Red Bean Coffee
Roasters Melbourne

About Lou, Laura and Red Bean Coffee

We began our love affair with coffee when we started roasting coffee at home in Melbourne. We used a small roaster, working in batches of 300 grams at a time. We had never owned a cafe before Red Bean, but after attending Melbourne Farmers’ Markets in 2009 to sell our beans, we were convinced this was a journey we had to begin.

We first opened Red Bean when we were living locally in Thornbury, though we now live further out and closer to bushland and raw nature. This part of Melbourne is still close to our hearts and it feels like our home and our community.

We knew that our coffee had to be of the highest quality and must also be sourced ethically. Ensuring that farmers are paid fairly and treated respectfully, and that land and wildlife are not compromised in the provision of beans is our utmost priority.

We don’t stop researching and asking questions. This means we are growing our knowledge all the time and this desire to know more informs how we treat our staff and our customers. We assume you want to know about the coffee and the industry your dollars are supporting. We want to have the answers for any questions you come to us with.

We source our coffee from suppliers who are transparent about their supply chain, including H.A. Bennetts, Minas Hill Coffee, Cofinet and First Crop. We’re hoping to travel soon to visit the farmers and the land our beans are sourced from, though we have met farmers when they travel to Victoria for festivals or when they attend the Preston cafe along with our suppliers.

We have a staff of 12 and we’re so fortunate to work with people who care about the same values: working towards a happy, healthy, united community locally and a sustainable, respectful approach to the planet and all our natural resources.

What does Rainforest Alliance accreditation mean?

The rainforest alliance organisation supports and assists farmers in their farming practices which are sustainable and supports the conservation of the land. Rainforest alliance are committed to assisting the farmers in providing schooling, medical and support a social standard. Rain Forest Alliance and UTZ have joined forces for greater impact. Fair Trade are doing amazing work, however we do some fair trade coffee on the odd occasion, but we chose to use Rainforest Alliance coffee because of their focus on sustainable farming and conservation. 

What should wholesale customers know?

Lou is always available to visit wholesale customers. All our customers are with us because of our ethos. Through building good relationships, Lou supports and assists wholesale customers with regular visits and discussing any possible concerns or issues they may have with their espresso machines and or coffee extraction and queries from baristas. 

Mountain Peak or Lady Red blends are the most popular blends, with the new addition of La Hammonia. Our blends are better suited to milk based coffee and single origin as espresso, however our roasting style can also be used in various brewing methods. This is all based on consumers taste.