TAKING A SHOT AT THE BIG TIME

This local roaster has opened a new cafe in Labrador, but that’s just the start of ambitious plans to put the Gold Coast on the global coffee map, writes Amber Macpherson

FIRST Fruits Coffee cofounder Daniel Smith says we’re deservedly gaining a reputation as a coffee capital.

“Australia has had a long period of economic growth, so we can explore those luxuries like coffee,” Daniel says.

“Australia has been able to lead the world in coffee for the past 12, 15 years.”

First Fruits Coffee in Ashmore and more recently Labrador has gained a loyal following over the past two years of business. The team live, breathe and dream coffee, sourcing beans from across the world to roast on-premises.

Some of the most unique brews come with a $20 price tag per cup, made from the most exclusive beans you can buy — without being passed through an animal first.

Daniel and his three codirectors — his wife, his brother-in-law and brother-inlaw’s wife — decided part of their business plan was to always expand, never be stagnant. Their new Labrador cafe is now offering breakfast and brunch from its professional kitchen. It’s a far cry from the postage-stamp Ashmore outlet the team first operated from.

“It was such a small shop in a strange location, we were using it as a test concept,” Daniel says.

“We were roasting there for about 18 months. Then we put this in, it’s five weeks old.

“Our model was always that we weren’t just selling a product, we were selling an experience. We were also trying to show people coffee isn’t something you just drink in the morning. You can explore and taste different things.”

The Labrador cafe serves eggs benedict, complete with rosti, hollandaise and salsa; glazed chicken wings; balsamic stuffed mushrooms; pancakes; freshly boiled and baked bagels and much more.

Daniel says it’s important to offer meals that are made with care and precision.

“We’re trying to make almost everything (from scratch),” he says. “Next we’re looking at a bakery focus, with our own flour mill.”

With Daniel’s business partner’s Japanese connections, the company has acquired an investor keen to sink a ridiculous amount of money into helping First Fruits be part of the up-and-coming coffee scene in Japan.

“We want to open two stores a year (in Australia), places like smaller espresso bars, and larger restaurants,” Daniel says.

“Our Japanese investor, he wanted to put an Australian roasting company in Tokyo.

“He’s looking at putting in $5 million in six years.

“He said ‘I’ll invest into it, but I would like you to become the best coffee roaster on the Gold Coast, if not Australia’.

“We want them to have a similar concept ... all of those cafes will have Australian baristas that work there.

“We’ll have them in our cafes in Australia, do a language course, and send them to Japan on a six or 12-month course.”

If that sounds like a wild idea, you should hear what they have planned once they’ve moved on to growing their own beans and produce.

“I’m future planning,” Daniel says.

“There’s robots that can garden for you. All your produce can be grown in-house, and grown and harvested by robots. That sounds crazy, but I think the set up wouldn’t be too huge of a cost. That’s one of the plans we have going through the think tank.”