in Kensington, specialty coffee roasters Five Senses turned its attention to a

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venue that came available, as they knew the team was looking to expand.

“We fell in love with the space and committed to it. We had the really talented design company Rezen Studio design the fit it out, stayed true to our roots and replicated Hoopla’s coffee program and combined a wine bar component to the venue to cater for all demographics,” he says.

Henry M’s has a casual and contemporary design that complements any time of day and service.

“It’s a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere. We’ve included little touches like a mural created by renowned local artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers in the alfresco area,

two shots of Campos single origin.

“You would be surprised how many people come in at 7.30am and say, ‘I need a brutale,’” says John.

“Providing that energy source for my customers is the most rewarding part of the job.”

Against The Grind is focused on specialty coffee and customer service.

which adds a beautiful pop of colour,” Earl says.

Henry M’s serves Five Senses’ Dark Horse blend, which Earl says offers a complex and dynamic cup whether in milk or as a black coffee. “We’ve worked with Five Senses for 11 years now, and we can’t think of any other brand that we’d want in our grinders.

They always make sure our coffee offering is of the highest standard, and we’re proud to be partners with them,” he says.

Thanks to Head Chefs Matt Novak and Aarin Fraser, brunch favourites include the café’s chilli scrambled eggs with native greens, housemade sambal, crispy shallots and parmesan, and the seasonal avocado with greens pureed, danish feta, lime, sweet chilli and a poached egg.

“At night, we offer a beautiful share menu concept with dishes like chicken liver parfait, Tasmanian salmon tartare, and pan roasted Amelia Park lamb rump proving very popular.

There’s something there for everyone,” Earl says.

He adds that opening during the pandemic was a challenge, however the café has been well-received from the community from the get-go.

“That’s the whole premise of our business plan, to open a community hub and be somewhere people can hang out, meet their friends and enjoy a great quality coffee and food offering,” Earl says.

CAFÉ SCENE VENEZIANO COFFEE WEST END 369 Montague Road, West End, Queensland 4101 Open Monday to Friday 6am – 3pm, Saturday and Sunday 6am – 2pm (07) 3846 0011 Veneziano Coffee West End roastery café is creating a buzz up north, and it’s not just a result of the coffee menu.

Following an intensive and contemporary renovation process, the space is set to welcome back regular customers and attract a whole new crowd of coffee lovers.

Veneziano Coffee Queensland State Sales Manager Michaela Gerard, who’s worked in the hospitality industry since she was 18 years old, is thrilled with the West End transformation.

“It’s so rewarding to see the space come to life. With the expansion and relaunch of our Brisbane location, I’m excited for new customers to see the beautiful renovations,” she says.

Amongst the warehouses in Montague Road of West End’s riverside, the café stands out with its bold grey and yellow colour scheme, which Michaela says catches the eyes of passers-by and engages their senses with the glorious smell of roasting coffee.

“Functionality was the main influence of the new design to make service a lot more fluid, create a nicer environment for staff, and expand the customer base,” says Michaela.

Veneziano Coffee has been a fixture of the West End inner suburb of Brisbane since 2009, serving the local community with a laid-back and welcoming vibe.

The café’s tiered dining space now offers more windows that drive more natural sunlight. A glass wall that separates the inside dining space from the roastery provides guests with a full view into the backof-house operations, while another window peers into the training space next door. It’s here that baristas from Veneziano’s wholesale partner cafés, and even home enthusiasts, can brush up on their skills regarding espresso foundations, latte art, workflow, and brew ratios.

“It creates such an immersive experience for customers who dine with us, to see what goes on behinds the scenes before the coffee’s brought to their cup. It brings back that connection between consumers, staff and coffee,” says Michaela.

And while the new design grabs people into the new space, it’s the coffee that holds them there.

Veneziano’s seasonally-rotating house blend Soar is the brew of choice for any milk-based coffee, while an assortment of rotating microlots via filter pour over are ideal for those eager to explore varying coffee origins.

