David Kennedy started ten years ago roasting coffee and working part time as a barista to support his Bun Coffee business. Now the company has 10 employees, more than 135 stockists throughout Australia, 30 overseas outlets and a vibrant online store.
According to David, Byron Bay has been an ideal location for Bun Coffee to grow and prosper. ‘It’s a great place to live; our kids love it here and the sense of community and our ability to be part of that is really rewarding,’ he says.
When purchasing the beans, his emphasis is on sustainability: either they are fair trade organic, or organic, rainforest alliance or Australian grown.
Roasting takes place at warehouse premises in the Arts & Industry Estate in Byron Bay, but the coffee is sold everywhere from David Jones food halls (Bun are actually the biggest retail coffee supplier of David Jones) and Thomas Dux stores nationwide, to The Finch Cafe in outback Katherine, and the iconic Nook Espresso stores on the Gold Coast.
‘We also now have a distributor in Japan, with more than 30 outlets introducing Bun Coffee to this growing overseas market,’ says David.
‘Maintaining a loyal coffee following can be tricky for any cafe,’ says David, ‘as coffee drinkers can be a fickle group moving with the next trend that comes along.
‘Our core principles are freshness and flavour, so we’ve made a conscious decision not to use capsules; however, we do think cold-drip brewing is an interesting industry development.’
Cold drip coffee is brewed over a long time in cold water, rather than for a short time in very hot water – the result is a very low-acid coffee. ‘It’s a great way to brew a single-origin coffee, as it really makes the individual characteristics of the coffee stand out,’ says David, who is still Bun’s master roaster.
• You can sample Bun Coffee at their cafe in the complex at 1a Banksia Drive in the Arts & Industry Estate, Byron Bay.
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