Cafe culture is brewing in the regions (and here's where to find the coffee worth travelling for)

The quest for quality coffee is becoming a nationwide obsession, with the demand for a truly good brew now extending far beyond Australia's urban centres.

Vittoria Coffee chief executive officer Rolando Schirato reports growing demand for locally roasted, specialty coffee has caused regional sales to increase significantly over the past two years.

"We're fielding more inquiries from new operators and increased volumes from existing companies," Schirato says.

The trend extends to smaller specialty roasters such as St. Ali, Market Lane, Reuben Hills and Seven Seeds.

"We ran the numbers for this year to date, and have seen growth of around 60 per cent year on year," says Market Lane director Fleur Studd.

"New cafes are opening in under-served communities … [where] there are literally no other specialty coffee spots."

Some Cafe is one-of-a-kind in the small town of Collector, NSW, where it roasts Single O beans. Co-owner Ollie Chiswell, who grew up "on a little old farm on the other side of the highway", discovered specialty coffee while visiting a mate's cafe in Canberra.

"Once you clock onto specialty coffee and realise how amazing it is you start trying to find it wherever you can," he says.

"The community is so supportive, they seem fascinated and keen on learning more about the coffee we use and where it comes from."

Roasters partially attribute specialty coffee's growing popularity to the exodus of more than 50,000 Melbourne and Sydney residents during the depths of COVID-19 restrictions.

"When COVID hit coffee consumption changed considerably," says St. Ali chief executive officer Lachlan Ward.

"It sped up the spread of specialty coffee into suburban cafes."

Lockdowns gave Altius Coffee Brewers owners Hannah and Jarrod Pageot "the big nudge" they needed to move their cafe from Flinders Lane in Melbourne to High Street in Bendigo.

"A shop like ours, where the only focus is on coffee, was quite new," says Hannah, who grew up in the area.

"But we were confident they were ready for it."

Dylan Johnson says the increase in people working from home saw a slew of new customers entering Kickaboom, the Glenbrook cafe he opened with partner Alisha Kooy pre-pandemic.

"Business barely dropped because a lot of people who used to commute to the city were around and they were looking for the kind of coffee we were offering," he says.

Johnson took the knowledge he acquired while managing Surry Hills-based Paramount Coffee Project and brought it with him to the Blue Mountains, where he and Kooy grew up.

"There's a huge amount of people, who I've worked with over the past 10 years, who were roasters in the city and went on to open their own in places like Byron Bay and Orange," Johnson says.

Owner of Dandenong cafe Justice Specialty Coffee Joy Kinczel says she was exposed to great coffee when living in Melbourne and working with St. Ali beans.

"Coming to Dandenong and not having anywhere to go for coffee was a big reason for opening the cafe," she says.

"The entire time I've lived here, we've never come across another cafe like it."

Co-owner of Bermagui cafe Boneless Tenzin Butt spent 10 years travelling the world before returning to the south coast.

"It wasn't that long ago it was really hard to find a good cup of coffee anywhere on the south coast," Butt says.

"But I know a lot of people who grew up here, left the area, learned about coffee and then brought it with them when they moved back home, whether that meant starting a cafe of their own and using specialty beans or just searching it out as a customer and creating more of a demand."

Butt's passion for coffee intensified under the guidance of Canberra's Redbrick Coffee, which supplied Boneless until Butt began experimenting with roasting his own beans this year.

"When we first opened, everyone was ordering extra hot large flat whites with two sugars, but now we're making way more black coffee, like ten times more," Butt says.

"We've definitely had our customers' coffee palates grow with us."

Five of the best coffees in regional NSW

Boneless

The vegetarian Bermagui cafe started serving house-roasted Wabi Sabi coffee in June, with beans ethically sourced from Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia. A Mexican-inspired brunch menu features palo santo-infused caramel sauce drizzled over buckwheat pancakes, chimichurri scrambled eggs wrapped in a brekkie burrito and jalapeno cheese toasties. Picturesque views of the Sapphire Coast are a welcome bonus.

