Joe Molloy: Coffee Insurrection Hero Chapter #45

Published by Tanya in Coffee Insurrection Hero · 5 March 2022
Tags: Joe_Molloy, Interview, Melbourne, Rumble_Coffee_Roasters

1- Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, where do you work and what’s your job.

I’m Joe Molloy from Rumble Coffee Roasters in Melbourne. I co-own the business and look after sales and marketing. I’ve been in coffee for over twenty years with many of those spent as a barista and owner/operator of cafes, espresso bar and coffee carts.

2- When and why did coffee become important to you?

I started making coffee at a kebab shop in Wellington, New Zealand in 1998. The owner let me make coffee for him and myself every day until I was good enough to serve to customers. It took months! Coffee was just taking off in New Zealand and it fascinated me.

3- Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?

I was working for one of Wellington’s first specialty coffee companies (shoutout to Fuel Espresso) and of my workmates made me an espresso that I still remember. It was balanced and sweet and completely delicious. I had only just started drinking black coffee and this shot opened my eyes to the possibilities.

4- What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?

The first long espresso of my day when I get to the roastery is always a joy. Then I get to talk to people about coffee and cafes all day and help them to set them up. It’s an amazing job.

5- What’s your favorite brewing method and why?

I love the simplicity and ease of the Aeropress. You almost can’t make a bad coffee with them and I’ve given one to all of my family.

6- Which is the best coffee you ever tasted?

I remember the first time I had an Ethiopian Yirgcheffe Natural and it blew me away. It was the classic fruit bomb that all baristas fall in love with.

7- Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?

If I had to choose only one (and I’d be upset about being constrained) it would be Colombia. The breadth and depth of Colombian coffee is phenomenal. They’ve always produced delicious, clean, juicy washed coffees which I love but are now branching out into excellent natural and other processes. If you had to, you could only drink coffee from Colombia and still have a wide range of profiles and flavours.

8- Suggest us a roastery to check (not the one you working at/you use at work).

I love the coffee from Market Lane here in Melbourne. They buy fantastic, ethically traded coffees and roast them perfectly.

9- What’s the most important things you’ve learnt while working in the business?

Keep learning and you’ll keep enjoying what you do. When the learning stops, your enjoyment of the job is not far behind.

10- How your work and the specialty coffee world are coping with Covid and the new challenges for hospitality?

The last two years have been the most challenging I can remember but also some of the most exciting. Guiding your business through a challenge like a pandemic and seeing it survive and then thrive is rewarding.

We’ve done our best to help our wholesale cafe partners get through the ups and downs. Here in Melbourne, we spent many months in lockdown and for many people, the highlight of their day was getting a coffee on their daily walk. This led to an increased appreciation for small businesses and what they bring to our communities.

11- How do you see the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?

The quality of coffee keeps getting better and I hope we can see more of the benefits flow down the supply chain to the growers.

On the cafe side, I see a huge wave of automation coming to take many of the repetitive tasks away from the barista, leaving them more time to focus on the customer and the coffee. Don’t feel threatened by machines but welcome how they can help us improve.

12- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still in coffee, hopefully travelling to see more of the coffee-growing world.

13- Any last word? Any tip or suggestion you wanna share with someone that wants to start this path?

I had a realization about five years into my coffee career that it actually could be a career and I could follow wherever my interests led me within the world of coffee. That took me from the coffee machine to cafe management to roasting and now running and growing our wholesale coffee business. There are so many different opportunities available in the coffee industry but you often need to forge your own path. Follow your interests, keep learning and drinking delicious coffee.