“We try and run something different every

The café’s renovations come more than a decade after Veneziano opened in West End in 2009.

week, to offer customers something new and exciting with each visit. At any given time, we have four to five microlots on the retail shelf, which gives customers wanting to buy beans for home an opportunity to sample the coffee,” Michaela says.

Also available is Veneziano’s Pinnacle Series, a selection of ultra-premium microlots as well as a range of ready-to-drink cold brew creations.

“As you can imagine, Queensland dominates our retail sales for cold brew, so we always have plenty of those on hand,” says Michaela.

To pair with the specialty coffee, Veneziano West End’s kitchen has launched a new menu with some vegan and vegetarian-friendly additions.

Michaela says some of the favourite all-day breakfast dishes include the vegan croquet with house-made cashew cheese and pesto, eggs benedict served on zucchini fritters, and chilled coconut rice pudding.

“With a brand new state-of-the-art kitchen, our capabilities to create new and exciting dishes has expanded,” she says.

Having been there for several years now, Michaela says it’s a part of Brisbane’s coffee culture as a roasting house, distributor, coffee shop and provider of barista training courses.

“Veneziano is in the coffee business, but we’re always evolving and adapting, and that message is reflected in the new design of West End,” Michaela says.

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CAFÉ SCENE SOUTH AUSTRALIA AQUATIC AND LEISURE CENTRE CAFÉ 443 Morphett Road, Oaklands Park, South Australia 5046 Open Monday to Friday 7am – 7pm, Saturday 7am – 4:30pm and Sunday 8am – 4pm (08) 8198 0198 When asked to describe the most unique characteristic of the South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre Café (SAALC), Manager Owen McLeod says there’s no café more committed to the environment than this one.

“We’re dedicated to educating our staff, members, and guests about sustainability, while also providing baristamade coffee,” Owen says.

Located in the suburban area of Oaklands Park, Owen says this is a landmark year for the local aquatic centre café, that has recently undergone $150,000 worth of renovations to modernise its service scape and ecological efficiency.

“The café was recently crowed as plastic-free champions by the South Australian Government-endorsed PlasticFree SA, which we worked with to convert cutlery and packaging from single-use to recyclable and biodegradable options,” he says.

Owen says the SAALC also partnered with reusable cup brand KeepCup to design and manufacture custom KeepCups for patrons and staff, to help combat the rising costs of takeaway cups, lids and coffee beans.

“Not only does this idea negate the need for packaging, but more importantly, it reduces our carbon footprint by reusing coffee cups,” Owen says.

Along with its admirable environmental

In 2021, SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre diverted 82,680 single-use cups from landfills and saved 77,291 MJ of energy, which is enough to power 311 homes for one day.

initiatives, Owen says few sporting venues in the country offer a cup of coffee with quality on par with a traditional specialty café.

“We may not be your conventional specialty café, however we strive to be by becoming the first café in an Australian aquatic centre to adopt these practices,” he says.

The café serves Rio Coffee’s Blend 64 brew. This is a signature blend which Food & Beverage Director Jay Vijayakumar

The SAALC has partnered with reusable cup brand KeepCup to design and manufacture custom KeepCups for patrons and staff.

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says has a round, full, and creamy taste, balanced by stone-fruit sweetness, and is a refined choice for espresso lovers and true coffee connoisseurs.

“We’ve worked with this prestigious brand for nearly 10 years, almost since the day we opened, and we’re proud to pour this great coffee for our customers,” says Jay. “Because we have over 3000 people coming through our doors every day, we chose a blend we knew would capture the mass market.”

Alongside its coffee, customers can choose from a variety of quality menu options, including freshly made burgers, pizzas, grab-and-go sandwiches, wraps, and salads.

“The café certainly plays a big role in our overall success at the centre and our customers satisfaction,” Jay says.

Owen, who has such a passion for coffee he began brewing cold brew in his backyard several years ago, says the aquatic centre is the perfect space to enjoy a morning coffee over the paper, relaxed lunch, or take-home meal.

