beanscenemag.com.au 43DESIGN FEATURE
Clark St Coffee has designed an open and immersive coffee
experience at its Richmond roastery.
C
lark St Coffee Roasters
operates an espresso bar on
Crown Street in Richmond,
Victoria that’s more coffee
lab than café. The fit out,
designed by architect Dion Hall, makes
good use of galvanised steel, taking
inspiration from the materials used in the
roasting facility.
“By drawing these materials into the
customer space, a clear connection and
relationship between both [the bar and
roastery] is formed,” Dion says.
“[Clark St Founder Melissa Floreani]
and I never refer to the venue as a café.
It is a hybrid of a roastery, educational
space, coffee testing lab, and training
centre that opens its doors to the
general public for the simple pleasure of
consuming coffee.”
Melissa says Clark St contrasts this cold
steel backdrop with saddled leather seating
on its bleachers, timber serving trays from
wood maker Hugh Makin, and ceramic
pottery made using coffee chaff from
Melbourne artist Shari Lowndes.
“All of the touch points for customers,
have a warmth to them,” Melissa says.
“We wanted to create an almost cellar-
door experience. It invites people to
behave differently because it’s so open.
They’re encouraged to look around and
observe the space.”
Customers can watch coffee be roasted
through the glass panelling that separates
the bar from the roastery. Melissa says the
audience almost forgets the glass goes both
ways.
“There’s a sense of voyeurism to it. You
can stand at the window, look through it,
and feel like the roasting team can’t see
you watching on the other side,” she says.
“We see people make the journey here
specifically for the coffee and to enjoy
the space. A lot of them order pour over,
because they’re well educated coffee
drinkers and are seeking out places that
strive for excellence in their coffee.”However, visitors can do more than
just watch the action. The espresso bar
includes full access to a training station and
cupping table, where Clark St operates its
own quality control processes.
“People will watch our quality control
happen throughout the week, become
interested, and come in for a cupping
themselves. Every second Saturday, we run
a public cupping or masterclass in coffee
extraction here at the bar,” Melissa says.
“It’s such a versatile space. We talk to
a number of green coffee importers and
producers and offer to host their events
here. It’s amazing how many have taken
us up on that already.”
The openness of the venue is shared
with Clark St’s wholesale customers,
who benefit from unencumbered access
to the workings of the roastery. New
cafés are also able to have their equipment
calibrated and staff trained onsite prior to
opening.
“Our customers are very well educated
in coffee. They’re looking for a high-endcoffee solution for their cafés because
they’re putting so much effort into their
food and fitout, and the coffee needs
to match,” Melissa says.
“We walk them through the roastery,
so they know what coffee we’re using, the
producers who supply our coffee, and can
truly understand our process. That gives
them a lot of confidence in the quality
of the coffee.”
Melissa says transparency is a core
value of Clark St Coffee and the Crown
Street coffee lab embodies this.
“The space works well for us because
the bar and transparency provide a high
level of quality control. That feedback
loops back through to the roastery,”
she says.
“Clark St Coffee and this space have
been designed to share the parts of
coffee that we love.”For more information, visit
http://www.clarkst.coffee or call
(03) 9428 3229Through the
looking glass
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Clark St Coffee has designed an open and immersive coffee
experience at its Richmond roastery.
C
lark St CoffeeRoasters
operates anespressobaron
Crown Streetin Richmond,
Victoria that’smorecoffee
lab than café.Thefit out,
designed by architect DionHall,makes
good use of galvanised steel,taking
inspiration from the materialsusedin the
roasting facility.
“By drawing these materialsintothe
customer space, a clear connectionand
relationship between both[thebarand
roastery] is formed,” Dionsays.
“[Clark St Founder MelissaFloreani]
and I never refer to the venueasa café.
It is a hybrid of a roastery,educational
space, coffee testing lab,andtraining
centre that opens its doorsto the
general public for the simplepleasureof
consuming coffee.”
Melissa says Clark Stcontraststhiscold
steel backdrop with saddledleatherseating
on its bleachers, timber servingtraysfrom
wood maker Hugh Makin,andceramic
pottery made using coffeechafffrom
Melbourne artist Shari Lowndes.
“All of the touch pointsforcustomers,
have a warmth to them,”Melissasays.
“We wanted to create analmostcellar-
door experience. It invitespeopleto
behave differently becauseit’ssoopen.
They’re encouraged to lookaroundand
observe the space.”
Customers can watchcoffeeberoasted
through the glass panellingthatseparates
the bar from the roastery.Melissasaysthe
audience almost forgets theglassgoesboth
ways.
“There’s a sense of voyeurismto it. You
can stand at the window,lookthroughit,
and feel like the roastingteamcan’tsee
you watching on the otherside,”shesays.
“We see people makethejourneyhere
specifically for the coffeeandto enjoy
the space. A lot of them orderpourover,
because they’re well educatedcoffee
drinkers and are seekingoutplacesthat
strive for excellence in theircoffee.”
However,visitorscandomorethan
justwatchtheaction.Theespressobar
includesfullaccessto a trainingstationand
cuppingtable,whereClarkSt operatesits
ownqualitycontrolprocesses.
“Peoplewillwatchourqualitycontrol
happenthroughouttheweek,become
interested,andcomein fora cupping
themselves.EverysecondSaturday,werun
a publiccuppingormasterclassin coffee
extractionhereat thebar,”Melissasays.
“It’ssucha versatilespace.Wetalkto
a numberof greencoffeeimportersand
producersandofferto hosttheirevents
here.It’samazinghowmanyhavetaken
usuponthatalready.”
Theopennessof thevenueis shared
withClarkSt’swholesalecustomers,
whobenefitfromunencumberedaccess
to theworkingsof theroastery.New
cafésarealsoableto havetheirequipment
calibratedandstafftrainedonsitepriorto
opening.
“Ourcustomersareverywelleducated
in coffee.They’relookingfora high-endcoffeesolutionfortheircafésbecause
they’reputtingsomucheffortinto their
foodandfitout,andthecoffeeneeds
to match,”Melissasays.
“Wewalkthemthroughtheroastery,
sotheyknowwhatcoffeewe’re using, the
producerswhosupplyourcoffee, and can
trulyunderstandourprocess.That gives
thema lotof confidencein thequality
of thecoffee.”
Melissasaystransparencyis a core
valueof ClarkSt Coffeeandthe Crown
Streetcoffeelabembodiesthis.
“Thespaceworkswellforus because
thebarandtransparencyprovide a high
levelof qualitycontrol.Thatfeedback
loopsbackthroughto theroastery,”
shesays.
“ClarkSt Coffeeandthisspace have
beendesignedto sharetheparts of
coffeethatwelove.”For more information, visit
http://www.clarkst.coffee or call
(03) 9428 3229Through the
looking glass
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visi orsa lliss icc cc ooffe xprri.