Caffeine hit: Meet some of SA’s leading coffee roasters
Coffee craftsmen have been roasting beans in our state for two decades, but now there’s a push for new blood in the caffeine scene. Meet our top roasters, profiled and mapped.
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From dark coffee roasts to more adventurous flavours like berries and toasted almonds, South Australia has a strong blend of local roasters.
But a peak specialty coffee organisation is calling for more local roasters to reduce the over-representation of interstate brands in the market.
The call comes after another player in the industry, Altura Coffee, lodged an application with Charles Sturt Council to move into a large facility in Findon, while Kindred Coffee prepares to open a new cafe in Bowden and roastery in Smithfield.
With the morning cuppa likely to cost about $1 more to help traders recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, drinkers are expected to turn to locally roasted beans to reduce the hit to the hip pocket.
Australian Specialty Coffee Association vice president Cameron Ballard hoped more local roasters would contribute to a “change of the guard” and reduce the eastern market share in SA.
“I do feel like we’re overrepresented by a couple of the big interstate players here,” Mr Ballard said.
“Not only does it not bode well for our local economy, but it is also a totally unnecessary carbon footprint.
“I want to see a vast majority of market share held with South Australian roasters … and a localisation of the industry because there is not need to buy interstate coffee – we have plenty of options here.”
He said while the cost of a cup of coffee was set to rise, the importation of “green”, raw beans had also become “sky high”.
“But certainly domestic freight is going up and it is getting more expensive to send boxes around Australia, so roasting locally will save on freight costs,” Mr Ballard said.
Lucky for local coffee afficianados, SA has as growing list of coffee roasters across the state, some who have been roasting beans for nearly 20 years.
The Advertiser spoke to some of the best specialty roasters across the state who are helping lead a new generation of roasters.
PRESSTWOOD COFFEE, Welland
It all about family for Welland-based Presstwood Coffee Roasters.
Director Cameron Ballard, also vice president of Australian Specialty Coffee Association, says his blends are inspired by his family.
“Presstwood is a very old family name and was eventually given to my grandfather – Albert – as his middle name,” Mr Ballard says.
“Every son born from then on shares the Presstwood middle name, including myself and my two sons – Albert and Walter.
“That is why two of my blends are named Albert and Walter.”
His other two blends are named after his maternal grandparents, Jack and Sally.
Mr Ballard, who also owns Coffee World, says he roasts some single origin beans – a coffee that is sourced from a single producer, crop or region – on top of the four main blends.
He also does some custom orders.
“I am quite selective on who we sell Presstwood Coffee Roasters coffee to, as such, we only roast a few hundred kilograms a week,” Mr Ballard says.
DAWN PATROL COFFEE, Chandlers Hill
Dawn Patrol Coffee co-founder Dominic Ossa considers himself a professional coffee drinker.
In the name of work, Dominic Ossa roasts beans and then tastes his blends to work out what flavours the beans give off.
“The coffee itself dictates the flavours. However, the variety of coffee plant, and the way it was treated at farm level is where we get the flavour,” Mr Ossa says.
“We are basically roasting coffee and tasting it to get those flavours … then we build profiles, log them on the computer and follow them for consistency.
“But your body gets used to it (drinking so much coffee).”
The Chandlers Hill business was started in 2014 when Mr Ossa, and business partner Dominic Ossa, noticed a gap in the local market for a high quality, sustainable roaster.
The duo now sells beans to wholesale partners, and also offers a subscription service for weekly, fortnightly or monthly home deliveries.
“We thought subscriptions would be a good idea … now especially as more people are working from home,” Mr Ossa says.
BOSTON BEAN COFFEE CO, Port Lincoln
Boston Bean Coffee Co owner Richard Scott started his roasting journey from the comfort of his own home, using either a wok or popcorn popper.
Now, he roasts on average about 500kg a week, selling beans from his Port Lincoln cafe and to restaurants and cafes across the state.
“I always documented what I was doing when I started roasting and was hopeful that when I hit a good one I would be able to replicate it,” Mr Scott says.
“Having said that, I always used to think my coffee was better than what I could buy at the supermarket.
“But knowing what I know now … I probably wouldn’t drink what I used to roast.”
His passion stemmed from the Melbourne specialty coffee scene he “fell in love with” and wanted to replicate in Adelaide.
He believes once you turn to specialty coffee, you never go back.
“Once people realise there is a difference between run-of-the-mill commercial grade coffee and carefully roasted and sourced coffee, you don’t go back.
“It is like comparing cask wine with Barossa reds – once you have had it you stick with it.”
CIRELLI COFFEE ROASTING CO., Allenby Gardens
Cirelli Coffee Roasting Co’s Gianni Cirelli believes the perfect coffee can come in a variety of forms.
Spotting a gap in the market for coffee drinks short on time and space at home to prepare the perfect coffee, Mr Cirelli decided to make his own coffee pods, as well as offering his freshly roasted beans, to accommodate all drinkers.
“Some people are time poor and space poor so pods are nice and easy for people,” Mr Cirelli says.
“Everyone has a way they like coffee, and it usually matches up with their lifestyle.”
