As well as constant sunshine and languid coastlines, Australia has a history of vibrant multicultural communities creating incredible coffee from very limited resources.
Stovetop coffee, pour-over coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Turkish coffee, Scotch coffee; name a community and allow them to point you towards a handy way to make a brew on a budget.
Fast-forward a few decades and well-styled cafes with $20,000 machines produce a quick, consistent espresso: hot, strong and fast-acting – giving Australian workers, parents and post-partygoers a boiling-hot lifeline of easy energy.
When James Bullock and Christian Price-Wright decided to begin cold-drip coffee company Holy Joe, they knew they wanted to take a different direction. ‘We’re the hottest continent on Earth, but high-quality cold coffee hasn’t quite made it to the mainstream yet,’ says James.
‘We wanted to create something strong, smooth and a bit sexy.’
The key to Holy Joe, alongside flavour, are its native medicinal mushroom content, eco-minded approach to packaging, and extremely distinctive design, says co-founder Christian. ‘We started the company knowing that we wanted a zero-plastic product that leapt off the shelves, almost like a top-shelf liquor,’ he says. ‘We’d be in Forbes if we had a dollar every time a customer asks if we’re a whiskey brand!’
While the overall aim of Holy Joe is to inspire a new generation of smooth and healthy coffee, part of James and Christian’s role has been educating customers on the benefits of medicinal mushrooms. ‘We’re the only company we know of to use native Australian Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail and Reishi mushrooms, all of which are just so good for different body functions,’ James says. ‘The scientific community is just beginning to pay attention to what’s growing in our own backyard, and how potentially good these mushrooms are for you, so being here to watch that take shape is really special.’
Holy Joe is available at participating retailers, and on their online store. Find out more at www.holyjoecoffee.com, or on their instagram:
@holyjoecoffee
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