Image credit: Rob Burnett Images
History runs deep in the Tsakirellis family. Aroma’s café owners Mary and George Tsakirellis have been fueling Launceston coffee lovers for the past 13 years in the same building Mary’s father owned since she was 12 years old.
“Originally this building was a newsagency-takeaway shop, and now the space has expanded into a 90-seat café,” says Mary.
Located in the town’s main shopping strip, opposite a general hospital and hotel, Mary says people from all walks of life come to the café to sample their coffee and homemade delights.
“If you look after your customers well, they look after you,” she says. “We have a strong following after 13 years, so we must be doing something right.”
Aroma’s Café uses Lavazza’s 100 per cent Arabica Pienaroma blend, which Mary says is “mellow and smooth”.
“This blend appeals to people across the board. We discovered it at a Melbourne café one weekend and we haven’t looked back since,” Mary says.
Known as the ‘cycling café’ to locals, Aroma’s Café turns into a cyclist haven on the weekends when riders stop past for their morning coffee boost after a hard training session. “Clearly they love our coffee too, they wouldn’t stop if they didn’t think it was good,” Mary says.
When George isn’t riding himself, Mary says the so-called “coffee connoisseur” can be found behind the café’s two two-group Wega machines and chatting to customers.
“If you work in a café you have to be people-friendly and that’s exactly what we are,” says Mary. “In summer our coffee sales used to drop, now our summer sales stay the same, if not rises. It just goes to show there’s lots more people drinking coffee and it’s a growing industry we love being a part of.”
Aroma’s Café makes 90 per cent of their products onsite, with a wide range of pasties, cakes and bread available for morning tea, brunch or lunch – including their popular pancakes and caramel slice. A crowd favourite is Lavazza’s Sorbetto Crema Espresso, served with a piccolo wafer.