The greater Kingston area has one of the fastest growing populations in Tasmania. Despite its growth, Sam Whang-Randall, Owner of Maxie Coffee, says until recently, the area’s specialty coffee scene was virtually non-existent.
“Tasmania’s food and coffee industry has evolved a lot in the last 10 years. I wanted to get out of the city and Kingston had no specialty coffee shops. It was the perfect opportunity,” she says.
Maxie Coffee is a beverage-focused café, although it does offer locally-sourced pastries as well.
“Focusing on just specialty coffee was a gutsy move, but I thought this market was ready for it,” Sam says. “Tasmanians mainly order milk-based drinks, but I’ve also noticed a trend for stronger coffee. I usually get between five and 10 triple shot orders per day, a lot more than I used to when I worked in the city.”
Maxie Coffee serves Single O’s Paradox as its house blend. It rotates its single origin offering on a regular basis, sampling coffees from a range of roasters.
Maxie Coffee is equipped with a La Marzocco PB three-group and a Mahlkönig EK 43 grinder. When the shop is closed, Sam uses her equipment to run barista and latte art training courses.
“We provide training from a foundational level all the way through to advanced techniques. A lot of people who are looking for jobs in hospitality do the training, so we share practical tips and let them practice on our professional-grade equipment,” Sam says.
“The courses are scheduled every fortnight, but spots are so in demand that next week, I’ll be doing three nights in a row. We are the only ones in the area doing this sort of training.”
She hopes to continue to grow her training program.
“Seeing my staff and students nourish their skills and blossom is the most rewarding thing about owning a café. I really get great satisfaction from it,” she says.
“Down the track, I want to share my knowledge and teach people the ins and outs of setting up a coffee shop from scratch.”
Maxie Coffee
1/26 Channel Highway,
Kingston, Tasmania, 7050
Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 3pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm
0411 028 962