“Walking into work and spelling fresh coffee being ground every day and maintaining that connection with our regular customers through great coffee is the most rewarding part of my job,” he says.

“Whether you need an energy hit or a space to relax, our café has you covered.”

CAFÉ SCENE

Little Grump is a small pastry and sandwich shop in the heart of Wellington City.

LITTLE GRUMP 142 Featherston Street, Wellington, New Zealand, 6011 Open Monday to Friday 7am – 2pm

natural fit,” he says.

“We only sell what we make, which is a selection of pastries in the morning, and then we evolve into fresh sandwiches and toasties during the day. We plan to expand

and change that offering as we move forward.”

This is paired with Coffee Supreme’s signature Supreme blend. Andrew says this blend is based around a combination of Central American coffees which provide the core flavour elements and refined acidity.

“We use the Supreme blend through our La Marzocco Linea PB and Mahlkonig E80. We also have a Mahlkonig EK43 which we use to run our filter and decaf coffee through,” says Andrew.

“While we don’t have a huge offering, that’s actually on purpose. We want to perfect our offering before we expand.”

Andrew says the café was designed with an open layout to easily interact with the customer, and hand them a quality coffee that will turn any grumpy frown upside down.

“It’s quite open and inviting with big glass windows and white tiled walls. We tried to complement that with warmer colour tones on the counter bench and round, wooden tables.”

“We’ve also placed several plants in the café, with the plan to slowly add to the collection as time goes on.”

Andrew says having opened at such a difficult time and watching the café blossom and accumulate a regular customer base is what he’s most proud of.

“Little Grump is essentially 10 to 12 years of dreams evolving into a reality, and we’re really pumped so far,” he says.

“The idea is that it’s just meant to be inviting. We want it to be a place that people look at and decide to venture inside for a great coffee.”

When searching for a morning pick-me-up after waking up on the wrong side of the bed, look no further than small pastry and sandwich shop Little Grump.

Created in November 2021 amid COVID-19, Owners Andrew Craig and Lisa Fierro decided to open the new café in the heart of Wellington City after the success of their other business, Goods café, which is just two kilometres away in Thorndon.

“We’ve been running Goods café for four years now, and I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop in the city,” says Andrew.

“After downtown Wellington was hit hard by the events of the pandemic, we found this space available, and it just snowballed from there. It’s been well received by customers, and we’re happy with how it’s going despite the challenges we’ve faced.”

Andrew says everything is made and supplied by Goods café and baked fresh daily.

“Because we bake all of our own pastry on site, we felt creating another business to showcase that seemed like a

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TRAINING TACTICS

Elouise del Rosario is the NSW Barista Trainer for Suntory Coffee Australia.

Building an exceptional customer experience Mocopan Coffee’s Elouise del Rosario on how to boost customer service and turn one-time customers into regulars.

C

Have an experienced and knowledgeable barista engage with customers who are interested in knowing more about your coffee offering.

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ustomer service is the cornerstone to the hospitality industry and in particular the café environment. As the world comes out of the pandemic and our options for coffee and food expand, the choice of where the customer wants to spend their hard earned dollars starts to come down to a few simple things: quality, speed and most importantly, customer service. If these key attributes are executed well, it can make your café ‘the spot to be’.

I’ve been lucky enough in my career to work in a range of café environments from high volume lobby-style cafés with majority of the clientele being regulars, to roastery café environment that has expectations on knowledge and delivering experiences, as well as destination-style cafés in which people wait over an hour to be seated. The style your café will have an impact on the type of customer service you deliver and what type of customers you should expect to walk through the door.

To create the environment to deliver a great experience, here are some key points to consider: Customer relationships/interactions: This can be as simple as remembering the customer’s name or at a minimum,

their coffee to match their face. Adding that layer of personalisation to your greeting goes a long way. It makes them feel special and valued. Building a quick rapport with new customers can also open the door to further conversations.

