Owning his own grocery mart and café was only ever an idea for Jerome Batten. Enthused by the way different cultures share and prepare different foods, over time Jerome saw a niche market that resonated with him, and he went about making his dream a reality.
“I’ve built Sourced Grocer from the ground up and I’m all about connecting customers with food on a daily basis, knowing where it’s from and how it was treated,” Jerome says.
Sourced Grocer is a food and sensory environment and a place Jerome says has become a community meeting point because of its relaxed ambiance, inviting milk crate seats out the front, and of course it’s coffee.
In the heart of Teneriffe, Queensland, Jerome has recreated the quintessential old-fashioned neighbourhood grocer, complete with character, passion and quality coffee.
“I try to introduce produce to people that they may not be familiar with – accessible food that honours freshness and quality,” he says.
Sourced Grocer sources products from local butchers, cheesemakers, bakeries and fruits and vegetable growers. A must on the menu is the SG salad, a Quinoa salad with preserved lemon, fresh herbs, orange soaked currants and fresh micro herbs.
Sourced Grocer uses Cup Specialty Coffee, roasted by Josh Russell. The house blend is a three-bean blend with 50 per cent Brazilian Das almas beans, 30 per cent Brazil Paraíso beans and 25 per cent Kenya Kijiji.
The Brazil beans give a chocolate cocoa flavour and the Kenyan adds acidity. Head baristas Eliot and Penn make all the coffees using a Mazzer grinder and a La Marzocco two-group Linea.
“The cross over between grocer and café is a huge draw card. I just love working with such a great team of people,” says Jerome. People understand what we’re trying to achieve and that makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
