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exhibit • attend • Learn • live demonstrations • workshops world famous baristas • latte art • product testing new innovations for cafe • taste, test, purchase
23-24 may 2015
Brisbane convention & Exhibition Centre www.cafeculture.com/cafe-biz
OVERALL FRANCHISE/CHAIN WINNER
M
MUFFIN BREAK
uffin Break is, and always has been,
travels annually, including a recent trip to Brazil,
which are growing at an exceedingly fast rate.
prided on a commitment to quality
visiting farms and co-ops at origin, ensuring
Coffee is an extremely competitive market, and
and freshness. We began as a
Muffin Break’s signature components are of the
we are constantly monitoring developments
bakery-café back in 1989, baking
finest quality. Jeremy is continuously undergoing
in our category. To grow our market share we
fresh, wholesome products on-site while serving
research and development to ensure Muffin
have ensured that we are constantly evolving
customers our premium coffee blend. It’s a brand
Break is ahead of the curve in relation to the
and staying relevant, while also staying true
that is intrinsically wholesome and authentic,
latest market trends.
to our heartland and brand values. Our recent
with real ingredients used in our products
Coffee is in Muffin Break’s DNA and is the
brand evolution is only the start. We have a
that are freshly made on-site every day by our
driver for around half of sales today. Muffin
fantastic loyalty scheme and the best coffee card
passionate people. We’ve grown to 280 stores
Break’s coffee blend is sourced from five origins
in Australia - all of our loyalty members receive
both domestically and internationally and are this
and largely designed to suit a milk-based coffee,
every fifth coffee free.
year celebrating Muffin Break’s 25th anniversary.
but also produces an excellent espresso. These
In February 2013, Muffin Break broke the
Last year Muffin Break began rolling-out a
beans are exclusively blended, roasted and
industry-wide trend of charging more for soy
newly-baked vision to reinvigorate the iconic
packaged by Jahnus, using state-of-the-art
milk, scrapping the surcharge imposed by most
Australian-owned and operated franchise brand,
facilities at the Bean Alliance roast facility in
coffee chains and independents which typically
marking a new era for Muffin Break, one with
Victoria to ensure every cup of Muffin Break
charge consumers 60 cents more per soy cup of
greater interaction between bakers, baristas and
coffee is perfectly balanced.
coffee.
Muffin Break customers. Our brand reinvigoration
Muffin Break’s baristas receive continuous
“With our “no extra charge for soy” promise,
has seen us develop our menu items to include
training to ensure they extract the perfect shot
Muffin Break raised the bar in support of soy
light-meal options, as well as revamp our store
of coffee topped with a golden crema every
drinkers and I am so proud our brand is in such
designs so customers see more of Muffin Break’s
time. All franchisees entering the Muffin Break
a strong position that we were able to do so,”
trained bakers and baristas in their element as
system undergo specialist training. Training
said Muffin Break Marketing Manager Gemma
they “Bake Every Day and Grind Every Cup”.
and assessment is ongoing throughout their
Fitzsimons.
The Muffin Break franchise brand is owned
ownership, and all Muffin Break barista training
Ms Fitzsimons said its recent Golden
by the Foodco Group, which also owns and
is recognised as accredited training under
Bean accolades are the result of a consistent
exclusively uses Jahnus Specialty Coffee, run
the national framework within the hospitality
commitment to quality by the Muffin Break team.
under the leadership of Head Coffee Roaster,
certificate stream.
Jeremy Regan. Jeremy has been in the coffee
Training and development is a key priority, as
“To not only be acknowledged but named an Overall Champion in the world’s largest
industry for 17 years, 10 years in the UK. He’s
are events such as the annual Foodco Barista
competition for coffee roasters is a significant
also worked with the Specialty Coffee Association
Competition, in which Muffin Break baristas
and well-deserved tribute to the unrelenting
of Europe and is an accredited world judge. His
from across Australia compete for the title
commitment to quality by the Muffin Break team.
skills have allowed Jeremy the opportunity to
of Muffin Break Champion Barista, with the
judge throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. He
winner going on to compete at external coffee
who constantly fine-tunes the Muffin Break
is currently Secretary of the Australian Specialty
chain competitions, such as the Melbourne
signature blend, to the café baristas who ensure
Coffee Association (ASCA).
