Back in August, we had the joy of taking a couple of days to visit some of our previous students. We travelled all over Melbourne to visit some lovely people who have opened cafes, are in the process of doing so, or are working as baristas in some of the city’s top coffee shops and bakeries.

We kicked things off by heading to Ormond to pop in on Lisa and Chris who have opened up Velo Rapport, a cafe and bicycle workshop catering to a wonderful community of coffee and cycling enthusiasts.

While close by, we stopped off in Bentleigh to check in on Nico who came all the way from France for our Barista Apprenticeship last year. You can find him serving up some excellent takeaway brews by Pillar Coffee Roasters at Artisanal Bakehouse.

We then headed to Micah Coffee Brewers in Ferntree Gully who offer a wide range of high-end specialty coffee roasted by some of the best in Australia and around the world. This is where we found the wonderful Jin behind the machine, who completed our Barista Masterclass last year.

Jin at Micah Coffee Brewers, Ferntree Gully

Continuing into the CBD, we came across Kingsley who also came in for the Barista Apprenticeship course, now smashing out lattes at Axil Coffee’s fast-paced SXL location. A short walk away, we checked in on Wilson who came through to do multiple courses with Melbourne Coffee Academy. He is now currently in the process of setting up Mister Hugo, a late-night cafe that will be adding some sorely-needed specialty coffee to Melbourne’s vibrant nightlife.

Kingsley at Axil Coffee Roasters SXL, Melbourne CBD

Mr Hugo under construction, Melbourne CBD

To round out the day, we ventured North to visit Zuzannah who completed the Barista Apprenticeship with us 3 years ago when she was just 16. She is now working in her dream venue, the iconic Lune Croissanterie in Fitzroy.

We started day two by heading to Lovey Patisserie in Doncaster, opened by Julie & Karsin doing the Barista Masterclass with us. Sporting a lavish fit-out and serving up remarkable coffee and cakes, the pair are in the process of opening their second location soon.

Our next stop was Pick and Pan Cafe in Warrandyte where you will find the lovely Marisa pouring organic Dukes Coffee into sustainable Huskee cups for the local community.

Finally we headed back into the city to check out Warkop Coffee. Run by hospitality veterans Erwin and Barry, dishing out delicious Indonesian-inspired sandwiches paired with epic coffee using Schulz Organic Dairy. Moe who flew in from Japan and completed the Barista Masterclass with us earlier this year begun working with Warkop not long after.

Moe at Warkop Coffee & Sandwiches, Melbourne CBD

We’re grateful and blessed to get to work with such a wonderful and diverse range of people on their coffee journeys. And we are excited to continue to see what our students do with coffee!