Innehållsförteckning för June 2020 från BeanScene

According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO) April 2020 Coffee Market Report, concerns over supply chain disruptions are being weighed against uncertainty over future demand in the unprecedented situation of COVID-19. Because of this, the ICO composite indicator only decreased by 0.1 per cent to 108.91 US cents per pound in April. After reaching a high of 113.86 US cents per pound on 15 April, the daily indicator price declined over the next two weeks and reached a low of 103.63 US cents per pound on 27 April. Global exports fell by 3.7 per cent to 11.06 million bags in March 2020 and shipments in the first six months of coffee year 2019/20 decreased by 3.9 per cent to 61.96 million bags. In coffee year 2019/20, the ICO’s estimate of…

The Federal and State Governments have released a range of support programs for small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. However, with much uncertainty about the future and so many initiatives in place, small businesses may be left confused and with unanswered questions. BeanScene speaks to Parikshit Kikla, Founder of 360 Accounting Services; Nadi Elias, CEO of Equus Partners; and Dan Levitus, Senior Partner of Vision Brokers and Advisors; for clarity on the situation. Parikshit (P) and Nadi (N) have years of experience helping cafés keep track of their finances, while Dan (D) specialises in the hospitality retail market. Can I apply for JobKeeper if my turnover hasn’t fallen by 30 per cent yet, but I believe it will soon? P: If you believe your turnover will fall in future,…

Tasting coffee can be intimidating to people new to the industry, especially if what they taste is different to what someone more experienced is describing. This can cause problems if the barista, café owner, and roaster are not aligned on what to expect from a coffee. Realising this, Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters looked into what it could do to simplify the process. Head of Coffee Nich Rae says while flavour is subjective, most people can agree on its intensity. “If I say I’m tasting florals and strawberries, but you taste chocolate and apples, we can’t say the other is wrong. What we can agree on is whether the intensity of acidity and flavour is high or low, and that goes for finish and mouthfeel as well,” Nich says. “In the coffee…

There’s an obvious sign when it’s time to take the next step in growing a business. It could be high volume of sales or the need to employ more staff. For Anthony Preston of Three Pence Roasters, however, it was when his wife took one look at the family garage filled with palates of green beans and said, “enough is enough”. Anthony started his journey in the coffee industry around 15 years ago with school friend and now business partner Mark Gentle. They opened their first café called Miami Ice, “back in the day when Italian imported coffee was King”, and years before the specialty coffee industry as we know it took off. At the height of their café success, the boys owned and operated eight cafés at any one time with…

BARISTA TECHNOLOGY AUSTRALIA Barista Technology Australia is still dedicated to providing the local market with access to the best and most innovative equipment from around the world. The Puqpress automatic tamper is beloved for the consistency it brings to busy coffee shops. Four new models of the Puqpress are expected to hit our shores this winter. This includes three under-the-grinder tampers to suit the Mahlkönig E65S and E65GBW, E80, and Fiorenzato F64 and F83 models. Barista Technology will also be introducing a new, entry-level Puqpress model in multiple colours for low volume cafés, and even home use. But consistency doesn’t end at the tamp. The Perfect Moose milk steamer is seeing solid interest in the market, with McCafé trialling them in more than 50 stores. It provides improvements in workflow…

La Marzocco in Scarperia, Florence has once again been named a “Great Place to Work” in Italy, achieving the 19th position on Great Place to Work’s 2020 list. Great Place to Work is an international brand dedicated to the examination of workplace culture and management support in creating an environment where employees define their workplace as empowering and remarkable. On 23 April, the organisation hosted a virtual event ceremony on Facebook to announce Italy’s top 60 companies. La Marzocco says the recognition by Great Place To Work acknowledges it as an excellent work environment that creates a positive impact on the residing territory and in the industry. Today, the Florentine manufacturer “continues to cultivate and sustain a workplace culture where people feel safe, encouraged, and equipped to explore and develop…

ALTERNATIVE DAIRY CO BARISTA MILKS The Alternative Dairy Co Barista Milks are made locally, prioritising Australian grown ingredients for perfect performance and taste in espresso-based coffees. The team worked closely with baristas, café owners, and non-dairy milk consumers to create this popular range of plant-based milks that are quickly becoming a barista’s best friend. Expanding on its soy and almond milk range, The Alternative Dairy Co’s Barista Oat Milk is made using only Australian grown oats to create a creamy blend that will appeal to plant milk devotees and dairy fans alike. Oat milk is the closest tasting alternative to dairy milk. Its naturally sweet and creamy flavour has driven unprecedented global demand with category sales up by 425 per cent in the past 18 months. For more information, visit…

There’s something special about cupping a freshly brewed coffee in the origin of where it’s produced. It could be the sound of Spanish words echoing in the room, the squawk of a toucan in the nearby tree, famers looking on, or the unique slurping sounds of international judges who collectively make the Cup of Excellence (COE) competition one of the most revered in the world. This year, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, lockdowns, and bans on international travel, COE international jurors are prohibited from cupping some of the world’s finest coffees in the countries they were created. Instead, they’ll be doing so from a distance. “This year will be unlike any other,” says Campos Coffee Founder and CEO Will Young. “I, like many experienced and new COE judges, will not…