International Coffee Expo (MICE).
each cup is served to the highest standard, I
As Head Coffee Roaster, Jeremy’s role
We have a broad range of competitors within
“From our Head Coffee Roaster Jeremy Regan,
am truly delighted with this recognition of a
involves quality assurance, cupping coffees, and
the coffee chain franchise category, as well as
very deserving and dedicated team,” said Ms
overseeing the entire roasting process. Jeremy
increasingly from independent coffee shops,
Fitzsimons.
47.
GEN 1
unusual. There was this incredible machine for sale in Innisfail, Far North QLD - made of brass, copper and timber - it had been salvaged out of a disused Sugar Mill and was strapped to a pallet. It looked like it weighed a ton. The seller’s only other merchandise was tractor parts and machinery. It looked completely hand built. Of course, we bought it and shipped it down the coast to Kingscliff. The machine required some restoration, and we set about getting it working - pumps, regulators, pressure testing, balancing, electrics. Finally Sam installed the machine is his bookshop in Kingscliff and began offering customers coffee. The machine was a complete jaw-dropper and everyone who saw it had to ask the question what, how, and why? Eventually, he got so sick of telling people the story, that he wrote it up on a sheet of A3 paper and stuck it to the wall. Sam fell in love with the machine and began to concentrate on offering coffee. In a small section of the shop he set up a café, where he offered an exceptional coffee. The machine made excellent coffee; however, there was the issue of volume. With only two group heads and an unusual pump and boiler configuration, the extraction process was time consuming. The machine just couldn’t pump out the coffee like a modern commercial set up. As the holiday season approached, we began
discussing that another machine was necessary to act as a back up and standby for the enormous volume of coffee that was shortly to be sold. GEN. 2 (THE BESPOKE MACHINE) I began the hunt for a reliable old machine that I could quickly modify to stand alongside our Gen. 1 machine. I bought a Cimbali machine locally and began stripping it down for reconditioning. As I began disassembling the machine, it was evident of how dirty it had become. It took 12 weeks of thorough cleaning and replacing worn parts. In the process, certain things just didn’t make sense - the electronics were too complicated, too much to possibly go wrong, and there was so much unnecessary dressing. I am not a fan of the dosage control on most modern machines; simply put, the dosage control allows for consistent extraction when a person lacking the knowledge of espresso extraction operates the machine. So, I got rid of the dosage control and replaced it with a simple on/off switch. To do this required replacing the rather complicated circuit board (computer) with a simple and conventional Gicar auto-fill control box, and a new Hager 25A Contactor combined with a couple of 10A relays. There is now a simple control over water and pressure levels within the boiler. I began to redesign the external part of the
machine. I wanted to create something similar to the Gen 1., and at the same time completely unique. Having stripped the machine to its skeleton, it made sense to expose all the copper pipes surrounding the group heads, because they look like old images of espresso machines. I also discovered that the group heads were chrome-covered brass, so I had them polished to reveal the brass. I decided to use more copper sheet and copper pipe to draw attention to the group heads’ character. To encase the back of the machine, I chose to use wood and make it look like an over turned wine barrel (wood and copper look good together). On further scavenging expeditions I found a large pressure gauge and an old voltmeter that now jut up out of the barrel. A few other little bits for handles, and here it is - in September 2014 I have now completed the Bespoke Machine. So many people in Australia love coffee. Home espresso machines, hundreds of varieties of coffee beans, boutique roasters, the science of heating milk, and on it goes. I am interested in creating a bespoke coffee experience - something unusual, individual, and hand-made, making the espresso machine a collectable artefact. I have now begun designing the Generation 3 machine.
IMAGE SUPPLIED BY MAJORS GROUP
77.
