Grinders Coffee Roasters’ new CEO Steve Bean on how his background, industry experience, and name are setting him up for success in his new role.
Tell us about your career to date
I’ve been fortunate to have spent more than 20 years working in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods). I started my career with Coles, where I was initially on the front line in operations, before moving into planning-based roles. This foundation laid the groundwork for the next phase of my career, which took me to the beverage industry at Coca-Cola Amatil. There I spent 10 years across various sales and category management roles.
A shift in location and a new opportunity led me to Mondelez, where I had the enjoyable task of selling chocolate. During my time at Mondelez, I took on the role of leading commercial planning for Australia, followed by an exciting ex-pat stint in Singapore to lead revenue management across the AMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) region.
After returning to Australia, I joined CCEP (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners) as the GM of Retail Operations, leading a dynamic team of nearly 300 sales and business development people across the country.
Now, I’m thrilled to have taken on this exciting role at Grinders Coffee. The team at Grinders is so passionate about the coffee industry, and their enthusiasm is contagious. After years of leading teams and planning commercial growth strategies, it feels like a natural fit. I’ve spent years working in categories that are pivotal to retailer success and highly connected to consumer emotion and pleasure. The coffee industry feels like it has those same elements, if not more so, which is exciting for me. And add my surname to the mix, it almost feels like it was meant to be.
What do you hope to bring to Grinders?
Through my career, I’ve learned that having great products, a strong brand, or a fantastic supply chain is only truly beneficial if you can leverage them in service of your customer.
It’s my honest belief that the best path for any manufacturer or brand owner to achieve sustainable growth, is to grow the business of their customer.
I believe Grinders is uniquely positioned to do just that. We have a rich heritage in the coffee industry, with deep expertise embedded within our team. Additionally, being part of a bigger organisation means we are able to tap into a global network of partners and colleagues, most of whom are considered world’s best practice in their own areas of expertise
This combination of great coffee, impeccable service, industry expertise, and dependable quality is a powerful tool we can offer our customers.
I hope that my background and experience will enable us to unlock new growth opportunities, not just through our customers, but in direct partnership with them.
What are your ambitions for the company?
Drinking coffee is a daily ritual that Australians cherish (including myself), and it’s one that they place high expectations on. And at the core, Grinders’ ambition is simple – to continue making great coffee for all Australians. That’s always top of the list.
Beyond and deeper than that, as we grow my main focus is making sure we hold on to what makes Grinders so special. As an iconic Australian brand that started in Lygon Street in 1962, with our roastery still proudly based in Melbourne, we are part of the rich history of coffee culture in this country.
Australia is renowned for having one of the world’s best coffee cultures, and I believe we have an important role to play in preserving and advancing that legacy. I take that responsibility seriously.
Being community-minded and committed to sustainability and ethics is how we make a positive, lasting impact on the coffee industry. These values are at the heart of everything we do, and I’m excited to keep that going as we move forward.
I want our customers and consumers to feel as proud of the Grinders name as we do.
Where would you like to see the company in 10 years?
In 10 years, I would love for Grinders to be the number two coffee roaster in Australia. This is an achievable goal if we continue to innovate, maintain the highest standards of quality, and stay genuinely interested to the needs of both our customers and consumers.
What are your hopes for the wider coffee industry over the next year?
We are currently seeing the impact of unprecedented pricing in the global green bean market, this will undoubtedly create some challenges for many businesses in the year ahead.
While these conditions may be difficult, I believe they also present an opportunity for innovation. I am hopeful that we will all continue to work on new and exciting products that create value for our customers whilst finding more efficiency in our systems, processes, or facilities. More than ever, I believe maintaining sustainable practices and focusing on waste reduction will be critical and hope that collectively we can continue focusing on this.
For more information, visit grinderscoffee.com.au
