Even as we express our national nonchalance with a relaxed and common 'no worries, mate,' nothing gets us more hot under the collar than a lack of decent coffee within a 1km radius.
Ask any well-travelled Aussie, if there's one thing that's guaranteed to make us complain overseas, it's a crappy coffee.
We're not caffeine critics, it's much more than that. We are coffee aficionados, true devotees who are dedicated to the bean; from selecting, to sourcing, brewing and roasting.
Yes, we take coffee seriously, and no, we don't apologise for it. For many Australians, weekends become caffeine seeking adventures, where we trawl urban landscapes searching for the perfect drop.
Food is important, but coffee is too
Heard of the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) Good Food Guide? It's like a bible for foodies Australia wide. And just as our love of delicious food has warranted a 'best of' guide, so too has our love of good coffee.
Enter the SMH Good Cafe Guide which has been published for several years now. With categories such as 'best brew bar,' 'best coffee,' and 'best boutique roaster,' you'll want to ensure your coffee is on point.
Want more evidence of our obsession? Australians can attend 'cupping experiences,' which is basically like wine tasting, but for coffee. We live and breathe this culture, and there's a reason why cafes in London, Paris and New York aggressively advertise that they have Australian baristas.
And there's a reason why our humble little flat white is spreading the world over, popping up in cafes from Lisbon and Berlin, to Madrid and Portland. Starbucks has even introduced a flat white to their beverage menu.
Give your customers what they want
If you think rationally you can see why Starbucks failed in Australia and why it succeeds everywhere else. While our American pals were introduced to coffee akin to a hot sugar laden milkshake, we were exposed to a pure unadulterated espresso potion introduced by Italian migrants during the 1960s and 1950s. By 1990 our coffee obsession was well underway.
The coffee at Starbucks was too different to the coffee in the Australian market. The fact was, and still is, that most Australians can pinpoint an array of cafes in the same geographical location selling coffee more suited to Australian tastes.
To stay ahead of the game you need to work out what your customers want. Consumers are becoming increasingly fixated on the finer details. Are your beans top notch? Where are they sourced from? Are they fair trade?
Believe it or not, details like this matter, and many consumers will walk right by your cafe without a second glance if they don't consider your beans to be from a high quality source.
You need to stay up-to-the-minute. If you can't tell the difference between a latte, a cappuccino and a flat white, then you don't have your thinking cap on. Do you offer soy milk or almond milk? If you don't, you should.
There are many styles and variations when it comes to coffee, and guess what? Cold-drip, Aeropress, and filter are trending, so join the party or be left behind.
Get a good barista
If you still haven't got the memo, here it is: coffee is special. Making a great coffee is so much more than buying any old beans and frothing some milk. Baristas are important, and making sure you have the very best person behind your coffee machine every morning can propel your business and make a huge difference to your daily coffee trade.
You need someone with personality, not just a good personality, but great. Baristas need to be able to multi-task and cope with being under the pump. Does your barista have a good memory? Well they should. It's amazing and special when a barista can remember both their customers' names and their orders.
Greeting your customers by name and knowing their order before they even speak is an interaction that fosters connection and customer loyalty. It's a kind of social lubricant that you just cannot buy.
Invest in a barista who takes the time to find out what else is out there and who cares about creating the perfect drop.