THERE ARE WAYS OF RECOGNISING GOOD QUALITY GELATO. WHEN PURCHASING GELATO, LOOK FOR PRODUCTS THAT ARE FRESH, NOT TOO AIRY AND DON’T LOOK ARTIFICIALLY COLOURED. searching for 16 finalists to compete at the world final in Rimini, which took place in September. The overall winner of this competition was a gelateria in Sydney Australia, Cow and the Moon. Interestingly, they worked closely with Single Origin Roasters to identify a specific Kenyan coffee to add to their competition flavour “Mandorla Affogato” (Almond Affogato). The history of gelato dates back to BC time, with the consumption of snow mixed with sugar syrup “shrb”, and in the 16th Century ice was used as the base for a cold dessert or refreshment and flavoured with sugar, spice essences, herbs, vegetable juices and even wine. It was and still is today named sorbet or “sorbetto” and was mainly enjoyed by royals, monasteries and the rich. Thanks to a Sicilian chef, Francesco Procopio Cuto, he transformed this basic formula, with the addition of other ingredients to create a frozen creamy product called gelato. Evolution also saw the influence of technology and equipment that combined the ingredients to be churned and chilled by machines. Gelato is gelato to the Italians, and the word does not translate to ice cream; they are two different products. The main differences between artisan gelato and ice cream are: Gelato is made fresh daily with raw ingredients like milk, cream, chocolate, cocoa, fresh fruit, eggs, and nuts; Gelato contains less fat and air than ice cream; It is served at a slightly warmer temperature (-14 Celsius) which heightens flavour and taste perception; Gelato is only shelf stable for 2-3 days and not intended to be packaged for 6 months; And the best gelato is free from artificial colourings and additives. The key composition of artisan gelato is liquid, solids and air and the balance of these to achieve
the best tasting, textured and flavoured product. This is not an easy process, and too often gelato is too sweet, melts too quickly, lacks flavour and taste, and has ice crystals in the finished product. These are all recipe and process imbalances. It takes a professional gelatiere to formulate the recipe and produce artisan gelato. A great gelato is composed of a taste that is specific and real. For example, hazelnut gelato is made with real hazelnuts and pastes, a texture that is smooth, creamy and uniform and a structure that is spreadable and can be scooped. Temperature also plays an important role in artisan gelato. Most display freezer cabinets are set at -12 to -14 Celsius; this assists with the spreadable texture and scooping ability, whereas a bulk freezer can store frozen goods at -18 Celsius, which is a little too cold for artisan gelato. A gelato base mixture takes time to prepare and it must be pasteurised and aged slightly for up to 12 - 48 hours. The base mixtures are stored in refrigerated units until churning and production time. Pasteurisation is important for killing any bacteria, and it blends and dissolves all the ingredients to enhance the performance of flavour combining. It assists texture of the gelato by breaking down proteins and fats and melting the sugars. There are ways of recognising good quality gelato. When purchasing gelato, look for products that are fresh, not too airy and don’t look artificially coloured. Pistachio gelato is one of the more expensive flavours to produce, as the nuts themselves are very expensive. It’s common to get a variation of flavour, taste and appearance. Pistachio gelato should have a browny-green colour and not be bright green like Kermit the frog. A bright or artificial green may indicate an inferior product was used in the process with lots of food colouring. It also means that less authentic
pistachio paste was used and more a composite of artificial pistachio flavouring. Also, pistachios are sourced from various growing regions and can taste a little different. This is also common in hazelnut or “nocciola” gelato. Just one week of the course covered enough information and practical experience to begin working in a gelato laboratory. It was very difficult to leave the gelato university - filled with smiling faces, staff, students and associates always happy because they eat gelato every day and their working lives revolve around gelato. Next year Angela Tsimiklis, head of Patisserie at William Angliss Institute (WAI) will be travelling to CGU to complete the four week training program, with plans to incorporate gelato education and training in existing Patisserie and Commercial Cookery programs. In the future, WAI and CGU plan to establish professional artisan gelato training in Australia. I look forward to returning to Italy next year to complete the remaining weeks of the course and to walk around the “piazza” eating gelato. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Bologna, CGU has a “Gelato Museum” that showcases the history of gelato and equipment. It is the only one of its kind in the world and is open to the public. Tours are available all year round for a small fee and conclude with samples and tastings of freshly made gelato. And finally, always remember gelato is gelato, not ice cream, and “gelati” just means more than one gelato! DETAILS
Carpigiani Gelato Museum www.gelatomuseum.com/en Credits: William Angliss Institute www.angliss.edu.au Carpigiani Gelato University and Gelato Museum www.gelatouniversity.com/en