He recently moved his roastery from Welland to Allenby Gardens to open a cafe and meet demand for his product.
Now, he employs six staff and also has a line of chocolates.
Mr Cirelli, who draws some inspiration from traditional Italian coffee, says it is not just skill that gets you the best tasting brew.
“This is a very fast-paced place so you need to be able to multi-task and people skills.”
SUBLIME COFFEE, Plympton Park/Edwardstown
Sublime Coffee owner-operator Daniel Horrell hopes a cup of specialty coffee does not become “exclusive” to the wealthy in light of expected price hikes.
He wants the community to back local roasters that are currently taking “big hits” to their profit margins and consider forking out an extra dollar or two a week.
“I don’t want coffee to become something like it is in Paris where it is like five euro for an espresso and only rich people get it,” Mr Horrell says.
“We get everyone coming in here – whether they are on the dole or making $100,000 a year – they all still come in and buy a coffee.
“But when prices inevitably go up, like it has with petrol, … the industry changes dramatically.”
Mr Horrell was first exposed to Sublime Coffee specialty coffee while he was working in New Zealand on the King Kong film.
He asked the owner if he could bring the brand to Australia and has been operating in SA since 2016.
“I have the only roaster (machine) of its kind in the world so no one can copy me,” Mr Horrell says.
“We built the roaster out of car parts and put it together so that we were able to keep the beans off the element … whereas in the drum roster the beans rotate and hit the element.”
ELEMENTARY COFFEE, Adelaide
Elementary Coffee owner Brad Nixon saw a gap in the market for specialty coffee so he made the move home from Melbourne to Adelaide to bring the trendy skill to the CBD.
Just over five years ago, he opened Elementary Coffee Roastery and Cafe – a business committed to supporting its growers by giving them a fair price plus a bonus for high quality.
“It is always a good opportunity to come to the place you were born and bring back something you are passionate about,” Mr Nixon says.
“When I finished high school I wanted to bring something to Adelaide that I loved … I didn’t just want to do a job that was just about getting money – I wanted to enjoy what I did.
“So I returned to Adelaide to share the knowledge I had learnt … we were one of the first specialty coffee roasters in the CBD.”
He says his coffee is always sustainable, ethical and of a high grading quality.
Mr Nixon credits social media towards his success, however, learning about latest coffee trends is also an important skill.
He also plans on bringing Elementary Coffee to the suburbs, but cannot say where or when it will happen.
MAHALIA COFFEE, Robe
Mahalia Coffee is an important stop for tourists visting the Limestone Coast.
Co-founder Mahalia Layzell – the state’s first female coffee roaster – said the coffee brand had become a highlight for holiday-makers in Robe.
“Robe is the quintessential holiday destination, so it is very good for our brand to be based here,” Ms Layzell said.
“When people are on holiday they feel relaxed and like to discover new things, so we enjoy being part of their journey.”
In 1996, Ms Layzell opened a cafe called the Wild Mulberry in Robe.
The cafe was making most of its own products, right down to yeast, so three years later she decided to move into coffee roasting.
Mahalia Coffee was born in 2003, and she has not looked back since.
“Coffee is all about flavour so you need to produce a really good product – a product everyone wants to drink and enjoy,” Ms Layzell said.
“Because the quality of your product gets around through work of mouth.”
DE GROOT COFFEE, Port Elliot
Employee retention is an important part of De Groot Coffee owner Trevor De Groot’s business model.
Mr De Groot, who runs the operation with his wife Bernadette Stack, said his employees were just as important as the popular single-origin coffees he specialises in.
“We have 12 employees and it has always been about keeping them employed,” Mr De Groot said.
“Because of them we can operate seven days a week, and especially during those big tourism peaks.”
Mr De Groot had a cafe in St Morris, Espresso Royal, which he opened in 2005, while his wife started a mobile coffee business in 1996 called Cappuccino Queen.
The couple decided to move down to the south coast for their children’s high school education and Mr De Groot’s love of surfing.
“We sell a lot of retail coffee, some days up to 40kg off the shelf, and then you are making coffees most of the day.”
KINDRED COFFEE, Bowden/Smithfield
A month before Covid-19 hit Australia, Alex Loft and David Trotter made the decision to start Kindred Coffee, unaware of what it could mean for their business.
Fast forward two years, and the duo will open its first cafe in Plant 3 Bowden next month.
Its new private roastery in Smithfield is already operating.
“For David and I, we have always worked part time for other cafes, so now we will work more hands on with our product and represent ourselves and work together,” Mr Loft says.
“Plant 3 was the right opportunity at the right time – they had a Facebook post saying they wanted a cafe and we thought we were ready for it.”
Mr Loft started his coffee roasting journey in Melbourne but moved back to Adelaide to start a family because it “ticked all the boxes”.
The business owners pride themselves on producing unusual coffees that use new processing methods.
“We have some Mexican coffee that we are really excited about and some really crazy Indian coffee,” Mr Loft says.
“The Indian coffee uses a carbonic maceration, which is a wine processing method, and that is all done at the source.”
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