Peter Giannitsios says coffee wasn’t his main focus when he opened Canberra’s BrewBar in 2007. But 11 years later, a second venue, and an investment in state-of-the-art coffee equipment has changed that.
“We’re evolving every day and constantly growing. There’s always something better around the corner and we’re always looking for it,” Peter says.
The family business on Anketell Street in Canberra has benefitted from its proximity to a shopping centre, where customers on the go come for a light lunch and specialty coffee, something other cafes at the time of opening didn’t serve.
It uses Veneziano Coffee Roaster’s Bella blend, which Peter has served from day one.
“It’s the best tasting coffee according to the clientele and they are our focus group,” Peter says.
The Bella blend is used for milk-based and black coffees. Peter says it has a “mellow, balanced style with notes of strawberry, nectarine, and blackberry”.
Peter’s investment in coffee technology has left his business with an impressive repertoire: a La Marzocco Linea PB, Ubermilk machines, Puqpress automatic tampers and Mythos grinders. BrewBar even hosted a Man Vs Machine event in July to celebrate the craft of baristas and the advance of automation.
“The Ubermilk machines have made life more efficient and less stressful for staff. They can actually interact with customers more and it’s been great for their wellbeing and the overall feel of the business,” Peter says.
The success of BrewBar Anketell Street resulted in the opening of Peter’s Reed Street venue three years later. The close proximity of the two venues has worked in BrewBar’s favour.
“Our Reed Street store is only open during the week, but we’ve attracted customers to the Anketell Street café on a weekend as a result. We get people who say: ‘we’re going to come down on the weekend’ quite often,” Peter says. “The Reed Street store is in the heart of the public servant sector in Canberra so there’s a lot of customer traffic through that area we don’t get at Anketell.”
While a third store isn’t out of the question, Peter wants to focus on the two venues for now and has just undertaken a renovation of BrewBar to keep the café evolving and appealing to Canberra’s thriving specialty coffee scene.
BrewBar
Shop 9a Anketell Street,
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2900
Open Monday to Friday 7am – 4pm, Saturday 8am – 3:30pm, Sunday 8:30am – 3:30pm
(02) 6293 3338