“Mr Hunt, here is your mission … Should you decide to accept it. A great little not-for-profit called STREAT needs some help. They have no money (as usual) and they want to print and sell 3,000 copies of a cookbook. OK, it is going to be a fabulous cookbook – but they don’t actually have a [...]

This story goes back to the mid 1990s. I approached long time friend Grant Tulloch for a cartoon to promote my café, aptly called the Udder Cow, located in Comboyne, a small village surrounded by farms and Friesian cows. Tully, as he is also known, had long been sketching people in the Hunter Valley (near [...]

The International Sandwich Safari, hosted by the Australasian Sandwich Association and the UK’s leading food-to-go innovator Tom Allen, takes industry folk from Australia on a research tour to the world’s leading food-to-go markets: London and New York City.  Visiting up to 8 outlets a day, the pace is set and your belly best be empty. [...]

Drive around Sydney or Melbourne these days, and you’ll find a Pie Face on almost every corner. Inside the stores you’ll find fresh pies baked on the premises, with a funny little face on top of each one to denote the flavour. And, contrary to popular belief, Pie Face isn’t just a pie shop. They [...]

Many café owners’ attitudes towards refurbishment is that it will provide a “quick fix” for the business. Take King Street, Newtown, as an example; there is a constant stream of new owners taking on existing failed café sites in the quest to enter the café market. Often they have no background in food service and basically [...]

280 Australians are diagnosed with Diabetes every day, with over 1,000,000 Australians already diagnosed to date. With the growth rate of this disease, it is estimated 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 Diabetes by 2031. In 2009, Natvia co-founder Samuel Tew began his journey to incite a worldwide health revolution to change the way [...]

Changing people’s perception of coffee presentation has been very one dimensional, based around traditional espresso machines over the last 10 years. During the Golden Bean Competition late last year, Global Coffee Solutions ran a test on a room full of coffee professionals, who all had very refined coffee tasting palates. The team put award winning [...]

Over the years, Italy has progressed in the manufacture of high quality espresso machines, keeping in line with the demands of the consumers and baristas. These days, the industry has accepted as “the norm” to run baristas through training courses which literally teach them to bang the “puck” out of the machine. Well, the Italians [...]

I had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to visit The Singapore Coffee Associations Café Asia and International Coffee & Tea Expo. The event took place on the14 of March 201 at Marina Bay Sands and also hosted the Singapore Coffee Association’s National Barista/Latte Art competitions. This year was also a first for the [...]

So what’s this Q Grader thing all about anyway?   There was no more popular question posed to me when I had the privilege of hosting a Q Grader preparation workshop at the Golden Bean Coffee Roaster Competition and Conference on the Sunshine Coast last October. Once and for all, let’s answer some important questions [...]

Until now, coffee products in cans and bottles have been made without taking into consideration the evolving sophistication of consumers’ palates. Having realised this, we set out to develop a coffee in a can product using real coffee, and so Espresso Kick+ was born. One of the key things I noticed was that a majority [...]

I often get asked about what a specialty beverage actually is? Well, specialty beverages are drinks that offer the consumer new taste sensations through creative combinations of flavours and textures. With the consumer of today being significantly more sophisticated and aware due to social media, access to travel and the inspirations of shows like MasterChef and [...]

Teaching anyone how to be a trainer in two hours was clearly a daunting task – with no time for an explanation of WHY training is important. Recently, I was asked to do a presentation on Training Strategies to a group of certified barista trainers at a Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) meeting in [...]

The second edition of the Brazil Late Harvest Cup of Excellence (COE) competition is one of great importance, due to the fact that it is the first competition that revolves only around natural processed coffees. The 2013 competition was held in Varginha in the state of Minas Gerais, a small city that lives and breathes [...]

My Coffee My Barista It was another exciting opportunity to visit India just before Christmas, to fulfil my role as a coffee tour guide for the Equal My coffee My Barista Competition (MCMB). Equal had offered a trip to coffee origin for the winner of this popular competition. MCMB created great interest, and thousands of [...]

Anyone travelling to Indonesia, Jakarta, should be sure to travel to the quaint city of Bandung, which is only 2 hours’ drive from Jakarta. It’s a city that offers a respite from the hustle and bustle and heavy pollution of the capital. Situated at 800 m above sea level, the climate is pleasantly warm, but [...]

Sustainable Convenience: Is there a way that we can continue to enjoy the wonderful benefits of our modern lifestyles whilst at the same time responsibly managing the resources that make our lives so comfortable and convenient? In order to get everyone their daily caffeine fix, the coffee industry is responsible for producing large amounts of [...]