What begins with a name, can soon turn to greetings like, “The usual Tony?” or “How’s the family Cindy?” Creating these positive experiences and showing you care about the time spent in your venue goes such a long way.

Coffee: Let’s be honest, the reason cafés have customers at all, is because of that little brown bean that’s so carefully treated. Quality will always play a large role in the number of customers you can attract and retaining them will come down to consistency.

To help deliver “an experience” to your customers each day, reach out to your coffee supplier and ask for training, which can be information on blends, single origin, filter, batch and even coffee recipes. This can help take the pressure off your team’s daily requirements and let them give more of that energy to the customer. Having an experienced and knowledgeable barista can then engage with customers who are interested in the nerdy/geeky side of coffee talk.

Offerings: Now that your customers are happy, engaged and looking forward to their daily chats, how else can you keep them on their toes and remain excited to be coming back regularly?

One option is an extended coffee offering usually in the form of single origins. Most coffee companies that offer single origins rotate their offerings over a period, changing from country to country, which is almost always a change in unique flavour profiles. You will always find specific customers drawn to this style of coffee, usually espresso, black coffee, or filter coffee drinkers. This almost always results in a very strong relationship between your baristas and customers.

If executed well, it can lead to new customers as word spreads quick when the black coffee tastes good.

Let’s not forget about food offerings.

We eat with our eyes so consider the aesthetic and presentation of your dishes.

But at the end of the day, it all comes down to taste. You may decide to keep your menu simple and classic or perhaps trendy and seasonal. The main thing to keep in mind is the flexibility to be able to cater to dietary needs. For example, having vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Training: Effective training programs often provide strong foundations for customer service. Shadowing and mentoring are more customary methods of training and is often the most effective

way for new employees to learn about your processes. These methods will provide new employees with a way to experience more senior staff’s customer interactions and your café’s approach to service.

Staff: As a previous café manager, one of the biggest challenges I faced was finding and retaining the right staff. While highly experienced candidates are ideal, sometimes an unexperienced applicant may surprise you. With a positive attitude, strong work ethic, the right skills and training, these inexperienced staff may

can be the killer – mistakes on orders, bad timing and complaints that damage your reputation probably isn’t worth it. Sticking strong to the café processes can ultimately let staff handle situations quickly and appropriately and keep things happy, energetic, and fast.

Feedback: As the industry continues to evolve, customer feedback is a great way to learn about areas in your café that may need improvement. Talk to your customers and ask them for their feedback. This shows that you value their opinion – the good and bad. To be

When staff are happy to be at work, your customers can see and feel this, and are more likely to return.

become your top employees in no time.

Having strong guidelines set in place and aligning the team on expectations when it comes to customer service ensures consistency on the delivery of service.

This could include at a bare minimum – greeting customers with a smile, being prompt and attentive, checking on customers often, and thanking them at the end of their time spent in the café.

It is also important to consider setting a happy environment in the workplace.

When your staff are happy to be at work, your customers can see and feel this.

Once these are instilled in your team, you will see the rewards in your customers returning regularly as there is a sense of feeling “home”.

Operations: If your café is firing on all cylinders, one of the final questions you need to ask yourself is: “Is being flexible good or bad?” This will always come down to the experience in your team. If you have a super experienced team that are calm under pressure, and have great rapport with customers, being flexible will benefit you. But, if you have new people or inexperienced staff, flexibility

able to provide exceptional customer service, you need to be able to evolve based on the feedback you receive from your customers. This in turn can help strengthen customer relationships and enhance the overall experience.

Customer service doesn’t cost a thing and what it can contribute to a business is extraordinary. When people feel welcomed and important in your venue, that’s when they turn from a one-time customer to a regular. By providing and considering the above points, you can enhance your customer’s experience in a way that creates an unforgettable memory.

