Case Study: Industry Beans

Driven by a passion for great coffee.

Two brothers inspired by the coffee roasting industry founded Industry Beans in 2010 on a shoestring budget. Much like Cargo Crew, the business started in a garage, driven by passion and a desire to change an industry.

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The Brief

Industry Beans’ first location was in Fitzroy, launching the ultimate trilogy; a coffee roastery, cafe and brew bar, all under one roof. Their roasting business has boomed with daily roasting for their own cafes and supplying cafes across Australia.

When looking for a staff uniform, they wanted pieces that fit their minimalist aesthetic, while being hard wearing enough to stand up to the daily washing & coffee stains their jobs entailed.

Barista Uniforms

Our Henry Bib Apron in Pebble stepped up to the plate for Industry Beans baristas, kitchen & wait staff and is now being worn in all 4 of their locations.

Henry's lightweight fabric makes it perfect for keeping staff cool & looking professional in busy working environments. Made from Fight the Fade™️ fabric means the team can wash and wear their aprons over and over again without fading. 

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Roaster Uniforms

The team at Industry Bean's Fitzroy coffee roasting base got on board to road test our new Benji Bomber Jacket in 2019. Looking for a piece that would keep the crew warm and look great as they delivered coffee bean orders across Melbourne.

The Benji is their new go-to uniform piece where Sports lux meets functional design, giving the team full movement, breathability and style.

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We took 5 with Head Roaster, Olmer

Industry Beans head roaster sat down with us to answer a few questions about the coffee roasting industry in Melbourne.

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What’s the biggest lesson you wish you knew before you became a roaster?

That despite how much information you try to take in prior to doing it and however many rules you want to follow, it is never purely science and there is no substitute for experience.

What gets you leaping out of bed in the morning?

The excitement to get out of bed and put my new cargo crew jacket on

How many coffees do you drink a day?

It’s pretty hard to tell. I am constantly tasting different coffees throughout the day and I honestly spit the majority of it out so that I don’t over-load on caffeine and freak out, but I drink a lot…

What are people most surprised about when you tell them about roasting coffee?

I think that people are surprised with the extent to which we focus on the minute details, such as having three different temperature probes logging live data of a roast or measuring the colour of our ground coffee with an infrared photometer to make sure we don’t over or under roast it. It’s very specialised, very specific and that’s how we get such a delicious product.

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"It's cool I'd totally wear this outside of work" - on the Benji Bomber
Jules, Industry Beans Roaster

What’s your biggest pet-hate in the hospitality industry?

When people think that their taste makes them superior to someone else, or makes someone feel small for being new to something. Enjoying coffee isn’t a competition – it’s a pleasure and a privilege that everyone should be able to engage in.

What do you believe will be the biggest change to the industry in the next 5 years?

I think, and i hope that we will see a more diverse range of people working in the coffee industry and in particular more women.

I think that in the past it has unfortunately been a pretty male-dominated environment and i believe that every industry benefits from having every diversity of inputs. With the coffee industry it is already changing, but i hope that we will see more and more women empowered within the industry.

What advice would you offer someone wanting to get into the coffee roasting industry?

Just put yourself out there in the community and be confident about what you want, but always stay humble.

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