1/14 Lamont Street, Bermagui; 02 6493 4057; bonelesscafe.com.au

Kickaboom

While specialty coffee has been part of the Blue Mountains cafe scene for many years, it was Kickaboom that brought single origins, filter coffee and refined roasts to Glenbrook. Market Lane and Reuben Hills are available to sample with house-made almond and macadamia milk, while cupping events restarted this month. The menu is inspired by overseas travel, with standouts including the gado gado with tofu, fried egg and lotus crisps.

6 Ross Street, Glenbrook; kickaboom.com.au

Some Cafe

A ten-minute detour on the highway from Sydney to Canberra will be well-rewarded with freshly ground Single O coffee from Some Cafe. The 200-year-old building has been lovingly restored with white-washed walls, roaring fireplaces and timber shelves stocked with locally made honey and preserves. To eat, there's house-baked cakes, a selection of milk bun brekkie sandwiches and seasonal salads.

5/7 Murray St, Collector; 0493 271 744; somecafecollector.com

Mad Hatter Drink Lab

A change in zoning regulations paved the way for artisan food and drink outlets to open in empty warehouses in Orange. Mad Hatter Drink Lab is a multi-purpose, dog-friendly space on Lords Place that swung open its factory doors right as COVID restrictions kicked off. It serves hot cups of Pablo & Rusty's coffee alongside classic toasties and Japanese-inspired sandos.

147 Lords Place, Orange; mad-hatter.com.au

Moore Street General

Sustainability is at the forefront of this homey community hub located just up the road from Austinmer beach. Baristas use beans from Wollongong independent roasting company Abstract Coffee, the brainchild of World Barista Championship certified judge Boris Georgiou. The menu features locally-grown fruit and vegetables in bircher bowls, bagels and stuffed pastries.

38 Moore Street, Austinmer; 0466 248 559; moorestreetgeneral.com.au

Five of the best coffees in Victoria

Black Vice

The coffee choices extend to three pages here, where beans are roasted on-site and sourced from Costa Rica, Burundi, Ethiopia and beyond. There's a three-Gesha blend, 13 single origins and beans can be bought for home, too. To eat, there's blueberry hotcakes, soba noodle bowls and more dishes that span the globe.

946 Heidelberg-Kinglake Rd, Hurstbridge, blackvice.com.au

Cafe Nabo

Kingsville is only nine kilometres from the CBD, but until Cafe Nabo opened last year, the suburb was underserviced for specialty coffee. This corner spot uses Market Lane beans and focuses on Scandinavian food, with smorrebrod, lots of pickles and cosy fare like porridge and broth. Cobb Lane supplies pastries.

2A Williamstown Road, Kingsville, no website

McKinly

Classic brunch dishes are supplemented by more creative sandwiches and coffee by Bean Cartel at this eastern suburbs newcomer. Roasted not far away in Notting Hill, the beans are sourced far and wide, much like McKinly's menu inspiration. Expect a carne asada sandwich (yep, like the taco), caprese on sourdough and croissants filled with bacon, scrambled eggs and tomato relish.

186 Belmore Road, Balwyn, mckinlyeatery.com.au

Sixpence Coffee

This Bright roastery and cafe has been going strong for nine years, but its Albury outpost is a 2022 addition, bringing the aroma of espresso to a small shop in an arcade downtown. Brewing single origin, decaf and blends, the timber-clad take-away counter also serves pastries from Frankies in West Albury.

Shop 20, City Walk Arcade, 519 Dean Street, Albury, sixpencecoffee.com.au

Altius

Hannah and Jarrod Pageot ran Altius on Flinders Lane for seven years before the pandemic brought business screeching to a halt and they left the city for Bendigo. They haven't forgotten how to make a killer cup o' joe, using Market Lane beans and gorgeous ceramic cups from a petite shopfront with pretty pink tiles and brass features.

110 High Street, Bendigo, altiuscoffeebrewers.com.au