As competition continues to grow and rise in the industry, ways in which you can attract new customers and retain them is getting smaller. But one factor that remains personalised and unique to each café is customer engagement. The experience you create everyday through interactions and relationships will be the key to building an establishment that has a great rapport/reputation and streams of regulars every day.

In my experience, it starts with a name and can end with a friendship.

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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: sustainability Australian Barista Champion Matthew Lewin on how cafés can make sustainable choices with the products and plant-based milks they use.

I

Vitasoy’s Almond Milk with a creamy taste profile, developed with Vitasoy Café Ambassador Matthew Lewin.

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f we’re going to keep enjoying the wonderful coffee we have here in Australia, we’re going to need to do it in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way.

I’m sure we’re all well aware nowadays about climate change and the impact humans and our decisions are having on the environment. It’s up to each of us to evolve our everyday habits to play our part in having a more positive impact on the planet – especially around coffee.

Climate change is an issue affecting every person and industry around the world, but coffee is particularly vulnerable. It also contributes a lot of emissions, from the farm level through processing, transporting, roasting, the café, and the takeaway cup the customer leaves with.

Does this mean we should stop drinking coffee? Probably not, but it’s why we, as an industry, have a responsibility to make smart and sustainable choices to offset any impact we all create.

The items we use each and every day can have much bigger carbon footprints than we even realise, so one way we can make a difference is with the products we choose to serve in our café.

Beyond our own responsibility, the products you use are a reflection of your brand and values, and it’s important to many customers that they’re supporting

businesses that do the right thing.

For your plant-based milks, products that have ingredients grown in Australia lend themselves to a smaller carbon footprint than those coming from overseas thanks to the reduced shipping.

Vitasoy, for instance, proudly works with many local and regional growers throughout Australia and has a strong local and regional footprint. It has an Australian First Sourcing Policy and will choose Australian grown ingredients where possible.

All of Vitasoy’s grains, nuts and seeds are grown in Australia. The company works hard to nurture and develop longstanding partnerships with all growers and is proud to support Aussie farmers and local communities. Just like we advocate for a sustainable coffee supply chain, Vitasoy is committed to ensuring a sustainable and continuous agricultural supply chain that supports our network of Australian farmers. What’s more, sourcing from a sustainable supply chain raises the bar so that not only Vitasoy, but its key suppliers, can have in-house sustainability programs.

All Vitasoy Australia products are manufactured in regional Victoria at its Wodonga factory, employing close to 100 local employees. A company that grows local and supports local – pretty awesome when we can do both on home soil, isn’t it?

All Vitasoy Australia products are manufactured in regional Victoria at its Wodonga factory, employing close to 100 local employees.

Break it down Almond milk tends to get a bad rap when it comes to sustainability because it requires a significant amount of water to grow and the impact on the bees required to pollinate the trees, but that doesn’t look at the whole picture.

Australia has stricter regulations when it comes to pesticide and fungicide use than the United States, one of the largest producers of almonds in the world.

One of Vitasoy’s almond growers in Northern Victoria is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and supporting the communities where they operate. This includes investing in stateof-the-art irrigation systems and creating pollinator habitats. It is also participating in industry-wide sustainability initiatives that incorporate more technologies to drive water efficiency.

Soy and oat milk both have sustainability credentials, and if your customer is looking for the most sustainable alternative, it might be best to steer them in this direction. The more informed people are, the better decisions they can make.

Some of Vitasoy’s soy beans are grown organically, and produced using a selfdeveloped method of softer farming to replace the need for conventional farming practices.

Serving the right plant-based milks and other products is only one way a coffee business can reduce its footprint.

On a wider scale, I know that Vitasoy aims to implement an ongoing sustainable operations model that delivers a 25 per cent reduction in electricity, gas, and water at its Wodonga processing plant by 2025.

It will remain accountable with compliance and governance to ensure zero regulatory violations and delivery of ISO 14001 certification*, which essentially means a business is focused on its environmental impact, supported by effective management processes.

