No two days are the same at Gold Coast Airport.
One day actor Hugh Jackman might by strolling through the terminals, the next hundreds of customers are in a panic after hearing their flight is delayed. While passengers can never rely on the unpredictable nature of flying, they can rely on quality coffee topped off with impressive latte art at Velocity Espresso Bar.
“Our goal is to serve the best quality coffee possible. The volume and speed we go through gives us greater consistency. We can go anywhere between 8 to 10 kilograms each day,” says Brett McKimmin, Airport Retail Enterprises’ (ARE) National Coffee Operations Manager at Gold Coast Airport.
He says customers are sure to be greeted with impressive latte art from one of ARE’s prized baristas, such as Matt Reece.
Matt has worked at ARE Gold Coast Airport for the past nine years as Supervisor and Barista, and recently placed third in the Australian Specialty Coffee Association Southern Region Latte Art Competition. ARE barista Kayla Hanna placed fifth in the same event.
Daily practice paired with additional training from Mocopan Coffee has seen the ARE baristas compete in a wide range of events from latte art smackdowns to the Coffee Chain Championships where Velocity placed fourth.
Velocity staff serves its airport customers Mocopan Coffee’s Allegria blend and a regular single origin.
Also on show is the Brew Bar Concept machine, the first of its kind to be installed in the country. Brett designed the under counter Brew Bar with the concept of a beer tap in mind.
“The Brew Bar is the reason our staff can deal with the high volume of coffee they go through each day, which can be up to 135 hot coffee beverages in an hour,” Brett says.
He adds the quality of airport cafés has shifted dramatically over the past five years. No longer are airport cafés a last resort for passengers waiting for a flight, but the first choice as more people travel on a regular basis.
“Our standards we set are high. We get continual remarks from pilots, and staff about the quality of our coffee,” Brett says. “We have frequent, loyal customers who repeatedly come back to visit us, and we welcome new faces too.”