Flat whites go global: The coffee connoisseurs taking Australia’s cafe culture overseas
Australia and great coffee are now synonymous. Despite being admittedly ‘new world’ when it comes to our history with the addictive brew, thanks to a few decades worth of finessing and refinement, Aussie-style coffee has set a new world standard. If you need proof, simply look at the wildfire-like uptake of the flat white across the globe.
But it’s not only coffee that we’re redefining, it’s breakfast and brunch too. Once rarely consumed outside the home, Australian-style breakfast culture has helped make avocado on toast a staple on brunch and brekky menus around the world. But who are the folk who have spearheaded this worldwide takeover?
From New York and Bali, to London and Paris, read on to meet some of the savvy Aussie entrepreneurs who have found success bringing our unique cafe culture to an international audience.
Kaffeine, London
When Peter Dore-Smith moved to London from his native Melbourne in 2005 he wasn’t prepared for the lack of decent cafes in the British capital.
“The first thing we said to our friends when we got there was: ‘where do we go to get a good cup of coffee?’” he told realcommercial.com.au. “And they said: ‘Cafe Nero’. Turns out, there were less than 10 specialty cafes in London at that time!”
Inspired by the lack of options in the city, the former hospitality worker — who forged a career behind-the-scenes training and teaching restaurant, bar and pub staff — began to investigate opening a similar venue to his favourite cafe back in Australia.
“I always wanted to have my own hospitality business.” said Mr Dore-Smith. “My wife eventually said: ‘stop talking about it and just do it.’ So I did.”
Kaffeine in London. Picture: Kaffeine/Instagram
Opening in 2009 – initially with only two baristas – Kaffeine has gone on to become one of the bastions of London’s specialty coffee scene.
“One of the biggest challenges back then was being able to put across my vision to people who had no idea what I was talking about,” he recalled. “I was very lucky to be able to attract Australians and Kiwis to work with me as they knew what I wanted to do. Other than that, all we did was focus on genuine Aussie hospitality and service and people kept coming back.”
His pioneering spirit and work ethic did the trick and less than a year later and Peter and the Kaffeine team took the ‘best independent cafe in Europe’ gong at the European Coffee Symposium. Two years later, the accolades continued with an invitation to Buckingham Palace — alongside other Australian entrepreneur expats — to meet the Queen. And then there’s the approval that Kaffeine had from another kind of royalty: the Beckhams.
“David Beckham became one of our biggest regular celebrity customers,” Mr Dore-Smith said.
The cafe also serves deli-style breakfasts, sandwiches, as well as sweet treats including true-blue specialities such as ANZAC biscuits. Despite being one of the original Aussie-style cafes to have opened in the British capital, Mr Dore-Smith has deliberately kept his operation on a boutique scale.
“I have not expanded exponentially, nor have I taken on any venture capital investment — we are truly independent,” he said. “We opened a second location in 2013 and I have no plans to open any more.
“My plans are to continue to consolidate and strengthen what we have and to protect it. There is a lot of pressure over here — as there is everywhere — with wage costs and rising other costs, then a downward pressure on keeping prices as low as possible, but still being able to survive. I would rather have two gold mines than lots of holes in the ground!”
Now aged 55, the entrepreneur is happy that his bold business decision 15 years ago has paid off.
“I feel very lucky that, as London is regarded as one of the greatest cities in the world, by proxy Kaffeine is regarded as one of the best cafes,” he said, smiling. “That is something to be very proud of.”
Little Collins, New York City
In a city where trends and restaurants come and go at revolving door-like speed, when a hospitality venue endures the fickle tastes of New Yorkers, it must be doing something right. Case in point: Antipodean-inspired cafe, Little Collins, which remains as popular today as it was when it first opened its doors more than a decade ago.
“When we first opened if a place specialised in coffee, food tended to be an afterthought — I think we were one of the first cafes in the city to really challenge that idea,” explained former Melbournian and co-founder of Little Collins, Leon Unglik. “Our breakfast-brunch has set us apart from day one. Smashed avo is everywhere NOW, but 12 years ago when we opened, it was a novelty, and it’s still one of our best-sellers.