“THE MORE INFORMED PEOPLE ARE, THE BETTER DECISIONS THEY CAN MAKE.” And at Ona Coffee, we’ve moved to solar power at our roastery and some of our cafés, and I know several other roasters and coffee shops have done the same. If going solar is a little out of reach for your coffee bar, there are still many little changes than can make a difference.

Packaging is a problem. Think of ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle your cardboard and packaging, like turning your milk cartons into carry trays. I’ve even seen wallets being made!

Two years into COVID-19, we keep encouraging cautious customers to dust off the reusable cup. This is also such a key part to good daily drinking habits, like reusable bags at the supermarket, or taking your soft plastics into supermarkets for recycling – everything matters.

Vitasoy has its own plans to align with the Australian Packaging Covenant^ guidelines by 2025 and ensure its consumer and market packaging is in line with industry packaging standards.

On a day-to-day basis, baristas can help by making sure things run smoothly.

Use your scales, measure your milks, and maintain your equipment. If your grinder is off or shots aren’t pulling right, it just creates waste and all the energy and resources that went into those coffee grinds go out in the bin. Plus, upcycle your coffee grinds, reuse them in sustainable ways, such as making classic body scrub and selling it on café retail shelves, or use to make soil for the garden, there’s lots of options.

Sustainability and climate change are big issues, but making smart choices with the products we use and consume is how we can each play our part.

And never underestimate the power of a strong supplier and consumer relationships to deliver sustainability goals. It’s amazing what you can resolve or achieve together. By simply starting an open dialogue and getting the conversation started, the opportunities are endless.

And if you’re a Vitasoy fan like I am, you can rest a little easier knowing the company you consume your Oat, Almond and Soy milk from is committed to continuously supplying nutritious, great tasting, sustainable plant-based products – just for you. ^ www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/ plastics-and-packaging/packaging-covenant *www.iso.org/home.html

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ESPRESSO YOURSELF

Victor Vu of Ona Coffee Melbourne is the 2020 ASCA Australian Pauls Professional Latte Art Champion.

Polly want a cracker?

Reigning Australian Latte Art Victor Vu shares a refined take on his classic parrot design with a little more detail, and a lot more character.

T

he parrot was one of the first latte art patterns that I mastered, and this edition, I’ve stepped it up a notch.

I presented my original parrot design at the 2019 Australian Latte Art Championship, but it didn’t contain quite as much complexity as this version, which I developed after being inspired by 2018 World Latte Art Champion Irvine

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Quek and his Sleeping Parrot design.

One of the techniques I use in this design is the ‘cunning eye’ made popular

by Arnon Thitiprasert at the 2017 World Latte Art Championship. Rather than using a drop of foam as the eye, you build the eye into the design of the face, really helping to add character and realism to the pattern.

Beyond that, you see a greater level of

detail, with much more texture added to the parrot itself, as well as the background set up within the rest of the cup.

To perfect this design, you will need a good understanding of basic latte art techniques and how your elements will interact with each other in the cup. This is not an easy design to master but that makes it all the more worthwhile when you do.

1.

With the handle at 12 o’clock, pour a nine-leaf rosetta from the centre of the cup to the right, then a smaller seven-leaf rosetta underneath.

3.

Turn the handle to three o’clock. Above your first rosetta, pour a small three-leaf rosetta to form the parrot’s neck.

Then, pour two small rosettas in one continuous motion to create the parrot’s feathers.

5.

At the bottom of the cup, drag a short line beneath the rosettas to complete the tree branch.

7.

In the same motion, pour a small circle at the top of the curve, connecting to the beak and leaving a hole in the middle for the eye.

2.

Turn the cup so the handle faces you. Pour two parallel eight-leaf rosettas along the top half of the cup. For the bottom one, pull through between the two rosettas to create a branch between the rosetta leaves.

4.

At the bottom of the most recently-poured rosetta, pour a seven-leaf rosetta. Pull through along the rim of the cup up to 11 o’clock. Drag a short, curved line from you end point to form the top of the beak.

