BeanScene Magazine

As life becomes more hectic, we look for solutions to make our lives that little bit easier, even if it’s as simple as getting a morning coffee on-the-go.

As the name implies, espresso culture is one based on a fast-paced lifestyle. At Italian coffee bars, coffee is quickly shot and drunk before heading on your way. In Australia, however, the coffee shop has become a place to relax, and a stay-in coffee culture has emerged.

In an ironic twist, it would seem the fast-paced coffee culture is now re-emerging in Australia, with businesses custom designed for this coffee on-the-go lifestyle.

Muzz Buzz is one example. As Australia’s largest drive-thru coffee service, their stores are located on main roads nation-wide, ready to take the orders of motorists in a hurry.

The first Muzz Buzz outlet opened in 2005 in Belmont, Western Australia and was founded by Craig Muzzeroll. Company CEO, Steven Pynt says the idea for a drive-thru outlet came from Spokane in Washington, United States, where the drive-thru culture is entrenched. After working in a drive-thru environment in America, Craig bought the format to Australia.

“He thought it was an idea that would work well in Australia and we’ve taken this idea, changed it and modified it to suit the Australian market and it’s really taken off,” Steven says.

Muzz Buzz clientele are people on the road all day – taxi drivers, truck drivers, tradesmen, the fire brigade. They even get a visit from the odd stream roller and mobility scooter.

“Our business is all about people on the move who don’t have the time to stop,” Steven says. “Especially parents with kids on their way to work or school, and for these people, this drive-thru idea is just perfect.”

Aiming to serve customers within 45 seconds per order, Steven says the express coffee shop phenomenon has taken off because of convenience. “We sell good quality coffee and we deliver at a fast speed,” he says. “Our business is all about fun and greeting each customer with a smile on their way to work goes a long way.”

Muzz Buzz plans to expand throughout Australia’s east coast and is even looking at entering the American market, where it all started. “Australia is far ahead in the coffee scene compared to many other counties in the world,” Steven says. “We’re hoping to take our business back to the US and show them how the Australian’s do it – and teach them a thing or two about quality, speed, efficiency and fun.”

These days there is also a rapidly growing number of people getting to work on rails rather than roads. They too need their morning fix and to this end, Expresso On Time has seen the potential in the high-speed coffee market and has established coffee carts along Melbourne station platforms.

From 6am to 9.30am, many of Melbourne’s train stations are abuzz with commuters who juggle laptops, bags, phones and a take-away coffee as they rush for their morning train.

Massimo Ingrosso, owner and barista of Expresso On Time, fell into the coffee industry straight out of university, after seeing an opportunity for commuters to grab a quick coffee before they board their morning train.

“There was a need to have this type of service and we wanted to expand it to the the suburbs,” Massimo says. “It has now become part of people’s morning routine to grab a coffee.”

In 2003, Massimo approached National Express, the former Victorian rail system operator and proposed his coffee cart idea. With positive interest, he was given permission and allocated suitable destinations for his coffee carts.

Eight years on, Expresso On Time has five coffee carts located on the Balaclava, Mitcham, Narre Warren, Cheltenham and Essendon station platforms.

“I’m part of the furniture now,” Massimo says. “The platform can be a lonely place at four degrees [Celsius] in the winter. Many people hate mornings because they have to go to work, but when they order a coffee we can brighten their day and put a smile on their face.”

With a bustling crowd of commuters each morning, Massimo says Essendon station, along the Cragieburn line, is one of the best and busiest coffee cart venues because of its positioning on the platform – directly in front of train doors.

Using Espresso Vivo coffee from a Tullamarine roaster in Victoria, Massimo says the quality of the coffee he uses is as important as the service he provides his customers.

He says that many skeptics assume quickly produced coffee translates into a lack of quality. “It’s all about having a good product. If you do, then the customers keep coming back.”

Massimo is influenced by his Italian heritage and says the idea of express, take-away coffee has been introduced from the Italian coffee scene, where their mornings start with a cappuccino, followed by short blacks through the rest of the day. Massimo says he noticed the popularity of coffee carts positioned at European train stations and wanted to bring this idea to Australia.

“Perhaps Australia is now following this European trend,” he says. “More people are now going back to the grassroots of Italian-style coffee. People pick up influences from all over the world, even coffee influences.”

Unlike other indoor cafés, Massimo says the weather is a significant factor affecting his business. “The colder it is, the more coffees are sold, although that’s not a problem given it’s Melbourne after all,” he says.

Massimo notes he’s never had any intention of moving to the café scene, preferring to stand by his coffee carts and serve Melbourne’s daily commuters in what he says is an “exciting business” and a great place to develop friendships.

“The station is a great place to meet each other,” Massimo says. “Coffee is an ice-breaker and every day at platforms people form friendships.”

Currently 50 coffee carts and small kiosk operators are serving coffee across metropolitan rail networks in Victoria. There is a total of 212 stations.

Daniel Hoare, a spokesman for Metro, the operator of the Melbourne metropolitan rail service, says the number of coffee carts operating on station platforms has seen a slight increase since Metro took control of the network in 2009.

Daniel says interested parties wanting to set up a coffee cart on Melbourne’s platforms have to go through an application process that is reviewed with the help of a property management firm, followed by negotiations with successful applicants. 

“It’s all about helping provide a quality offering to our passengers,” Daniel says. “There’s nothing better than a good coffee in the morning.”

Drive-thru and metro coffee stands aren’t the only on-the-go trends taking off. A new coffee window opening up in Melbourne’s northern suburb is catering to another band of commuters on wheels: cyclists.

The Hole in The Wall Café opened in mid-2011 on the side of the landmark Dan O’Connell pub. Taking advantage of the pub’s closing hours from early morning to mid-afternoon, and its outdoor seating, Breeanna DeRosso opens up the simple serving window to serve cyclists travelling down Canning Street, in the inner city suburb of Carlton in Victoria. While drive-thru coffee has popped up around Melbourne, Beeanna is pretty confident her café is running the first cycle-thru café in the area, if not the country.

The street is blocked off to road traffic in several spots and offers a wide bicycle lane, making it a popular cycling route to get from the northern suburbs to the city.

“So many bike riders go past, we thought we would make a bit of business,” Breeanna says. So far, they’ve had a good take-up from cyclists happy to take a quick break on their way to work and there are a few who balance the coffee while riding their bikes.

“In Carlton it seems that everyone’s in a hurry,” Breeanna says. “We see people coming by, staying on their bike, grabbing a coffee and just keep moving.”

As a barista for 10 years, Breaana says she’s certainly seen an increasing trend in people wanting good coffee on-the-go. She says that baristas these days are having to increase their skills to ensure they can prepare consistent quality coffee at a fast pace. However, this fast-paced coffee culture shouldn’t take away from Melbourne’s sit-down café culture too much.

“The industry needs to cater for different people, she says. “You’ll always get people who want to sit down. It’s just that there are some people who want good coffee and just don’t have time for that.”