“Aussies have really high expectations about the food, the coffee and the ambience and won’t accept mediocrity. When I opened Little Collins, I wanted to meet those high standards and to replicate the things I loved most about my favourite cafes from home: excellent food, flawless coffee, good music and an unpretentious, ‘home away from home’ atmosphere. When executed well, it’s hard for the model to fail, especially in a city like New York where people appreciate quality but are also looking for the comfort and familiarity of their “local”.
Little Collins in New York. Picture: Little Collins/Instagram
It’s a testament to the calibre of the offering that Unglik — alongside his Kiwi business partner — has created, but his path to stateside cafe supremacy was far from clearcut.
“I was working in New York as a debt financing attorney when the Global Financial Crisis hit,” he explained. “My law firm was offering attorneys a stipend to take a year out of practice. I had always been very passionate about coffee and hospitality and took the year to hone my skills in the industry. That year somehow turned into three and then I eventually opened my first store in Midtown, Manhattan.”
Since opening their first cafe in 2013 the pair have expanded to three outlets, each of which regularly boasts a line of caffeine-hungry New Yorkers out the door. And, in the intervening decade, Little Collins has also amassed a raft or organic PR with features in “Time Out”, “The New York Times” and, most recently, “ESPN” which hailed the little Australian cafe as the favoured refuel stop for players during the US Open. Unsurprisingly, given the press and hyperbole, the Kiwi and Aussie duo are looking to expand their winning formula even further with a fourth premises.
“For the last year, we have put all our energy into our new flagship location, but we are actively searching for the perfect spot for our next project,” explained Mr Unglik. “And while we get offers all the time from people wanting to back us to open Little Collins in their cities or countries but for now, we are happy to focus on the countless opportunities in the Big Apple.
Revolver Espresso, Bali
Given the ongoing love affair that Australians have with the Indonesian island holiday hotspot of Bali, it’s perhaps a no-brainer that Sydneysider, Katie Allan, decided to take the plunge and open a cafe to cater to a readymade customer base of fussy Aussie holidaymakers.
“I was always underwhelmed by the coffee here,” she told realcommercial.com.au. “I thought there had to be a way to change it.”
An annual visitor to Bali whilst training for the World Surf League’s World Qualifying Series, Miss Allan suffered an unfortunate injury which left her unable to surf competitively and asking herself the question: ‘what next?’ Fusing her years of cafe and coffee experience (which had been, until then, a means to fund her surfing ambitions) together with her love for Bali she launched Revolver Espresso in 2012.
Revolver in Bali. Picture: Revolver Bali/Instagram
“I think the whole thing cost me around $10k to set up,” recalled Miss Allan. “It was just bones in the beginning and I put every dollar I made back in to it just to make it look the way I wanted it to.
“I just made everything feel like it was an Aussie cafe — people used to say they felt like were in Fitzroy! It didn’t take long for the word to get out. It was the first good coffee in Bali and there was a line out the door from about week two and that has never stopped!”
A frontrunner for Seminyak – and indeed Bali’s – coffee revolution, this grungy, inner-city, Melbourne-style cafe may be hidden down a laneway (appropriately)
Initially only seating around 30 individuals at a time the space now houses some 150 locals and tourists. And their house ‘Revolver’ blend is so beloved that it’s now stocked in cafes across the island. Since opening the original Revolver in Seminyak, Miss Allan added the hole-in-the-wall Baby Revs offshoot, followed by outlets in Canggu, Bali’s domestic airport and, most recently, Bali’s international airport.
But, while her success is undeniable, it hasn’t come without sacrifice and struggle.
“Operating in Indonesia isn’t for the faint of heart,” she said. “ I always say: ‘Bali giveth and Bali taketh away.’ It has been challenging because of the unpredictability — there’s just no way to anticipate some of the issues that arise and there isn’t any government support, so it is a very difficult process culturally. I’ve made many heartbreaking mistakes and, although I like to think I’m learning more, the place still surprises me. I don’t think I would change a thing though. It was all learning and it all brought me to the point where I am now.”
Revolver in Bali. Picture: Revolver Bali/Instagram
Looking to the future Miss Allan, now aged 41, has big plans to continue to expand the Revolver Espresso brand.
