At just 15 years old, brothers Chris and George Xanthis began their careers in hospitality working at their father’s Greek cake shop in Yarraville. Raised amid the hustle and bustle of the busy café, they fell in love with the industry and later embarked on their own business venture.
“My father opened the shop when we were in high school, so we started working there at weekends. The cakes were very popular and we soon started wholesaling them to Coles and Safeway. It all took off from there, but George and I started baking our own goods and went on to open Alfa Bakehouse,” says Chris.
The brothers wanted to provide a friendly, welcoming, and vibrant space for the Yarraville community: an opportunity for locals to step back from their busy lives and take refuge in the simple joy of catching up with family and friends.
“We love interacting with people. We get so much happiness from our customers coming into the café to enjoy a 10-minute chat and a good cup of coffee,” says Chris.
Alfa Bakehouse is surrounded by a canopy of Golden Elm trees where, on warm days, customers can enjoy their coffee and bakery spoils in the sun.
“We’ve got a beautiful alfresco area next to the train station. It’s the perfect spot for people to meet and soak up the good weather,” he says.
“We’ve always been very community focused and have aimed to be part of people’s everyday lives. I think we have achieved this by keeping our food and coffee modest but tasty.”
Chris says although the food menu of brunch plates and pastries is a draw, it’s the coffee that’s become the real crowd-puller. After recently switching to Lavazza’s Retreat blend, which is part of the brand’s new Mosaic line, he says customer feedback has been great.
“We serve Retreat across both our stores and find it goes well both with and without milk. It’s got dark chocolate, walnut, and toffee notes, which make it very smooth and creamy,” he says.
“Our pastries complement the coffee, as do the brunch dishes. The eggs benedict, chilli scrambled eggs, and apple pie pancakes are always popular. The toffee and biscuit crumb sprinkled on top of the pancakes really brings out the chocolatey tones of the new blend.”
After more than 25 years in the business, Chris and George are planning their next moves and waiting for the right opportunity to further expand Alfa Bakehouse.
“We are ready to grow and are just waiting for the right opportunity. We would like to have more Alfa’s around town. We have never been more seamless in our operations and know exactly what we are doing. That’s why we feel like we can open a new store without tripping over our feet,” says Chris.
Alfa Bakehouse
42 Anderson Street, Yarraville, Melbourne, Victoria, 3013
Open Monday to Friday 6am to 4pm, Saturday to Sunday 7am to 4pm
For more information, click here.
This article appears in the October/November 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
