After establishing coffee houses in Sydney and Melbourne, specialty coffee roasters Industry Beans turned their attention to creating a cafe in Brisbane. Designed in conjunction with Platform by DesignOffice, the site hones in on the process of making coffee, with a number of facilities and amenities making a trip to the coffee shop more an experience as opposed to a formality for visitors.

After planning the flagship store for nearly three years, the company wanted to emphasise the journey from ‘crop to cup’. The cafe houses a café-style restaurant, coffee roastery, coffee greenhouse, training and education and functions space, making it the largest Industry Beans flagship out of the three, within a small footprint.

Since opening in late 2019, the cafe has received a warm welcome by the Brisbane community, with thousands of customers making their way to the coffee house throughout the day for all-day coffee and brunch. Industry Beans Co-founder, Trevor Simmons says he has been delighted with the response from Brisbane residents and coffee connoisseurs.

“It’s amazing to see our Brisbane flagship fully realised. It’s the first time we‘ve had the space to incorporate our genuine approach to the ‘crop to cup’ process into the one venue, from the greenhouse to the roastery, quality control lab, and café.”

Over the last five months, the café has been incredibly warmly received by the Brisbane community, with thousands of customers passing through its doors for all-day coffee and brunch. “The welcome from the coffee, café & restaurant communities in Brisbane has been incredibly warm, and we feel really proud of what we’ve achieved in the hospitality space,” says Trevor.

The venue itself has been designed specifically to showcase the journey of coffee in its entirety. From the coffee greenhouse, to the cupping & quality lab, to the roastery and coffee bar itself, they are all on display and can be viewed by patrons. The fit-out itself is congruent with Industry Beans’ overall look and feel, with Platform adopting a minimalist approach. Sleek and white and awash with natural light and careful detailing the interior is equally sleek and inviting. Platform has effectively translated the feel of the Melbourne and Sydney cafes to become distinctly Brisbane, through optimising and elevating elements of the brand’s existing retail language to create a new benchmark and enable operational efficacy. The double mezzanine, connecting bridge and spiral staircase offer a sense of scale, and naturally draw eyes to the coffee roasting and brewing.

A number of plantations feature both inside and out, with a full-grown tree planted inside the main dining room, and planting throughout both levels to bring the space together. In the greenhouse, several varieties of coffee plants grow.

“Industry Beans is always striving to be as transparent and accessible as possible, which we weave into everything we do in our cafes and roasteries. When we designed our Newstead venue, we ensured that these values were physically realised. Not only is our roastery completely accessible from the café floor, it can also be looked down on from an overhead bridge.”

The design of the roastery itself can be credited to Co-owners Steve and Trevor Simmons’ knowledge and learnings having already built two roasters in Melbourne. Working within the confines of a small space, and with the intention to create another Lean Manufacturing operation, they managed to fit all the requirements of a working coffee roastery into a 100sqm space.

A Loring S15 Falcon coffee roaster sits at the back of the roastery, but is still able to be seen by café-goers in order to provide a full view of the roasting process. Moving down the roastery is a packing area, storage and custom silos storing green beans. A small section of pallet racking completes the space.

Creating a space that puts the coffee roasting process on display, Platform and Industry Beans have designed a fresh, contemporary space that allows the coffee to be the headline act. Deservedly rewarded for their efforts, Industry Beans Newstead has just been shortlisted for the 2021 Australian Interior Design Awards, underlining the overall quality and feel of the space.

Industry Beans Newstead is open 7 days a week from 7am-3pm. To make a booking, click here.