Richard and Sue Scott of Boston Bean Coffee Co.
“WE’RE always trying to improve – but that’s like the surfer trying to find the perfect wave.”
IT can be hard to find a positive in a negative, but when Richard Scott badly injured his back in 2014 he knew instinctively it was time to follow a long-held dream.
That dream, which Richard shared with his wife, Sue, was to become a specialty coffee roaster, with a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing.
“I was a rescue paramedic in Port Lincoln. Hurting my back meant not being able to be operational,” says Richard. “I could have worked in the Adelaide head office, but that was never my scene.”
What was his scene was good coffee. And it led to the birth of Boston Bean Coffee Co., named after Boston Bay in Port Lincoln, which sits near the couple’s roastery.
“Anyone can turn green coffee beans brown,” says Richard, “but learning about the science of what brings out flavours and flavour development – they’re the nuances that are hard to learn. We’re always trying to improve – but that’s like the surfer trying to find the perfect wave.”
With help and feedback from Mark and Miriam Pearce of Cleanskin Coffee, and Melbourne master roaster Anne Cooper, the duo began making medal-winning blends.
“Specialty coffee is our passion,” says Richard. “I sample the beans I buy. They’re more expensive than low-grade beans, but you can taste the difference. And compensating growers for what their beans are worth is good for us and good for them.
“We’re educating people in the Eyre Peninsula area about coffee. People around town are now buying fresh coffee – looking for the date on the bag.
“And we’ve just bought a shed on the main road into town, which we’ll set up as a tasting cellar door, training site and bean retailer.”
Richard and Sue are also keen to expand and work with Adelaide cafés. They offer training, testing, equipment servicing, eco-friendly cups and, of course, some of SA’s best tasting coffee.
– Gordon Knight