From the bustling laneways of Melbourne to beachside cafés in Byron Bay, the daily ritual of the flat white or long black has become woven into national culture.

Collectively, Australians consume about six billion cups of coffee each year. Yet, despite this obsession, 99 per cent of the coffee we drink is imported from overseas producers in Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and beyond.

Australian-grown coffee is a rarity — even in Melbourne, often called the nation’s coffee capital. But a growing band of producers, scientists and roasters are determined to change that.

From fruit to cup

For many coffee lovers, the journey from fruit to cup remains little understood.

“About 90 to 95 per cent of consumers don’t know that your cup of coffee starts with a fruit that grows on a tree,” Zest Specialty Coffee Roasters coffee excellence manager Simon Gautherin said.

A certified Q grader — the highest qualification in sensory coffee evaluation — Simon likens his role to that of a master sommelier in wine.

“There’s a universal standard for cupping coffee. Whether in Melbourne or Brazil, we assess the same attributes: aroma, acidity, sweetness, body and aftertaste,” he said.

“It’s a way of giving coffee a value.”

When it comes to Australian beans, the reactions he sees are mixed.

“People are excited to hear that Australian coffee is available. But often they think ‘Australian coffee’ just means roasted here, not actually grown here.”

A pioneer’s journey

Commercial coffee growing in Australia is still young. The first commercial plantation was established in the late 1970s near Mareeba, Queensland, by Nat and Linda Jaques, who had migrated from Africa.

“The hardest part in the early days was convincing anyone that Australian coffee was good coffee,” Nat recalls.

“Most people were drinking instant coffee back then, so consumers were still on the learning curve.”

Nat and Linda faced hardships, with high interest rates forcing them into liquidation. At one point, Nat built his own coffee roaster out of a cement mixer to keep the business alive.

“We’ve had to restart our business several times, but we always believed the industry was viable,” he says.

Today, their plantation on the Atherton Tablelands benefits from high rainfall, sandy soils and altitude — ideal conditions for Arabica coffee. Their unique pruning system, cutting trees back to the stump every six years, has since been adopted more widely and included in the Australian Coffee Growers Manual, a comprehensive resource funded by AgriFutures Australia.

Science meets coffee

Further south in northern NSW, research is helping to overcome long-standing barriers to expansion.

Professor Tobias Kretzschmar from Southern Cross University has been working with World Coffee Research to trial new varietals better suited to Australian conditions.

“One of the biggest issues growers faced was the K7 variety,” he said.

“It’s high-quality, but it grows too tall. Our farmers machine harvest and when trees outgrow the machines, yields drop and costs rise. What they wanted was a semi-dwarf variety that matched or exceeded K7 in yield and cup quality, while also offering basic disease resistance.”

The trials, funded by AgriFutures Australia and supported by the Australian Grown Coffee Association, began in 2020 with sites in Queensland and NSW. The results have been promising: three new open-access varietals that outperform K7 in both productivity and taste.

“They beat K7 on all fronts — yield, disease resistance and cupping scores,” Tobias said.

“And because they’re open access, farmers don’t have to pay royalties. It’s a win on every level and it makes entering the industry much more attractive.”

Momentum builds

For Rebecca Zentveld, a grower-roaster near Byron Bay and president of the Australian Grown Coffee Association, this progress marks a turning point.

“It’s the most exciting time we’ve had since the early 1990s,” she said.

“Potential landowners are ringing us wanting to plant these new varieties. The demand for quality beans — locally and globally — is only increasing.”

Currently, Australian production is tiny — less than 300 tonnes annually. That leaves enormous room for growth.

“There are so few of us,” Rebecca said.

“There’s potential not just to meet domestic demand but to create a premium export market for Australian coffee.”

Interest is now spreading beyond the east coast. Early plantings are under way in Western Australia and, if successful, could extend coffee’s geographic footprint.

A place on the world stage

Back in Melbourne, Simon has become an unlikely ambassador for Australian coffee, working with growers to refine processing and elevate quality.

“Ten years ago, everyone thought it was impossible for Australia to grow great coffee,” he said.

“Even three or four years ago, we didn’t have proof. But in 2021, we cupped an Australian coffee that scored 84 points — that’s specialty grade.

“Today, some are going even higher.”

The significance isn’t lost on him.

“Australia grows some of the best fruits and wines in the world. Now we can add coffee to that list,” Simon said.

“The message is clear: not only can Australian producers grow outstanding coffee, but Australia can also be a real player on the global specialty scene.”

Brewing the future

From pioneers who refused to give up, to researchers unlocking new varietals, to passionate roasters championing local beans, the story of Australian coffee is one of resilience and renewal.

Challenges remain — chief among them the cost of suitable land — but optimism is strong. With new varieties on the horizon and growing consumer curiosity, the once-far-fetched idea of sipping Australian coffee may soon become everyday reality.

“So many Australian consumers still haven’t tasted Australian coffee,” Rebecca said.

“We’ve got a lot of cups to fill, but the future has never looked brighter.”

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Tuesday, 21st March 2028

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