When Claire Fischer and her partner Ian Russell first opened Gertrude Organic, an all-organic produce market, in Fitzroy 14 years ago, the organic food business had a markedly different landscape.

"The industry had a bit of a poor reputation - because you were buying such a premium product you had to hang on to it longer, so people thought of it as spotty apples, soft carrots and things," says Fischer. "At that point the only other organic store was the Green Grocer in North Fitzroy. Now, particularly in the inner-north, there are more organic shops per head of population than anywhere in Australia."

But back at the turn of the 21st century, people were far less health conscious and there was less education about produce and farming practices.

"And climate change wasn't on the agenda at all," Fischer says.

Fischer and Russell's store thrived nonetheless in Fitzroy, before they moved to the more family-oriented Fairfield in 2004. They opened a small cafe in-store back then and earlier this year revamped the space with an expanded cafe as a feature of the business, that is now also co-owned by Courtney Hargreaves.

As well as a menu produced using locally sourced organic ingredients, all of which you can usually find on the store's shelves, Fischer says introducing good coffee enhanced the cafe side of the business.

"Once we decided to concentrate on incredibly good coffee - we use Small Batch from North Melbourne's Auction Rooms - it made a big difference and really brought people in," she says. 

Chef Frank Sculli, formerly of Stovetop in Carlton and Northcote's Red Door, has created a seasonal breakfast and lunch menu - although it's breakfast that's the busiest time of the day here.

From 7.30am (8am at weekends), the healthiest breakfast menu in the area includes Baker d'Chirico toast with a choice of house-made jams and spreads ($7), house-made grain and seed muesli with a choice of milk (almond and rice are more popular at Harvest than cow's milk) and fresh fruit ($13) and quinoa and sago porridge, served with agave, toasted almonds and coconut flakes ($9.50). Hot brekkies on the current winter menu include eggs on toast ($9.50) or baked eggs with sourdough, maple beans and chorizo ($16.50), garlic and thyme roasted cauliflower on sprouted bread with tasty cheese and caramel balsamic onions ($17), for those not afraid of morning garlic breath. As well, there are the cafe's two most popular breakfast dishes, the hearty mushroom ragu with kale and poached eggs on some dark rye bread ($18) and the buckwheat pancakes with cinnamon mascarpone or cashew cream, fruit compote and maple syrup ($16.50).

The Harvest cafe is probably also the most accommodating kitchen around in terms of dietary requirements: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan - nothing fazes them here. "When it comes to coffee and cakes in particular, lots of our customers go for rice milk or almond milk lattes and our vegan caramel slice," says Fischer.

But don't worry - it's not mandatory. Although Fischer promises the caramel slice is genuinely delicious. And she's not even a vegan.