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Businesses of Banyule’ presents – Crate Speciality Coffee, Heidelberg Heights

Love the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans and delectable dishes? In the heart of Heidelberg Heights lies a cosy café designed to suit every coffee lover’s fantasy.

Crate Specialty Coffee means business and it certainly lives up to its name. Co-owner and coffee connoisseur, Bea Cobon couldn’t agree more.

“Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia. Melburnians go to a café as part of their downtime. My goal was to create a space where people can enjoy their coffee.”

“In short, we’re all about specialty coffee, good food and great service. It’s our passion and our focus.”

Creating a plethora of coffee concoctions is a bit like crafting a piece of art. It requires time, a vision and a whole lot of passion. Bea, a barista by trade has proven no challenge is too great.

“For me, coffee is so much more than just a cup. My aim is to stay at the top of my game – I’m always trying to learn more about different brews and flavours.”

“I have been a barista for 10 years. It all started when I landed a job in WA running a small coffee shop. I had a supportive and well-rounded boss who showed me the way, and it was then that I fell in love with coffee. I have chased it ever since.”

“When we opened Crate last year, I worked for 6 months straight without a day off. I don’t get a lot of time off, but luckily for me my job is my passion.”

As they say, it takes two to tango. Though only established one year ago, Crate Specialty Coffee has already made a name for itself. Bea attributes a lot of the café’s success to her partner and co-owner, Tori Gentle.

“It has grown a lot faster than anticipated. It’s been beautiful to see and facilitate. We thought we’d only have one other staff member a year from opening, but in actual fact, we’ve become a team of six. It’s incredible.”

“Opening any small business is stressful, but we have a lot of love and respect for each other. It’s what gets us through,” explained Bea.

“It’s been a real vision and passion project for Tori and I. I adore coffee and she loves food. We make a great team.”

It’s no question. Crate Specialty Coffee has an incredibly loyal customer base. So much so that when the café celebrated its one-year anniversary in July, a customer designed brand t-shirts to commemorate the occasion.

“For our one-year anniversary, an ex-barista of ours commissioned one of our regulars, a tattoo artist to design t-shirts for the café,” explained Bea.

“We’re very much community focused and so we printed a few to sell as a way of sharing our anniversary with our customers. They love the t-shirts, which is nice to see.”

If you’re not a coffee drinker, don’t panic. You’ll still feel right at home at this rustic café.

“Non-coffee drinkers are more than welcome. We have a large variety of organic and fair-trade teas and chai lattes.”

“And to all coffee fanatics out there, as long as you can explain it to me, I’m happy to create any coffee you so wish.”

In need of a caffeine fix? You can find Crate Specialty Coffee on Haig Street in Heidelberg Heights. Alternatively, you can visit their website, cratespecialtycoffee.com.au or follow them on Instagram, @cratespecialtycoffee.

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