With a collection of chairs hanging from the ceiling and a small but cosy seating area, Brother Baba Budan has gained a reputation among Melbourne’s specialty coffee scene.
Established in 2007, the specialty coffee café, Brother Baba Budan, is the sister café of Carlton’s Seven Seeds, and was named after the monk Brother Baba Budan who smuggled seeds out of Yemen to bring coffee to the world.
Owned by Mark Dundon and Bridget Amor, the café works with the cup of excellence program.“Seven Seeds supply the café with unique coffees like the two Brazils and a colombian style coffee we have at the moment,” says Manager Mark free. He notes owners Mark and Bridget are constantly travelling around the world to find new and different coffee blends to deepen their knowledge and understanding of coffee.
“We’re trying to establish a strong link from the farm to the cup. It’s about getting involved and watching absolute quality control and knowing where the product comes from.”Situated in the heart of Melbourne’s busy corporate district, the café could be described as an art installation with a warm, appealing feeling where many customers are known by name and passers-by stop to take a second glance at the school-chair covered ceiling that stands out among the constantly crowded café, where the line often almost extends out the door.
In addition to the corporate crowd from the neighboring offices, the café also regularly attracts coffee connoisseurs who are keen to explore some unique blends like the Panama Esmeralda Geisha blend, which Mark describes as sweet and clean and a bit citrus. sold at $10 a bag, Mark says its one of the most outstanding coffees in the world.
The cafe has a clover machine that does filter style coffee and is mainly used for their single Origin beans.
The friendly staff of Brother Baba Budan are attentive and knowledgeable and pour a standout heart and leaf designed latte, with evident attention to detail. “One person said: ‘We Googled ‘best coffee in Melbourne’ and you were the café that showed up,’” Mark says. “It’s always good to get a pat on the back.”
Mark says the business is so successful because of the variety of passionate staff that work there and the range of people they interact with every day.
“That’s why I love what we do here,” Mark says. “We strive to provide a quality product and it extends above coffee, it’s about the quality we provide customers as well. It’s about producing the best product to every individual customer, every time.”
With a large, single, family-kitchen style table in the front of the café for customers to share, read a newspaper or gossip amongst friends, the menu also serves fresh pastries, muffins and cakes and customers can buy coffee bags off the shelf.