Yes, you may be asking, “What’s this cartoon front cover all about?” Well, the story goes back about fifteen years, when I owned a cow themed café on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. The theme was black and white Friesian cows. We needed a logo to go with the business name, “The [...]

Café food has gone far beyond the simple, uninspired breakfasts of old. In the modern café, providing customers with the choice of quality house made or locally produced products that have a real tangible origin is an essential ingredient. People are abandoning restaurants in droves for the more wallet friendly food that is created in [...]

For quite some time now, Sydneysiders have been able to satisfy their sweet tooth with treats from Adriano’s Sydney stores – his two patisseries in Balmain and Manly, The Star at Pyrmont, and Café Rozelle. When deciding on the best location for his latest retail venture, pâtissier Adriano Zumbo decided it was time he reached [...]

Ingredients • 1 Ingham Smoked Redgum Turkey Double Breast • 10 beetroots (medium size) • 125 ml extra virgin olive oil • 80 ml maple syrup • 20 ml sherry vinegar • ½ tbsp tarragon • Salt & pepper to taste Method Wrap beetroot individually in aluminium foil and bake in the oven until soft in [...]

Ingredients • 1 Ingham Oven Roasted Supreme • 1½ loaves sourdough bread (sliced) Roasted Tomatoes: • 5 Roma tomatoes (cut in half) • ½ tbsp thyme • 10 ml olive oil • Salt to taste • 20 g sugar Basil Pesto: • 2 tbsp basil • 120 g pine nuts • 300 g Parmesan cheese [...]

Recipe by: Rare medium: The Chef’s journal of Australian beef, lamb & goat is available FREE from [email protected] MAKES 4 PORTIONS Beef • 1 kg good quality skirt steak • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon olive oil • ¼ teaspoon paprika • ½ teaspoon ground cumin • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano • 1 teaspoon [...]

Join the red meat revolution! Introducing The Skirt Its coarse grain means the skirt is perfect for marinating. The meat fibres are very porous, yet firm enough to ensure the meat won’t collapse while marinating and during subsequent cooking. In the last issue of Café Culture magazine, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) started a red meat [...]

Beer and food is a great match, but with the popularity of cool refreshing lagers in our part of the world, beer has been most commonly associated with casual eating and pre-dinner drinking. But … beer is a versatile drink. With the almost endless variety of beers available today, it’s possible to find a beer [...]

More than 8000 individually numbered tampers have gone out worldwide as ‘Pullman’ tampers. In 2002 Greg Pullman discovered his shiny new coffee machine’s built-in tamper was far too small. Learning that no retro-fit was available, he made one himself, and as an afterthought dropped a quick email to the supplier advising he’d machined up a [...]

It was at the Golden Bean 2011 when I was first approached about assisting with the first large scale installation for Proaster in Australia. Justin Metcalf was moving ahead with a new coffee roasting business venture with partners, as part of the company AESP. The roaster and plant setup was integral to the business getting [...]

‘dc’ are great supporters of Rainforest Alliance and are dedicated to helping give back to the industry in which they operate. Café Culture recently had the pleasure of attending yet another important industry event at the “dc” Laundry, Ducale Coffee’s newest coffee space in Kings Cross in Sydney. The night was part of creating awareness [...]

Have you ever wondered where coffee standards come from?  Who deems an espresso should be extracted in a certain time, be a certain size? What pressure and temperature should be applied? That a cappuccino should be made like this and a latte like that? If you look at Italian coffee history, where the concept of [...]

There are several strong trends running through specialty coffee in 2012. First and foremost is the continual upgrade by café owners in terms of coffee quality, choice of equipment and acknowledgement of the importance of employing skilled baristas. The specialty coffee café is often characterised by the Melbourne design aesthetic (a mix of industrial, retro [...]

I remember being confused about the coffee that was put in front of me on the cupping table: sweet but with almost a bittersweet salt caramel taste, some woodiness, a huge rich body and a delicate lemony acidity, the combination and intensities of which were unlike anything I had tried before.  What was this stuff? [...]

Nui is a dedicated Australian fair trade company focusing on the production of certified organic and wild harvest products from the South Pacific. We are partnering with local producers to bring Vanuatu and her 83 islands, 100 Kustoms and 1,000 voices to the Australian and international marketplace. Tanna Island Coffee is just one of those [...]

I recently had the good fortune of attending the adventure that was the Gloria Jean’s Abundance Global Convention 2012. The convention took place in India, and I was invited as a judge for their Global Barista Championships. Held from the 12th to the 18th of October, it was a week of my life that I [...]

