supplier

davidq89

Can anyone suggest a good coffee supplier in Melbourne?

cheers

askthecoffeeguy

Are you kidding?  Their is about a gazillion of them!!!!! What area are you located in and what type of market do you want to tap into and what are you charging for you coffee? Also, if you've been in the game before, then surely you would have existing relationships with suppliers? Also depends on what you want from a supplier, i.e.. if you already have established trade in excess of 25 kg per wk, then you may have some room to negotiate with the larger, commercial suppliers, when it comes to leasing equipment.  Otherwise, boutique is the way to go, but with less room for negotiation when it comes to supplying equipment. Who is your target market, and how are the catered for elsewhere at present? Ask yourself what kind of niche market you are attempting to create, and how you would go about this. I'm all about single origin coffees these days, but that's just me... ACG

davidq89

We have bought all our machine. However, I am not happy with the current supplier. And it has been mentioned in previous threads that I should convey this 'dissatisfaction' with the supplier, however, this has not worked. At the moment, I'm trying to move away from 'big commercial' brands as I have mentioned, all the machinery is ours. In terms of what you're suggesting is 'niche' market. A majority of our business does not revolve around coffee, and in part I do want to keep it that way. However, thats not to say I don't want to provide a decent cup. Currently we are doing about 10kg a week which isn't much, but then again, I'm not expecting much from the supplier, except consistency, quality and so forth. At the moment, we are getting coffee delivered once a fortnight. That is ridiculous. I'm certain there are suppliers that are, a. Better, b. Reps who are more receptive to our concerns other than "call the company and tell them".

sketchy

We use Griffiths Coffee and never have any problems LE

askthecoffeeguy

Sounds like you're on the short end of the stick at the moment. My suggestion is to shop around, and ask questions, like what quality control procedures does your prospective supplier have to ensure that their product is being well represented, including regular site inspections, maintenance of existing equipment, barista training, etc. I think one of the most important things is to build a relationship with the potential supplier, based upon mutual admiration and trust. Drop me a private line if you want me to recommend some roasters in your area. ACG  

nzroaster

Go for St Ali, or Atomica. I've heard nothing but good things from the right people about these places.