For all you coffee lovers out there, let’s be honest with each other shall we. There is not better place to drink good coffee than at home, but no harder place to make a good cup. So what to do? Get some inspiration from some of my coffee mates.
The Gourmand World Cook Book Awards is an annual event that acknowledges the very best in food and drink publishing. I’m happy to say that my last project Café Republic of Australia has been accepted into the Gourmand for 'best cover' and 'best alcohol free recipe book'. Check out out at my online bookstore, I'd love to hear what you think.
owner & head barista
When Will Young bought Campos Coffee in Newtown, it turned over seven kilos of coffee a week. Now it’s an impressive 120 kilos and growing by the day. Born in Bermuda, a tiny island in the Caribbean, you could say Will was born into the hospitality industry. A popular tourist and holiday destination, Will practically grew up in restaurants and hotels.
owner & roaster
Bill Parianos is affectionately known by many as ‘Perennially ristretto wired’. For him, there’s nothing finer than experiencing the sensory elements of coffee – the taste, feel and smell of freshly roasted beans. “I love turning a bland, lifeless seed into an aromatic sensory indulgence,” Bill says.
owners
When Ofra met Renzo in Beijing in 1999, it was a chance meeting between strangers from opposite ends of the earth. Ofra was born in Israel and has a clear thinking business mind. She is undoubtedly the organised one and keeps Renzo in step. Renzo, born in Peru, successfully worked for large coffee machine companies in Australia and China, but is more interested in cracking jokes and telling a good story. They do say opposites attract.
owners & growers
Janice must have been in a good mood that day back in 2003. She and her husband Greg met in Byron Bay for a holiday, and when Greg was off riding his bike with mates, she somehow ended up buying a farm! All of a sudden, out of a whim, they were now working from home on the estate with Janice running her promotional gifts company, and Greg maintaining an 18,000 coffee tree estate.
managing director / coffee man / roaster
Single Origin Roasters was born out of a symbiotic relationship between two good friends – Gavin Folden, the visionary and dreamer who knows more about coffee than most — and Dion Cohen, the business brain behind the operation. Coupled with the loving support of two beautiful wives, Martine Folden and Emma Cohen, they had the energy to bring a fresh new vision to the café scene and wholesale coffee market. Foresight, a small amount of start-up cash and loads of hard work proved a winning combination. Just as important to Single Origin is Mark Newman, the quiet achiever. He does most of the roasting and prefers to let the coffee do the talking. Mark worked for various coffee companies and cafés over the years before joining Single Origin as a barista, where he worked behind the espresso machine for a couple of years before moving over to roasting.
world latte art champion 2006
australian barista champion 2007
Scottie Callaghan was destined to work in the café industry because, for as long as he can remember, he has appreciated the importance of flavour. When he was young, Scottie would cook a lot for his family of nine – “Mum used to make porridge in the morning before we all got up, but some mornings I beat her to it and made the porridge for everyone. Some might think I was sucking up, but I honestly just loved cooking and still do.”
Hayden Wood presents HOME party: a fun new app for iPhone and iPad, designed for people who want an easy solution for throwing a party at home. Check it out at the iTunes store!
Sign up now for your chance to score one of ten HAV-O cocktail gift packs including my new book Green Food Generation and a jar of Wild Hibiscus Flowers
