As busy office workers in Hobart rush to start their day, there is one place they know they can stop for quality coffee and breakfast on the go.
Vilicia Coffee, the first child of founders Alicia Liu and Viv Xiao, has been a Murray Street staple since its arrival in 2014. While their second creation, Bear With Me, is a place to sit back and relax, Vilicia Coffee has a different dynamic that suits its CBD location.
“Vilicia is very coffee-focused, with nice and simple food,” Alicia says.
Although customer interactions are usually brief, Alicia says they have still been able to create a culture of coffee aficionados.
“Slowly, you start to build up this little community. You get people coming in, knowing nothing, to knowing exactly what you’re talking about. You discuss flavour notes every day, sometimes you discuss roasts, sometimes you discuss the processing method. It’s just nice having this communication,” Alicia says.
“Rather than just getting up and getting a coffee, [our customers] actually drink their coffee for the flavour and for the service.”
Vilicia uses Ona Coffee’s The Founder as its house blend, which it complements with a small selection of rotating single origins from guest roasters. Alicia says Vilicia’s partnership with Ona has been vital.
“They’re just amazing. It’s just a whole, huge, amazing team. They give us all this support throughout everything, and with the options and the menus of the selections of roasts and beans and all that,” Alicia says.
“It’s nice having that support from Ona, who are one of the leading teams of the industry with that passion. I think passion is very important.”
A seasonal menu features a range of takeaway brioche buns, often filled with egg and bacon or, in summer, fresh Tasmanian salmon.
“They are really popular. People can come in, grab their coffee, and grab their favourite brioche bun on the go. It’s just the perfect way to start the day,” Alicia says.
From the coffee to the customers, Alicia says it’s important to enjoy your work as a café owner.
“You don’t just do it because you’re doing it,” she says. “You do it because you love it.”
Vilicia Coffee
39 Murray Street, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000
Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 4pm, Saturday 7am to 12pm
(03) 6231 5688