Wayne Silva watches the freshly roasted beans after they turn from their raw, olive-green colour to a dark brown.
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
GOOD coffee is making its mark on the Yarra Valley with a Warburton roaster bringing home national medals for its enticing flavours.
Wayne and Cleo Silva entered the CSR Golden Bean 2011/2012 coffee competition, held annually in Queensland each December, and came out in the top 10 twice out of more than 1000 entries.
They were awarded with a bronze medal in the Espresso category for their Tejaswini Blend and another bronze in the Australian category with the Australian Bundja.
Cleo said it didn’t take long before a fun hobby became a full-time business, with their Warburton shed converted into a roasting room.
“We stared in April 2010. My husband is an electronic technician, so we had the cross between being interested in food and produce, and having the technical knowledge to modify the machine,” she said.
“We got more involved in home roasting machines and then started selling to friends and family and getting really good feedback.”
Cleo said after a few trial runs at local markets and a mobile cart at the Oxfam Trail Walker event, they decided to be serious and go commercial.
“We are trying to aim for the market that wants good quality, freshly roasted beans,” she said.
“Tourists are really interested in the local area and it (locally roasted beans) creates a relationship and a point of difference.
“People are getting fussy about coffee and there’s a big interest in smaller roasters.”
The beans are bought wholesale in Melbourne, from as far away as Ethiopia, Indonesia, Peru and even closer to home within Australia.
Wayne said the beans had different “profiles”, or methods of roasting. Some require a lower temperature, while others like the Ethiopian “you give ’em hell”.
Cleo said the competition featured a variety of roasters from the bigger companies to small boutique roasters like themselves.
“We had to send a sample of beans for a blind test…they were looking at the flavor, aroma, body and texture,” she said.
Yarra Valley shops offering the Silva Coffee beans include the Warburton Pantry, Bulong Estate, Woori Yallock pizza shop, the Valley Xpresso coffee van and the Artist’s Lounge, Barrique wine store and Essenza in Healesville.
