One plant…3 billion cups of coffee a day. How’s that for obsession! Paul Kelly summed this kind of thing up, this way, “From little things, big things grow.”
An obsession for some, and a way of living for some 100 million families around the world. We are one of those families.
I’ve always been drawn to the aromas of coffee. I’m pretty confident my attraction came through my mumma’s supply line before I ever entered this world. Was and still is a prolific coffee drinker, there was never an issue with indulging in a cup of the intoxicating brew before or after school…at least, not from her point of view.
In my mid 20’s I left off building bridges and went and worked in a small Greek cafe in Sydney. It wasn’t long before I’d become part of the furniture and not much longer after that when the head barista willingly shared some of her secrets with me. Her name was Jenny…I’ll never forget Jenny! I become very much caught up in the wonder of the espresso machine, all the nuances and process to achieve a great cup, but the thing I valued the most, was the sheer pleasure it brought to everyone I served. It was just a great big family, enjoying an excellent brew. I loved it.
25 years in, there’s no turning back. In 2020 I sold my interest in a beautiful coffee company, then spent a couple of years on a sugar farm and in quoting my brother, “Pretended to be a farmer.” He was right and he knew, the coffee fever had never left.
So here’s to moving to Brisbane in 2022 and it feels like the coffee world is developing a new pulse, and I’m in, me and a bunch of spirited supporters. We’ve built a new coffee roastery in Woolloongabba and are now launching Joe Tom Coffees and our signature blend ‘DAWN’. The dawn of creation, breathtaking and packed with promise and flavour.
We’ll be sowing the good soil of Brisbane with quality seeds over the coming months and years and are looking to partner with great minds, operators and seriously passionate people who are bent on the extraordinary in things coffee. In a way, I really never left off building bridges. That’s what Joe Tom’s all about.
That’s news on our part. We’d love to hear from you.