It is very rare that you can walk into a cafe, only to be served coffee by an Australian Barista Champion. It is also even rarer to walk up behind the door of a mobile coffee van and be served a brew by a former Australian Barista Champion and 2 x Queensland Barista Champion!

Well, that’s the Sunshine Coast for you – full of surprises.

Really, I am delighted to be sitting here on my back deck on a beautiful 28 degree Caloundra afternoon on the Sunshine Coast to write this article.

This year Caloundra will host the 2011 Golden Bean Roasters Competition and Conference, and for the first time in 6 years it will be held outside of Port Macquarie in New South Wales – a coup for us Queenslanders. It’s exciting stuff for all who will attend this year and for this beautiful location to have such a huge industry event held here for the first time.

I have been a local on the Sunshine Coast for almost 9 years, so I can vouch for the local café scene here and things to do in the region – that aren’t all about coffee as well!

Living in a regional area can certainly have its advantages. The lifestyle is amazing, with beautiful weather, beaches and surf and awesome alfresco dining. The sunshine coast really does tick all of those boxes; however, from a business point of view, it can have its great challenges as well – especially when you’re a barista and involved in specialty coffee. Sometimes your seriousness and passion for an industry can be overlooked by the laid back and casual ways of the area and its people.

In 2009, I became one of only a few people to be crowned an Australian Barista Champion. What made it more special was the fact that I was the first Queensland barista to have won the title and also, I had done this from a regional area! At the time, the locals really did struggle to understand the importance of such an achievement and what the word ‘barista’ actually meant. I remember returning from the WBC in Atlanta after placing 13th in the world, thinking, “What the heck will I do with such a title!” After 2 months of unemployment here on the coast, I was just about ready to give up and move to the city to seek greater prospects. I really am glad I didn’t, because there was so much exposure to be gained and I really didn’t want to move and take the title with me. Once I found a base for employment at the Pioneer Coffee Roastery at Yandina, the exposure and the education to the local public started to flow.

Next step was to figure out what Tim Adams actually wanted to do from a business perspective, and how I was going to personally leverage from my achievements. My year at Pioneer Coffee was a real eye opener for not only myself, but also for the local community. This experience really allowed me to promote the barista craft and to raise the profile of specialty coffee in this area as well. I began to realise that the more publicity we drew, the more awareness was raised – and the better coffee around the area became. Winning a second Queensland Barista Championship in 2010 also helped the cause.

This allowed me to take my career to the next level, to become a business owner and launch my own brand of specialty coffee. Tim Adams Specialty Coffee includes a mobile espresso bar, wholesale coffee distribution and café consultation. First and foremost, I am a barista who loves making coffee, so the decision to run a mobile espresso bar was an easy choice. My van allows me to work with all kinds of customers and clientele and to also evolve my wholesale coffee product. The weather outside here is pretty good as well. I would have to be only one of a few baristas with a sun tan!

The important thing is that if you offer your customers an outstanding product matched with brillant customer service and passion for what you do, you can achieve anywhere.

Over the past year my wholesale coffee product has changed five times. Every 3 months I change my blend, to keep things seasonal. There are so many fantastic coffees available, so why not offer your clients and customers a variety of true specialty coffee! Season 5 has just been launched and has an amazing mix of coffee, including Nicargua La Bastilla, Sulawesi Toraja (Wet Hulled) and Gautamala Finca Liquid Amber.

This style of blend can be risky at times due the consistency debate; however, the positives certainly have outweighed the negatives. Most, if not all, of Tim Adams Specialty Coffee accounts have seen their coffee sales increase since taking on the product. Seasonal blends create excitement and enthusiasm for the change of flavour and education about new coffees. From a personal level, using and educating retail coffee customers has seen my weekly coffee volume double in 12 months!

Over the last two years, the average standard of Sunshine Coast coffee has been on the rise. What has also played a part in this has been the rise of the Brisbane Specialty coffee scene as well. With some big players moving in, this has seen them start to distribute their product our way – much to the delight of the local caffeine addicts. Campos, Veneziano, Di Bella, Genovese and Wolff Coffee just to name a few, can all be found somewhere on the coast.

The Golden Bean will again do wonders for the area, with the exposure and the gathering of many coffee professionals to the area. I can only encourage all of you who visit to extend your stay for as long as you can. The area has plenty of beaches, cafés and restaurants to dine in.