Competition in the Australian coffee market has evolved at an unprecedented rate and on the surface, it appears that café owners are the ultimate benefactors, with coffee companies offering an array of discounts and promotions to secure their share of the marketplace. However, upon scratching the surface, the question arises, “Are cafés really getting such [...]

What a great last few months in the café world. Firstly, I had the opportunity to get involved in barista judging for some of our best-known coffee franchises. I had a great day reporting on the annual Gloria Jean’s National Barista Final in Sydney. The competition was very well run, and it was great to [...]

In continuing support and in line with their commitment to sustainable coffee and social conscience ‘dc’ in conjunction with Cofi Com and Rainforest Alliance will host an industry event at the ‘dc’ Laundry aimed at creating awareness and promoting the great work of Rainforest Alliance and it’s ‘Follow the Frog Week’ initiative. ‘dc’ are great supporters [...]

Technology has hit the café market in a big way… we’ve had more development in the last 2 years than the previous 10 years. With so much choice, it has become quite confusing for café owners who are not so tech savvy. Many smart operators have embraced newly available technology: state of the art POS [...]

Coopers Brewery have just been handed the mantle of the largest Australian owned brewery in the country. Café Culture caught up with Glen Cooper, Director of Marketing at Coopers, to find out his views on the current state of the liquor market and to give us an insight into what the future holds. How have [...]

marketing manager: mpm marketing In tougher times, customers tend to focus on price and less on quality. However, there is a difference between purchasing something that is cheap and something that is good value. In essence, food packaging is the medium used by businesses to get their products to customers. It provides portion control and [...]

Mimmo Lubrano, the chief of Sandhurst Foods, comments on the changing trends in foodservice over 22 years in business. The closing of many “fine dining outlets” across Australia is a worrying sign that food spending has changed. The costs of maintaining these restaurants is prohibitive, and Australia has one of the highest prices of restaurant [...]

Over twenty years I’ve seen lots of improvement and plenty of fine tuning, as everyone looks for one-percenters to improve their coffee quality. We better understand the equipment we use and while the fundamentals are the same, we’ve adapted equipment to provide better quality coffee more consistently. I started in the coffee industry part-time when [...]

I’m going to pass on the benefit of a lifetime of drinking tea and what seems as long studying tea, tasting tea, and developing tea for a variety of end uses. Specifically, my time as tea taster, buyer, and R& D officer for Bushells is worth reflecting about. And I’ll give a wide berth to [...]

From the moment he knew that he’d be representing Australia in the World Barista Championship of 2012, Craig Simon literally did not rest – going into non-stop preparation mode for the huge task ahead. Having just over a month to prepare left little time for anything else. Let’s have a look at the chain of [...]

The Australian sandwich industry: one of those things you might not consciously think about too often, but an industry which employs hundreds-of-thousands of people, which turns-over billions of dollars annually, and which we all constantly engage with in one form or another as a consumer, business owner and/or foodservice professional. With 26 sandwiches sold every [...]

Herb and Garlic Turkey Breast Schnitzel with Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salsa Ingredients • 4 Ingham Herb and Garlic  Turkey Breast Schnitzels • 2 fresh cobs of corn • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 20 g butter • 1 – 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning • 250 g cherry tomatoes quartered • 1 avocado, peeled, diced [...]

Ingredients • 4 Ingham Turkey Breast Steaks • 2 zucchinis • 4 finger eggplants • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced • 100 g Swiss Brown mushrooms, trimmed, sliced • 250 g punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half • 1/2 cup small black olives • 2 lemons, thinly sliced • 1/4 cup olive oil • 1/4 cup flat [...]

Pulled Brisket Sandwich with Fresh Horseradish Sauce & Watercress Recipe by DAVID RAYNER Thomas Corner Eatery, Noosaville, QLD MAKES 4 PORTIONS: $3.30 per portion  Ingredients• 3 kg marbled point end brisket, deckle off, fat left on • 8 slices best quality grain sourdough • Unsalted butter • Fresh horseradish sauce (see below) • 1 bunch [...]

Lance Witham was one of the first Coffee roasters Café Culture met in the early days in the coffee Industry. It was exciting to meet the Witham family, as they actually knew about coffee, being involved as coffee farmers and as green bean brokers. It was very educational at the start of a career in [...]

Earlier this year, I went on a discovery mission to South America to learn more about cocoa. My travels took me to the tropical mountainous coast of Venezuela and to the lush cocoa farms of central Colombia. The trip was a real eye opener. So little is known about the origins of a product that [...]

One doesn’t have to look far within the Australian coffee scene to see coffee shop roasting in house. It certainly is a growing trend, as coffee shops look for ways to remain competitive in a market that is attracting a lot of new entrants. Like most things in business, the pros and cons of such [...]