“We’re building a purpose-built HQ right now,” she said. “Here, we’re going to showcase all that we do — roasters, cafe, apparel and a brand new bakery component, which we are so excited about.
“I couldn’t be happier and more humbled by how it’s all worked out. I think the future is bright for the brand and it’s thrilling to watch it all unfold!”
Hardware Societe, Paris
While Paris is renowned for many things — haute couture, Michelin-starred restaurants and drool-worthy croissants, included — good coffee is definitely not on the list. For whatever reason, Parisians have, until very recently, missed the third wave coffee movement. Thankfully a few brave Aussie expats are on a mission to help remedy this — Aussies including co-founder of Hardware Societe, Di Keser.
“We brought an apartment in Paris as we found ourselves spending a fair amount of time here and had built a small friendship group,” she explained. We simply loved it but we saw what was a huge gap in the market for cafes serving good coffee. So, we decided to take a leap of faith and open out own — even against the advice of all of our French friends!”
Already owning the original Hardware Societe cafe in her native Melbourne, which was opened in 2009, Di and her chef partner opened the doors of the Paris outlet of Hardware Societe in 2016.
Hardware Societe in Paris. Picture: Hardware Societe/Instagram
Set minutes away from the Basilica of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, the cosy all-day cafe quickly found fame thanks to its great coffee and selection of true blue breakfast and brunch staples.
“It was slim pickings back then,” said Miss Keser of the period when they opened. “Now there is a cafe on every corner serving breakfast and brunch. We had to fly our coffee in from Australia as there were no options for local roasters with the flavour profiles we wanted.
“Since then there has been a new wave of Aussie-owned cafes, which is terrific to see. I think competition is good — it keeps us fresh and our ideas ahead of the pack. Our point of difference comes down to creativity and having a kitchen run by chefs, not people that simply copy food from Instagram. You can certainly make something look good on a plate but whether that correlates to tasting good well that’s another thing.”
Following the cafe’s eight year Parisian anniversary Miss Keser said she has no regrets about their decision to bring a slice of Melbourne to the City of Lights.
“It has been a great learning curve,” she said. “It has taught me a lot about patience and resilience that’s for sure. And though right now we’re happy with our two locations…never say never!”
Little Collins, Amsterdam
Unlike London and New York, the Netherlands hasn’t been an obvious ‘go-to’ for Aussie expats. But for Dutch-loving coffee-lover, Laura Grusovin, leaving her native Melbourne to relocate to Amsterdam was a long-held dream. However, while the city boasted historic charm aplenty, there was nowhere serving her beloved Flat White coffee.
“The brunch and coffee scene in Amsterdam back 10 to 15 years ago was very minor — despite the Dutch drinking a lot of coffee,” she told realcommercial.com.au. “But the globalisation of Amsterdam brought loads of professionals from cities where brunch culture was well underway, and therefore demand grew.
“We always wanted to have our own place and were settled in the Netherlands at that point, so we decided to give it a go.”
Opening a little over a decade ago in the hip De Pijp area, Little Collins has won over both locals and visitors alike with its killer coffee and menu of ever-changing, adventurous brunch options.
Little Collins in Amsterdam. Picture: Little Collins Amsterdam/Instagram
“We opened with the idea of serving great coffee, quality Australian style brunches prepared using locally sourced ingredients, and all delivered with very friendly service,” explained Miss Grusovin.
“I think the food and beverage scene in Australia is top tier — the standard is just so high that people almost know that, if you’re an Australian running a place overseas, that they’ll get a great experience.”
Of course, it wasn’t entirely plain sailing opening the cafe in a foreign country.
“The language barrier was somewhat of a challenge,” she admitted. “But Amsterdam has become increasingly international and luckily one of my business partners is Dutch. Staffing can also be a limiting as we attract many people on working holiday visas, which means turnover is higher than usual.”
All that being said, 10 hearts on from opening, the 39-year-old is more than happy with how her business has unfolded over the years.
“No regrets!” she enthused. “We’ve recently opened our latest love, BRIO — an Italian-ish influenced restaurant just two doors down from Little Collins — and now we’re dreaming of another outlet, perhaps in Paris, Brussels, or Seville — one day!”
