Following the launch of its new studio in Melbourne, MONIN has a fresh Brand Ambassador on board to host exciting industry events and help cafés concoct creative drinks menus.
When the Stuart Alexander team were looking for a new Brand Ambassador to head up its Melbourne innovation studio, the Australian distributor of MONIN syrups had a few specific criteria in mind. The ideal candidate had to know the local coffee industry inside out and have an eye on the latest international drinks trends, but top of their list was knowing how to throw a killer party.
With 15 years in the coffee industry under her belt and having spent the past five years getting one of the world’s kookiest alt-milk brands into cafés across Australia, Danni Choy was the perfect choice. Assuming her new role at the start of September on the launch day of MONIN’s Melbourne space, she was thrown in at the deep end – with an espresso martini in one hand and a cocktail shaker in the other.
“My previous job involved a lot of events, so I felt right at home kicking off this new role with a party,” says Danni.
“I’ve been in coffee from the age of 18. My second ever job was in the coffee shop in the foyer of my dad’s office. From there, I moved around a couple of cafés in Brisbane, where I grew up, and fell in love with the vibe of the coffee industry.”
After a couple of years, Danni moved to Melbourne and that’s when she got into specialty coffee.
“I love the scene and the people here: the coffee’s great and the city and the industry is so big that everyone has space to explore their own niche.”
In her role at MONIN, Danni is working with Melbourne’s coffee community to inspire creativity. Café owners, baristas, and other hospitality professionals are invited to the studio in Brunswick to experiment with flavours, trial new techniques, and ultimately devise winning menus that make the most of MONIN’s syrups.
This focus on experimentation is part of the brand’s ambition to show the coffee industry that there’s more to syrups than sweetening lattes.
“We not only want to show people how to use the products but how to be more adventurous with them. We want baristas to discover that our syrups can be used to manipulate the flavours of coffees in new and exciting ways, creating the opportunity to elevate beverages,” she says.
“We’re at an exciting moment in coffee, in which baristas have the confidence to get more creative with the drinks they are serving. Consumers are calling for these creations and loving trying new things.”
Whether they already work with MONIN or not, any business is welcome to join Danni in the studio for a session. Before they come in, she’ll find out what they want to achieve – whether it’s devising a whole menu for a new project, revamping a drinks line-up for the season, or coming up with a signature drink – and come to the meeting armed with a host of ideas and syrups to get stuck into.
“We have a floor to ceiling wall of MONIN syrups, so if there’s a flavour that catches a barista’s eye we’ll get it down and start experimenting,” she says.
When devising a menu or signature drink, Danni says that the first and most important thing to consider is the audience: catering the menu to the people you’re serving is key.
“If your venue is in the city, I feel like you can be super creative and push the boundaries. In more regional areas, you can be adventurous, but you may have to pare it back. It’s essential to define your market before you start creating,” she says.
Inspiration often comes from the venue itself, its customers, and its surrounding area. For those lacking ideas, Danni looks to her own recipe book filled with notes and concepts – often inspired by the world of baking.
“A drink I currently can’t get out of my head is a coconut matcha. It features coconut water, cream, and syrup, and is blended with our Liquid Frappe syrup before being finished with little mint jellies,” she says.
As part of her ambassador role, Danni also works with bars and evening venues to develop cocktail and mocktail recipes, which she admits is quite different from the coffee industry she’s used to.
“I find cocktail making exciting and challenging. Bartenders take multiple flavours and attempt to harmonise them, whereas coffee is focused on the main ingredient, making it the best it can possibly be and finding flavours to complement it,” she says.
“Coffee is at this point where you can be very experimental and change the way people think about it. Cocktails, on the other hand, are still quite structured: certain drinks are served in different glasses and there are many rules.”
As well as hosting bespoke development sessions with businesses, Danni also has a long list of event ideas for the studio up her sleeve. First up on her agenda is launching a monthly flavour competition.
“The idea is to pick a random MONIN syrup flavour each month and invite baristas to craft a signature drink using it. Everyone would get together at the studio to taste the results and crown a winner,” she says.
“I think it would be a great way to encourage people in the industry to think outside the box and try something new. It’s also an excuse to catch up with friends and make new ones.”
Danni’s summer drinks trends
Cold brew topped with chilled milk foam or cream is going to be huge. The Mont Blanc is already carving out a niche in cafés across the country and I think we’ll see more riffs on the signature drink this summer, including flavoured coffees and creams.
Fruit-driven colourful spritzes will also make their mark. Artisan lemonades, sparkling sodas, and interesting tonics will feature.
Matcha is massive right now. Everyone has seen the strawberry matcha, so I think we’ll see some new spins. I’m currently working on a recipe for coconut matcha made with coconut water and cream.
For more information, visit monin1912.com/en-apac
This article appears in the December 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
