BeanScene speaks with key café partners of Paradox Coffee Roasters about why they love collaborating with the iconic Australian roastery.
It’s a well-known assumption that Australians love their specialty coffee. As such, choosing the right wholesale coffee supplier is an important decision for any café to make. It must ensure the best beans are consistently sourced and freshly roasted in order to deliver on its role of producing quality coffee.
It’s for this reason that Picnic Café in West End, Queensland has partnered with Paradox Coffee Roasters since its opening in October 2021.
“It’s really important to myself and the team that we serve high quality coffee to our customers,” says Anthony Leung, Picnic Café Head Barista and Manager.
“As baristas, we are at the end of the supply chain, so we want to represent the coffee and pay homage to the growers and roasters who prepare the beans in the best way we can. We also have our own reputation on the line, and we want to keep customers coming back for their daily caffeine hit.”
Anthony, who also works as Interim Manager of Goodness Gracious Café in Graceville, Queensland, says the partnership with Paradox Coffee Roasters is a natural fit, and provides a point of difference in its quality and service.
“I knew that the owner [of Goodness Gracious Café] had partnered with Paradox several years ago. We decided to use Paradox at Picnic Café as well due to the reputation and rapport that was built with the roastery from that relationship,” he says.
Picnic Café uses Paradox Coffee Roasters’ Paper Moon Blend as its house blend, which is also available in one- kilogram and 200-gram retail bags for customers.
“Paper Moon is certainly a crowd- pleaser. It works well in milk-based and black coffee, with a nice flavour intensity and balanced acidity and sweetness,” he says.
“I’ve also always been impressed with Paradox’s monthly rotations of single origin coffees, both for filter and espresso. It’s given us baristas a different variety of coffee to experiment with and learn how to brew, as well as be able to sell.”
Paradox Coffee Roasters offers both face-to-face barista guidance and an online training portal to educate staff on how to use equipment and prepare quality coffee.
“Being able to liaise with our Sales and Support Manager James Dunbar has been so helpful. He’s always been a great sounding board for advice, feedback, to bounce ideas off regarding different equipment, and a different perspective on how to grow our business,” says Anthony.
“We’ve built a great relationship with the entire [Paradox Coffee Roasters] team that has allowed us to deliver quality espresso and service to our customers.”
Another customer that appreciates its collaboration with Paradox Coffee Roasters is Banksia Bakehouse, which chose to work with the roaster because it believed in its culture.
“We put a lot of thought into the coffee we serve because we wanted to give our customers excellent coffee. The guys at Paradox Coffee Roasters provided exactly what we were looking for. They do a fantastic job and always provide expert service,” says Banksia Bakehouse Head Barista Cindy Carolina.
With so many specialty coffee roasters in Australia, Cindy says the decision to partner with Paradox Coffee Roasters wasn’t solely based on quality, but the connection it has with the roaster.
“To us, coffee isn’t just about the products, you need to be able to connect with the team. How they support you from behind the scenes and work to overcome any issues is just as important, and Paradox has provided that support from day one,” she says.
“Our Sales and Support Manager visits us pretty much every week to meet our coffee needs, and whenever we need advice about equipment, such as which grinder to choose, they are there straight away to help us and increase our knowledge.”
Banksia Bakehouse uses Paradox Coffee Roasters’ Penny Lane blend for milk coffees and the Picasso Baby blend for black coffees.
“We chose Penny Lane because we’re able to extract body and flavour and maintain the coffee’s caramel notes and sweetness, while the Picasso Baby blend has a good intensity without being too overpowering,” says Cindy.
Cindy says the alliance has been smooth sailing from the beginning and the two share a passion for providing an amazing coffee experience for customers.
“It’s a true partnership. I feel like we’re in business with family and uphold the same values. The Paradox team have a depth of experience in the coffee industry and understand the challenges and opportunities in the coffee market to help us grow and succeed,” she says.
Well Bread and Pastry is another partner that appreciates the service and quality that Paradox Coffee Roasters provides.
“Our needs are always met with Paradox, we know they are always a phone call away. I love partnering with a roaster that has a presence in Queensland where we’re based, and they have such a wide range of blends to choose from,” says Owner Michelle Van Der Hoven.
“Yes, the coffee is amazing, but it all comes down to the service Paradox provides.”
From day one, Paradox Coffee Roasters has stood by its mission, ‘For The People’ in a devotion to those that grow, roast, educate, serve, and enjoy their coffee.
“We are responsible custodians of the coffee journey, always putting people first. From the farmers we source from, to our expert team that roast and share their knowledge, wholesale partners and baristas who serve coffee, to the customers who enjoy it,” says Paradox Coffee Roasters Marketing Director Nicole Saleh.
“We believe in the growth and success of our wholesale café partners, so we support them with barista education, systematic training, premium equipment, reliable service, creative branding, and innovative solutions so our partners can deliver a consistent quality coffee experience.”
Paradox Coffee Roasters Sales Director James Rodger says a key way the roaster educates its customers is through its Paradox Training Academy with online courses and practical training sessions.
“Paradox’s coffee training focuses on many topics, including espresso, alternative brewing, cupping, blend and single origin education, and getting the best from your equipment. We provide holistic support and solutions to our café and wholesale partners to help build their business,” James says.
“We work alongside our wholesale partners and hold cupping sessions at our Paradox Labs to guide them through our process of selecting the ideal coffee blend or single origin coffee that delivers the right taste profile for their customers. We are all about creating coffee that is ‘For The People’ — providing our end customers with the best quality coffee and flavour that they will enjoy drinking and fall in love with.”
Paradox Coffee Roasters employs that same energy to its own team, using its experience and relationships to steer the brand’s growth.
“It is about bringing our deep passion and knowledge for coffee and the industry together and developing a business that is making a difference in the way we operate and the products we serve,” Nicole says.
With roasteries, labs, and training facilities in both Sydney and the Gold Coast, Paradox Coffee Roasters has assembled a group of passionate coffee professionals to represent its café partners.
“Our team is incredibly important throughout the whole process. Our people are some of the best in the industry who share our vision, investing their skills, knowledge, and passion with the coffee community,” James says.
For more information, visit www.paradoxroasters.com
This article appears in the April 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.