6.

With the handle still at three o’clock, place your pitcher at the top of your small rosetta at the bottom of the cup and drag a line upwards, curving around your larger rosetta to form the parrot’s body.

8.

Finish your design with a few small drops of foam beneath the tree. There you have it. My refined parrot.

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MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE EXPO 27 - 30 SEPTEMBER 2022 MELBOURNE CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE WWW.INTERNATIONALCOFFEEEXPO.COM

Host of the 2022 World Coffee Championships

exhibition space available now

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PROUD PARTNERS

NZSCA

Emma McDougall is the Communications and Administration Co-ordinator of the NZSCA.

Make it count The NZSCA has faced changing lockdowns and delayed multiple events. It speaks to association members about their struggles and strategies as they ride the COVID wave.

E

very time we begin to write an article for BeanScene’s bimonthly column, the landscape changes. We’ve weathered two years of being the “Hermit Kingdom”, building resilience, and heroically keeping the pandemic at bay. The best laid plans have been ripped up time and time again.

We’ve rescheduled dates for our Latte Art and Cup Tasters Championship’s four times. Many of our community events have been cancelled. Business is down, and currently in New Zealand, daily COVID-19 cases are hitting six figures.

It’s an incredibly weird, unpredictable world to be living in.

The only consistent is that tasty brew of coffee in my cup. And right now, every cup counts.

In a world where staff shortages, high overheads and working from home is encouraged, hospitality is haemorrhaging.

We reached out to our members to shout about them. We positively want to spread the message on what keeps them going, their unique challenges and what they would like to see in the industry in the future. We were surprised and excited about some of the answers.

Ken Shi from from Aoraki Coffee in Hampton Downs said, “we love coffee and are passionate about it.” Ken has ambitious plans: “we will be one of the best coffee roasters in NZ one day. The quantity of coffee we have produced from the first year of roasting 30 kilograms weekly is now up to 300 kilograms weekly.” From humble beginnings, Aoraki continues to embody humility in its approach.

Foundation Coffee has a succinct approach: “we make life easy for our customers – simple but it works.”

CEO Jaime Galloway says a lot of people don’t realise that it also sells and services a range of Italian domestic machines alongside its business-to-business larger automatic machines. Another thing Jaime has noticed is that that “there is not enough education about the real cost of a cup of coffee”. This is something many of our other members agree on.

Paul Harris from A Bunch Of Snobs, has noticed a huge uptake of coffee machines infiltrating local businesses, as has many in the hospitality industry. “[People think] ‘we have a spare corner, we better put a coffee machine there’ no matter the business,” Paul says.

He enjoys working with partners who care about ethics and believes that as coffee drinkers, we can influence positive change. “Sustainability, (ethics and environmental) led to our subscription business, which is based on the desire to share the importance and impact of initiatives being enacted at origin and beyond,” he says.

Aside from serving great coffee to customers, Sam Taylor of Kõkako really believes his business is making a positive change in the industry. “We have a great likeminded team who care about their impact on the planet, are passionate about specialty coffee and bringing innovation to the category,” he says. Sam adds, “we love seeing other roasters taking steps towards more sustainable practices.”

Technology and sustainability is also a big focus at Kaffelogic. John Robson, Cofounder and director elaborates, saying

his packaging has been designed with little or no plastic, as has the home roasting unit itself. Kaffelogic has been designed with the “right to repair” movement in mind, meaning the product can be easily serviced and/or repaired by the consumer.

Connor Nestor describes New Ground Coffee as a company that specialises in product development and contract manufacturing of shelf-stable ready-todrink coffee products. Innovation drives them.

“The constant development of our company and the parts that make us are our drivers. Every department has its own innovation projects and those are the fun part of what we do, from product development to operations processes to streamlining customer service,” Connor says. “[We make things] simple, achievable and enjoyable for us and our customers to benefit,” he says.

