BeanScene Magazine

From the beginning, Campos Coffee has been committed to upholding one simple yet often forgotten value – integrity. The company made a promise to buy, roast and serve the finest quality coffee and this has seen the brand become one of Australia’s leading premium coffee roasters, promising superior coffee and delivering every time. Its blends have become so well respected, that the Campos Superior Blend has been dubbed the “shiraz” of coffee.

This standard has seen Campos recognised through numerous awards, including The Lifestyle Channel’s Australia’s Favourite Coffee Award in 2007 and 2009; Time Out Award for Best Beans in 2008; the Crema Best Coffee in Sydney Award in 2002 and 2007 and; the Golden Bean Overall Winner in 2006.

Started by Will Young and Raf Bartkowski, Campos Coffee began in a tiny shop in the back lanes of Newtown, Sydney and had one common goal: to develop a place where customers would be guaranteed an excellent coffee experience every time they visited the store. Campos now has café/roastery facilities in Sydney and Brisbane and recently expanded into the Melbourne café scene.

Campos is a strong supporter of “direct trade,” choosing to buy its beans straight from coffee growers. In doing this, Campos eliminates middleman buyers, sellers and other commercial interest groups, allowing the company to build mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with some of the best coffee producers from around the world. Direct trade also ensures that Campos purchases only the very highest quality coffee from its growers.

The last few months have been a busy time for the company with the first Campos Coffee Melbourne store opening for business during November on Elgin Street in Carlton - the inner suburb many believe is responsible for starting Melbourne’s famous café culture, with the first espresso machine brought to one of Carlton’s cafés during the 1950s.
“It was always inevitable that we would be opening in Melbourne and the Carlton site is ideal for us,” says Campos Director, Will Young. “We did not want to open anywhere close to other specialty coffee operations as we have great respect for everything they are doing. We wanted to add to the coffee landscape and not take anything away from anyone. One major thing we have learned about the roasting community in Melbourne is the roasters are endearing – they are happy people doing what they love. We respect them so much and as such, the last thing we wanted to do was come in and set up in opposition to anyone. Carlton has a good flow of people through it, plus great parking, so we jumped on the site when we saw it,” Will says.

He said it was important that the new facility “opened with the right crew and the correct amount of preparation.” The right operator was also crucial. “Luckily, two years ago, one of our favourite baristas from Sydney approached us with his plan to move to Melbourne. This is Brian Dessaix. His brother Matt had been a barista in Newtown for two years as well, but was overseas working in specialty coffee in London. The opportunity presented itself. We had the team and we started preparing immediately for opening in Melbourne.”

The espresso bar of the new Carlton premises has been expanded to incorporate siphon coffee techniques in addition to extensive single origin offerings. Other Melbourne focused highlights include the Slayer espresso machine and Cold Drip Coffee. “We want to showcase all our coffees to the Melbourne public through this espresso bar,” says Will.

Following on from the launch into Melbourne, Campos also opened its second Sydney store, Don Campos. Located in Alexandria, this store will also be operating a Slayer espresso machine. This new store also features a siphon bar that only serves select grand cru single origin coffees.

As well as its highly successful espresso bars, Campos also manages a wholesale operation that supplies coffee to specially chosen espresso bars and cafes in New South Wales and Queensland. This has also expanded into Victoria and is now a large part of the operations within the state. 

But, launching itself into the Melbourne café scene and opening a second Sydney store isn’t all that has been keeping the company on its toes. Campos has also opened its first Cupping Room at its Newtown store. The Cupping Room was completed in mid October, playing host to a tasting of the Rwandan Cup of Excellence Samples before opening to the public on 2 November.

This unique concept provides coffee lovers with a truly sensory experience, allowing customers to experience what goes on behind the scenes in coffee buying operations all over the world.

“Our primary reason for introducing the Cupping Room in Sydney was to open our doors to customers who want to know more about the specialty coffee industry,” Will says. “Cupping is a ritual shared throughout the world that few retail customers have been exposed to. It has always been this clandestine type of thing that happens between roasters, exporters and growers. It is also one of our favourite parts

of the day. It would be a pity to not offer the same experience to our customers.”

He said that the cupping room also gave the company the opportunity to talk with its customers about the coffees being sourced. “We put a great deal of effort into sourcing the highest quality beans we can find. More often than not, these beans are exclusive to us and we do not get much of a chance to discuss just how special these coffees are. On a grander scale, we can also display the (remarkably) huge difference between specialty coffee and commodity coffee.”

Looking forward, Campos is continuing with its focus on traceability, sustainability and improving livelihoods – and according to Will, the company is excited to devote itself to each of these interconnected strategies in coffee. “We aim to have our entire Superior Blend 100% traceable by 2012, meaning we will have visited every producer of our coffee to confirm exactly who we are buying from and where the funds are going. Sustainability is the coffee being grown with the future in mind and improving livelihoods and making sure we have an impact on the livelihoods of the workers on coffee farms.”

THE CUPPING ROOM EXPERIENCE:
When we first arrive at the Campos café in Newtown, it is with a sense of anticipation, having heard the reports about the new cupping room delivering a unique and special experience.

We are greeted by Campos Director, Will Young. After addressing us briefly, he moves behind the counter, speaks to the baristas who are madly pumping out coffee for the morning rush and then converses with some of his regular clients.

We are ushered through an inconspicuous doorway at the rear of the café. Through this door is a narrow stairway that leads up to a small landing and a closed door. There are no lights on the landing, the door is lit only by the light that peers through from the downstairs café. Will knocks three times, quite deliberately, and an eye-level slot slides open. We are welcomed into a dark room. Our eyes are immediately drawn to a long, narrow table, illuminated with intense direction light.

The table is laid ready for the cupping session. There are five white cups, each with ground coffee in them; and five glasses of water, each with a spoon. As the session begins, Will’s love for and appreciation of coffee is palpable. We are introduced to each of the different beans, hot water is poured and we are invited to remove the crust, smell and taste. 

Each coffee has a unique aroma, texture and flavour. As we continue through the tasting session, our ability to identify the different flavours in each and then compare their unique qualities is further developed.

While we don’t want to give too much away, our visit to the cupping room was rich in sensory experience and definitely enhanced our appreciation for coffee. 

Sessions at the Cupping Room are held Tuesday to Saturday.

Bookings are essential. For more information, contact Campos on (02) 9690 0294.