Lily Rice, Dispatch Manager at The Bean Cartel, reveals how working in a roastery warehouse has helped her gain confidence and come out of her box.
After working in childcare for many years and looking after up to 120 kids at one time, Lily Rice is unfazed by a seemingly endless list of orders to be fulfilled.
As the Dispatch Manager of The Bean Cartel, she’s responsible for a small team of packers and the hundreds of orders that pass through the Melbourne specialty roaster’s warehouse each week. Despite the company’s steady growth over the past few years and a move to a larger factory space to supply its expanding customer base, Lily doesn’t let the increased pace get to her.
“Before I joined the coffee industry, I would look after big groups of children before and after school, which came with a lot of responsibility. I think the pressure of that job gave me great baseline skills in not letting myself get too stressed in situations that can be controlled,” she says.
“Caring for children is often about multitasking and that’s a huge part of my role now. When I first started at The Bean Cartel, I was packing boxes and found the best way to manage my workflow was by breaking tasks down into simple steps. As I’ve progressed through the business, I’ve kept this up and it’s been hugely beneficial.”
Not coming from a coffee background, in 2018 Lily was thrown into the role almost by chance. As the business was gaining momentum, roaster Alan Chan needed an extra pair of hands to pack so he could focus on roasting. With her brother already helping out, she started packing boxes between her childcare shifts.
“I worked early mornings and late afternoons with kids, so I found packing between that very calming. Of course, in the warehouse you must be focused on what you’re doing to ensure everything is correct, but the methodical nature of the job makes it almost relaxing,” she says.
The warehouse can often be a male-dominated environment, but Lily didn’t mind being the first female working on the floor at The Bean Cartel. In the past few years, the team has diversified with more women joining the crew, which she says has added to the welcoming, family feel of the business.
“The team are hugely supportive and we’re all very close,” Lily says.
“We look out for each other and help where we can, and that’s helped me build my confidence. As I’ve taken on more responsibilities, I’ve been able to develop my skills and then pass on what I’ve learnt to new members of the team, which is rewarding.”
As part of its ambition to create the best possible workplace for its staff, The Bean Cartel has been working with a Culture and Wellbeing Coach. The initial focus of these sessions has been improving communication between the team.
“My biggest takeaway from the sessions has been learning which communication styles work for different colleagues,” says Lily.
“Take instructions, for example. If you’re trying to explain something to someone and keep doing it the same way but it’s not working, you need to step back and rethink. Find out what the roadblock is and consider a different approach – it’s often not the same way you might handle instructions.”
Another skill set Lily has recently acquired is roasting. After doing a one-month crash course with Alan, she took on the roasting duties while the roaster had some time off.
“Like being a dispatch manager, there’s a lot of multitasking involved in being a roaster. While focusing on the current batch, you also have to start loading the next screen ready to drop, so I think my organisational skills came in handy,” she says.
“I enjoyed my short stint as a roaster, so perhaps I’ll explore that in the future, but for now I really love what I do and being part of The Bean Cartel family.”
For more information, visit thebeancartel.com.au
This article appears in the December/January 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
