All over South America the coffee cherries are ripening on the trees, the coffee picking troops are gathering and the processing stations are in full swing! With all the movement, we at Zest couldn’t bear to...

Deciding on an espresso machine is no easy job. It’s a huge investment regardless of what you end up choosing.  We’ve spent countless hours in the shoes of café owners, so we know the struggles...

Having consulted on a few startups and worked as a barista, trainer and rookie coffee roaster, I too have felt the strong pull to open a cafe. Though I haven’t started my own cafe (…yet?),...

PROJECT BOSQUES VERDES REPORT 2021 This report from the Bosques Verdes Cooperative is rewarding evidence that, even a small specialty coffee roaster like Zest, can make a difference to real people’s lives. Scrolling through photo...

To the people in coffee, the ever-changing commodity price of coffee is an ever present tide of challenge and reward. As a roaster, even a couple of USD cents per pound makes a mammoth difference...

The Espressonist, Docklands. When owner and manager, visual artist, Demien Gibbons opened Espressonist he was afraid people wouldn’t be able to spell the name. And despite the fact he still has trouble with suppliers and...

We know what it’s like running a cafe: Your barista just cancelled their shift, the milk delivery is late and somehow the grinder has stopped working. To top it off, you’ve somehow just run out...

Let’s face it: Melbournians have sorta become coffee snobs. We like our coffee.  Like… a lot.  So much so that we’ve earned the reputation for being the coffee capital of the world. While this is...

Whether you like sipping on lattes or prefer working your way through the silky foam of an easy-going cappuccino, the vast majority of beverages we drink in a café are made using what we refer...

With the holiday season coming to an end and workers returning to the office, I couldn’t think of a better time to write a guide to the best coffee roasters in Melbourne. Before I get...