Tess Marlow
Co-founder · Front of houseKnows roughly four hundred coffee orders by heart and will remember yours by Thursday.
since 2017
A café we wanted to sit in.
No investors, no second location, no plans for world domination. Just a lane, a roaster and a lot of regulars.
the old print workshop, 2017
How it started
Tess was managing a café in Carlton. Jun was roasting coffee in his garage and selling it at markets. They met over a bad flat white and agreed they could do better.
They found an empty print workshop on Gertrude Lane, borrowed a van, and spent four months sanding floors. The original letterpress drawers are still behind the counter, holding teaspoons.
We opened in the winter of 2017 with eleven seats and one grinder. Today there are sixty seats, a courtyard and a team of fourteen, and Jun still roasts every bean himself.
three things we care about
How we do things
One
Make it here
Syrups, pickles, pastry, granola. If we can make it ourselves, we do.
Two
Buy it close
Most of what is on your plate travelled less than a hundred kilometres to get there.
Three
Never rush anyone
No time limits on tables. Bring a book. Bring the dog. Stay.
the humans
Who you will meet
Jun Fig-Tanaka
Co-founder · Head roasterRoasts on Tuesdays and Fridays, runs cupping night, and has opinions about water.
Mariam Aziz
Head chef & bakerIn at 4am laminating croissants. The hotcakes were her idea, and so is the fig syrup.
credit where it is due
Our suppliers
- Bread — Gertrude Street Bakehouse, two doors down
- Eggs — Free-range, from a family farm in Gippsland
- Milk — Single-herd dairy in the Yarra Valley
- Produce — Collingwood growers’ market, twice a week
- Coffee — Four farms in Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia
- Ceramics — Thrown by a potter in Brunswick
enough about us
Come in for a coffee.
We are open seven days, and the first babyccino is always free.
Plan your visit