What Makes Maker Coffee One of Australia's Most Respected Specialty Roasters

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TLDR

In 2015, on a quiet street in Richmond, Melbourne, a new coffee roastery began its journey. It was called Maker Coffee. It started not with grand statements or loud branding, but with clarity of purpose to roast and serve high-quality coffee with intention and care.

Today, Maker Coffee has grown to multiple locations across the city. From Richmond, where it all began, to South Yarra, Melbourne CBD, and Prahran, the brand has steadily built a name associated with quality, balance, and deep respect for the craft.

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Built on Craft, Grown with Precision

John and Stephanie Vroom, the couple behind Maker Coffee, opened their first café, Ora Specialty Coffee, in 2011. After a few years of sourcing and serving top-tier coffee, they chose to take full control of the process. In 2015, Maker Coffee opened its doors as a roastery and café in Richmond.

What followed was a slow but deliberate expansion. In 2020, South Yarra welcomed its Maker Coffee location at the Como Centre. A year later, Melbourne CBD joined the map, offering a peaceful, refined space for professionals and visitors alike. The latest addition in Prahran shows how the brand continues to grow without ever compromising what it stands for.

Every location offers something consistent — thoughtful interiors, an uncluttered layout, and teams that are both welcoming and deeply knowledgeable. You can sit with a coffee, ask about the beans, or focus quietly on work. These spaces are designed for comfort, without distraction.

Introducing the Select Series: A New Chapter in Quality

This year, Maker Coffee has brought back its Select Series; a carefully curated release that showcases some of the world’s most remarkable coffees. The first release in 2025 comes from the Las Flores farm in Huila, Colombia, where the Vergara brothers have developed a thoughtful approach to fermentation and harvesting.

The coffee is a hybrid variety called Tabi. What makes this release distinct is its precision. The cherries are picked intentionally just before full ripeness to prevent overwhelming fermentation. They are then sorted, washed using a controlled hypochlorite process to remove impurities, and finally oxidised for 48 hours before being traditionally washed.

This careful method produces a clean and layered cup, full of depth but free from overpowering flavors. It is an example of how Maker continues to evolve, bringing fresh and engaging experiences to those who value exceptional coffee.

The Select Series is not just about rare beans. It is also about highlighting process, origin, and the story behind each release. It invites coffee drinkers to explore something different, without needing to be an expert.

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