“WHAT is he thinking? What do we know about coffee, I mean really?”
Those were the first thoughts to cross Pamela Quennell’s mind when husband Geoff said he wanted to start roasting coffee.
Fast forward 14 years, and the Mildura couple are proud owners of award-winning coffee roasting business Coffee Que.
And they run it in the comfort of their home.
But starting a roastery from scratch didn’t come particularly easy for the couple, who are in their 70s.
Finding the perfect blend involved passion, determination and — of course — a great deal of coffee.
“It all started with our interest in coffee and Geoff’s interest in wanting to know how everything works,” Mrs Quennell said.
“He was intrigued about coffee roasting, so he got the ball rolling with a very small coffee roaster and we started experimenting with different beans from different countries.
“We started blending, putting some beans together that we thought would complement each other to make signature, or ‘our own’, blends.”
Mrs Quennell said the couple did not plan for the hobby to grow into a small business.
They started by taking some coffee along to a field day, where they “maybe sold four or five bags”.
“I thought, ‘Oh gosh, what are we doing’,” Mrs Quennell said.
“And then friends, family, a few customers came along and it just happened.”
In the past five years, Coffee Que has enjoyed a significant increase in sales with a number of local cafes on board as stockists.
Mrs Quennell said it was important for local businesses to support each other, particularly given the tough times of COVID-19.
The couple roast anywhere between two to three times a week.
They have three blends under their brand, including the popular Murray Gold, Rio Vista and Mallee Cafe, as well as three single-origin blends, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Indian Tiger.
All are different strengths and flavours.
“We usually do at least about 60kg of beans on a day of the Murray Gold,” Mrs Quennell said.
“And we do it as 10kg lots in the roaster.”
Beans are placed in the roaster for 12 to 14 minutes. Timing is crucial when it comes to perfecting the taste.
“When you hear the cracking of the beans,” Mrs Quennell said. “But you have to turn down the temperature and then make sure you drop those beans before they become burnt or bitter.
“Then we bag the beans, but we don’t seal them, we bag them ready to sell.
“You don’t seal them until about 24 hours later, when all the gases come off the beans and then you seal them and they are ready for sale.”
Murray Gold, the most popular blend, was “really good” as a milk-based coffee, including cappuccino and latte.
“Murray Gold is what we say is a good, all-round coffee bean for any of those processors through the espresso machine,” Mr Quennell said.
“It is rich, it is full-bodied and it leaves a lovely, pleasant taste in your mouth afterwards.”
So, how do Mr and Mrs Quennell know what makes the perfect blend? Trust, taste, trial and error.
Trust, that is, in selected friends and family, who “really, really” love coffee.
“We used to have what they call blind tastings, so we would have a group of friends over and we would make them some coffees at home,” Mrs Quennell said.
“Geoff and I would have a number on it, so No.1 would be Murray Gold, which we were trying to get right.
“We were just giving them little sips of each and would say, ‘Write down what you think’.
“It was just through offering it to friends, family over a period of time and landing on the one that was suitable to most people’s taste.
“If they said, ‘It’s not quite rich enough’, we would think ‘Righto, we will add some more Papua New Guinea into it or Brazil to give it more body’.
“It was trial and error until we got it right.”
As the Quennells’ confidence in their brand and coffee grew, they decided to enter a coffee-roasting competition in Tasmania.
They have since collected nine medals, a mixture of silver and bronze.
“Points are divided over the strength of the coffee, the aroma, how it dealt with milk and so on,” Mrs Quennell said.
“You then learn from what they are telling you, whether your coffee is good or where it is lacking.
“Then you look at improving in those areas.”
Mr and Mrs Quennell have been approached by people offering to buy the business, but aren’t ready to give up their dream.
“We just love doing what we are doing and it is manageable,” Mrs Quennell said.
Mrs Quennell admits the couple could talk about coffee all day.
“We just love doing what we do, it is our interest, hobby and passion,” she said.
“Coffee is a good social talking point and that’s what it is all about — the interaction with people.”
Rhere is also a sense of achievement in what they are producing.
“It is a good feeling when you know that people like, love and appreciate what you are doing,” she said. “The feedback when you are told, ‘Oh, I love your coffee’.
“Especially after the farmers’ market, you get travellers who purchase your coffee and then ring or email you and say, ‘Loved your coffee’ — it just makes you feel good.”
