Features

Jody Leslie

Toby’s Estate appoints Jody Leslie as General Manager

Toby’s Estate General Manager Jody Leslie on her career in food service, diving head-first into specialty coffee, and preparing for long-term growth. In her short time as General Manager of Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters, Jody Leslie has already seen how the Australian coffee scene differs to the rest of the world. “Compared to the United States for instance, Australia has a larger focus on specialty coffee,” Jody tells BeanScene. “If I had a theory as to why, it would be around the age of our coffee industry. It matured around the same time as the rise of specialty coffee [globally].
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Energy Bar

Energy Bar provides power on the go

MICE2019 Product Innovation Award winner Energy Bar allows cafés and mobile sites to operate demanding equipment without access to a large power supply. The World Surf League tours Australia every year, bringing the world’s best surfers to the country for a chance to brave the waves and claim a championship title. Under-the-counter espresso machine manufacturer BrewBar saw an opportunity to showcase its units at surf events, but hit a roadblock when the league moved to follow the waves. 
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Protecting Australian coffee’s borders

Australian Subtropical Coffee Association’s Rebecca Zentveld on how to keep Australia’s coffee growing industry pest and disease free. Thanks to Australia’s geographical isolation, it is the only coffee-producing nation in the world that is free of coffee leaf rust and the coffee berry borer pest.
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ASCA judging

ASCA says ‘You be the judge’

With Australia’s coffee credentials established on the global stage, ASCA is committed to growing the community’s knowledge behind the scenes. Australia has a great reputation on the world stage when it comes to coffee excellence. Our National Champions frequent the top 10 in the world, our entrepreneurs are introducing Australian coffee to international markets (think Bluestone Lane), and Melbourne is often hailed as one of the ‘coffee capitals’ of the globe.
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Meadow Fresh New Zealand Barista Championship

NZ Coffee Championships get bigger and better

One big weekend in May saw the NZSCA crown new Cup Tasters and Latte Art Champions in maxed-out competitions. It felt like only five minutes ago the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association hosted the Meadow Fresh NZ Barista Championship, and it was already time to start the next leg of the competition season. First up was the NZ Cup Tasters Championship on 3 May. Ozone Coffee Roasters in Auckland hosted a full field of 32 coffee cuppers, all aiming to accurately and quickly slurp their way through the tasty coffee. 
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Alternative Dairy Co

Alternative Dairy Co partners with St Ali Coffee Roasters

Following a successful launch in 2018, Alternative Dairy Co has received the backing of a Melbourne coffee institution and a former Australian Latte Art Champion. St Ali is a prominent name in the Australian coffee community.  Inside the roaster’s South Melbourne store, every detail is considered: the music, lighting, flower arrangements, even the staff attire with baristas sporting ‘feels good’ branded socks. Image is everything to St Ali, but so is taste and quality, including with its alternative milks.
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jade jennings

Jade Jenning’s journey

Jade Jennings of Veneziano Coffee Roasters reflects on her experiences with coffee and competitions, and how it’s prepared her to train the next generation of champions. When Jade Jennings travelled to Rwanda in 2016, the Veneziano Coffee Roasters National Training and Development Manager experienced what she calls her fondest memory working in the coffee industry.
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Japanese coffee culture

The flavour master on Japanese coffee culture

Café consultant Hitomi Sato talks to BeanScene about Japanese coffee culture and how it differs to Australia. When Monin Beverage Innovation Manager for Japan and Korea Hitomi Sato touched down in Melbourne, she made a point of experiencing the city’s renowned coffee scene for herself. “Coffee people [from around the world] want to go to Seattle in the United States, Melbourne in Australia, and Milan in Italy to learn about coffee,” Hitomi says. “I went to Patricia Coffee Brewers and it felt really energetic. Customers were taking their time, enjoying it, and talking, and the operation speed was really high.”
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Detpak RecycleMe

Detpak RecycleMe system completes the paper chain

The Detpak RecycleMe System provides recyclable cups alongside collection and guaranteed recycling logistics. Since the ABC TV series War on Waste drew attention to the more than one billion coffee cups sent to landfill every year, consumers, cafés, and companies have taken large strides to reduce single-use cup waste. One such company is Australian owned packaging manufacturer Detpak, which initiated a rollout of its RecycleMe System with customers in November 2018, providing a solution for takeaway cups. 
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Tanzania

Trekking Tanzania

Cofi-Com’s John Russell Storey explores Tanzania’s countryside that reveals committed farmers, impressive coffees and a real life animal kingdom.   Arriving in Tanzania was a world away from the bustling, crazy capital city experience of Kampala. Kilimanjaro Airport is bang in the middle of the countryside, with the nearest major town well over an hour’s drive away.  Most arriving passengers are whisked away by tour operators heading off to big parks like Serengeti. For us, it was a short drive to a nearby lodge for an afternoon of R&R before driving almost two hours the next day through arid scrub and acacia trees to Burka and Mondul Estates. 
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