While COVID-19 has been less widespread at origin than in consuming countries at this stage, producers are feeling the blowback. Peter Kettler, Senior Coffee Manager at Fairtrade International, tells BeanScene coffee farmers have felt disruptions on multiple levels. “It really all depends on how regional and national governments have responded. Colombia, for example, has limited internal travel, which has affected the movement of temporary labour for harvest,” Peter says. “It also depends on where the country is in its harvest schedule. Fortunately, a lot of production has gone on as normal. Ethiopia is pretty much finished with its harvest, so all the coffee is either at port or already exported… But we’re starting to see bottlenecks in the transport of coffee from milling sites to export facilities, which have limited capacity.”…

HOBBY LANE 4/43 Blackwood Street, Mitchelton, Queensland, 4053 Open seven days 6:30am to 12pm (07) 3355 7990 When chef Peter Shaw took over a delicatessen in Michelton, Queensland in 2010, he envisioned turning it into a destination where he and others can practise their passion for food and hospitality. Thus, Hobby Lane was born. “I always wanted the café to be a success for all. Our goal isn’t just money, it’s the popularity of the café, enjoyment of our customers, and happiness of our staff,” Peter says. “It’s a really nice place to work, with a good dose of humour and people have stayed a long time with me due to that. I’m proud that it’s a place where people want to work and customers want to come.” Over time,…

Niguse Gemeda Mude has won the first Cup of Excellence (COE) Ethiopia with his Sidama sun-dried natural coffee, which scored 91.04 in the competition. This was one of three coffees to score more than 90 points in the competition, each receiving the Presidential Award. Rumudamo Coffee Industry Trade scored 90.89 and RumuDamo scored 90.25 with their 74110 varietal washed coffees, both from Sidamo. COE organisers, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, with USAID’s Feed the Future Ethiopia Value Chain Activity, announced the top 28 winning coffees from the competition. They will be sold in an online auction on 25 June. “It’s exciting to know my coffee has made it this far. Becoming number one was what I was aiming for. I am very happy to promote…

The world has been brought to its knees. In just a few short months, the coronavirus spread across continents, shutting down countries, economies, and businesses in its wake. Australia has fared better than other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with confirmed cases and deaths well below those of the United States, Italy, Iran, and China. Stage three restrictions introduced at the end of March left people with few reasons to leave their homes, and mandated that cafés and restaurants function as takeaway and delivery only. These restrictions were necessary to flatten the curve and have since been loosened, but they were not without casualties. Once busy streets were barren. City cafés that used to flood with workers every morning sat empty at the bottom of office buildings. Many were forced to close…

Australia is considered a leader in the global coffee industry. That high regard is brought to the fore every year in the Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA). In 2020, the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) awards program received 800 entries from 172 roasters across 15 countries. Kirsten Stubbings, Manager of the AICA, tells BeanScene there was an overall quality improvement in coffees submitted in the competition this year. “[Head Judge Melissa Caia] was impressed with what Australian and international roasters on the whole are producing, which was reflected in the results,” Kirsten says. “It’s also reflected in how happy our exhibitors are with the results, because it feels as though they’ve received accurate feedback.” Using the RASV scoring system, any coffee awarded 44 to 48 points received a bronze medal,…

Winston Churchill is quoted as having once said “success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. Certainly, it is hard to maintain enthusiasm when things don’t go your way – take the industry’s current impact of the coronavirus for example, which has forced businesses to close – some temporary, others not – and reduce staff. However, it is important to learn from these lessons so that, hopefully, we can move onto success and leave COVID-19 as all but a distant memory. But what does success look like? At the height of mine I was a part-owner in a coffee-roasting business that supplied about 350 in-house stores. The business was making a lot more than it was spending. Then, one of my business partners had a serious heart attack and was clinically dead for…

Too many times, a barista will brew an excellent espresso and repeat the recipe to the exact same specifications only to end up with a different result. This drove Michael Cameron mad. During an online conversation in 2016 with Prof. Christopher Hendon of the University of Oregon, author of Water for Coffee and various coffee-related works, Michael – at the time a Café Manager at Frisky Goat Espresso in Queensland – expressed his frustration and asked how he could make better espresso more consistently. Christopher said he could start by reducing his line pressure from nine bar to six bar. “I dropped the pressure and it was amazing coffee. I talked to Chris about it a few days later, and he suggested we write a paper,” Michael says. “It started…

For more information, visit www.beanscenemag.com.au VERONICA WEST Since moving to Sydney last July, I’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to finding my favourite coffee spot. I grew up, lived, and worked in my own business in Coffs Harbour and good coffee there was tricky to find, until Supply Coffee opened its doors in 2015. They were definitely my go-to coffee shop and I have ordered some of their excellent beans online since moving away. I love a rich-aroma coffee. When the mood takes me, I love the experience of drinking a smooth espresso at the bar of a café but my heart lies with the flat white, like many Australians. Last year, I completed my barista training and I’m studying hospitality, so coffee will continue to be a big part…