In 2004, hospitality veteran Markus Hofer took over Byron Fresh, a café located just 50 metres from the beach in Byron Bay.
Byron Fresh first appeared on Markus’s radar while scouting locations for a previous employer.
“I earmarked this café as being in the best possible location in Byron Bay from a hospitality perspective,” he says.
“It’s in the established end of town, has good [street] exposure – facing northeast and northwest, good parking and visibility.
“After I left [my job], they gave me a call and told it was up for sale, so I snapped it up.”
Markus chose Campos Coffee as his roasting partner, a relationship he formed while operating his previous café in Sydney.
“Initially, [Byron] Fresh had a different coffee supplier, but I felt that Campos’s quality and brand following was something that would be useful up here,” he says.
“From what I’ve experienced in my lifetime of hospitality, [Campos Coffee CEO Will Young and Queensland Director John Ronchi] are the kind of partners you want to have.”
Byron Fresh uses Campos Coffee’s Superior Blend for its espresso, and rotates single origins as they become available. Campos has supplied the café with equipment including a La Marzocco espresso machine, grinder, and automatic tampers.
Byron Fresh serves handmade pastries, made in-house to keep them fresh and exclusive.
“Our bakery is fairly unique and pretty special because it is all done by our own French pastry chef,” Markus says.
Byron Fresh’s menu ranges from fresh burgers to health-oriented items such as the quinoa and zucchini hotcakes.
“We go out of our way to buy as local and organic as we can,” he says. “We certainly try to stay true to what our name suggests.”
Markus says to stay relevant, cafés and baristas must be constantly adapting, staying on top of trends, and improving.
“One of the reasons I like Campos is the ongoing barista training they provide to us,” he says.
“This Friday we arranged for six of our baristas to travel to Brisbane to spend the day with Campos. We do that every three months or so to sharpen their skills and knowledge and make sure we produce a product that Campos is all about.”
Byron Fresh
7 Jonson St, Byron Bay New South Wales 2481
Open Monday to Sunday 7:30 am to 11pm
(02) 6685 7810