In spite of the most intense period of trading to date with multiple lockdowns, levels, lights and phases, our NZSCA members are showing the way forward.

Connor sums up the ultimate goal: “We’re looking forward to the world opening up again so we can go visit our favourite roasters overseas too.”

We encourage you to support the people who are innovating, sustainable and inspiring. Driven by caffeine, we will continue to make every cup count and one day hold an elusive championship.

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.

HAMISH MCKINSTRY – DALLA CORTE AUSTRALIA NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Dalla Corte has announced Hamish McKinstry as its new National Sales Manager. Hamish has worked in the beverage industry for nearly eight years, starting off in the tea sector before making the switch to specialty coffee over five years ago.

“In an industry dominated by two or three key brands that compete predominantly on price and aesthetic, there is a huge opportunity for new technology and we’re confident that Dalla Corte is the brand that will revolutionise the market here,” Hamish says.

Hamish is excited to see specialty coffee continue to flourish in Australia, as new artisanal roasters emerge and the key specialty brands continue to push the boundaries of innovation and scale.

Already seeing positive signs emerge on the other side of COVID, Hamish says with restrictions easing, the specialty coffee industry in 2022 will be stronger than prepandemic times.

If you have taken on a new role in a prominent coffee business, or if you would like to promote an exciting new opening at your business in BeanScene’s new online Jobs page, please contact: Sarah Baker at sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au

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KIRSTEN POOLE SMITH – SUNTORY COFFEE SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER AUS Kirsten joined the Suntory Coffee Team in January as a Senior Key Account Manager and is based in Melbourne. Originally from New Zealand, Kirsten brings key account experience from the wine and specialty chemicals industries.

Having a variety of roles across New Zealand, Canada and Australia.

Kirsten is excited to take on this new challenge, bringing her passion for account management and love for coffee together. Within the past five years, Suntory Coffee has won Supplier of the Year at three of her largest accounts. No Pressure!

MELANIE MOKKEN – SUNTORY COFFEE ACCOUNT MANAGER Melanie Mokken is honoured to join the passionate and experienced Suntory Coffee team as a Key Account Manager.

Strongly aligning with the organisational values, Melanie will be dedicated to contribute to Suntory Coffee’s vision to be the leader in sustainable fresh coffee in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

“I look forward to working with some of Australia’s favourite foodservice and retail companies and partnering with them on their coffee journey, providing them with a great coffee experience and innovative solutions,” she says.

ROSS QUAIL - HEMRO GROUP HEAD OF SALES ASIA PACIFIC To manage Hemro Group’s dynamic business environment and growth in the Asia Pacific, Ross Quail is taking over the new position as Head of Sales APAC. For almost two years, Ross has successfully managed and developed Hemro’s business in the South Asian and Pacific market.

Before joining Hemro Group in 2020, he was successful in similar positions in the coffee industry and active in the Australian Specialty Coffee Association.

Ross will be responsible for Hemro Group’s integrated Professional and Home Solutions for the entire APAC region, helping to promote best-incategory solutions for coffee grinding under the brands Mahlkönig, Ditting, Anfim, Hey Café.

“I’m honoured to be at the helm of Asia Pacific Sales with such an innovative and leading coffee equipment manufacturer and a great team behind me,” Ross says.

ALEX VAN DER WOLDE – SUNTORY COFFEE QUALITY ASSURANCE PARTNER After spending the last three years at Suntory working in innovations developing new blends and a set of sensory skills, Alex van der Wolde has made the move to the quality team. In her new role, Alex will partner with various internal and external stakeholders to build a food safety and quality culture. “I’m looking forward to improving systems to deliver great quality coffee to our customers and consumers,” she says.

BON SOY.C OM

LO C A LLY R OA S TE D S U P P O R T I N G S U S TA I N AB LE CO F F E E P R OJ E C TS ¡Tierra! emerged in 2002 from a social responsibility project, to improve the social and environmental conditions and production techniques of some coffee producing communities.

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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