Plant-Based, Purpose-Built

We sat down with David Tyack, the managing director of Vitasoy, to dive into the world of plant-based milk and its exciting developments. Vitasoy, a global plant milk producer with over 80 years of experience, has been making waves in Australia for the past two decades. But according to David Tyack, plant milk is far from static.

It’s a rapidly evolving beast, and even more so in the context of coffee,” Tyack said.

Over the past five years, we’ve witnessed monumental shifts in the market, starting with the almond milk explosion and now the rise of oat milk, accompanied by an influx of new brands. In light of these changes, Vitasoy is determined not to remain stagnant. They are ensuring that their product offerings and propositions align with the times.

Vitasoy is extending its product range and introducing the new Barista's Choice range to cater to the evolving market. This expansion includes a complete overhaul of their brand proposition and an enhanced oat milk recipe.

Vitasoy has always been driven by the goal of making positive contributions to society. Regarding their café portfolio, the challenge is ensuring that their proposition truly reflects their values and propels them toward becoming a purpose-led brand.

Barista’s Choice by Vitasoy is a testament to their commitment to championing sustainable practices. Through this initiative, they aim to drive transformational change in the coffee market while communicating their unique brand purpose to café owners, baristas, and coffee lovers alike.

“We want to show the industry how the simple act of choosing Vitasoy helps contribute to growing a better community, supporting farmers and agriculture, delivering incremental steps towards a more sustainable future, and giving something back to society,” Tyack explained.

Since 2009, Vitasoy Australia has been 100 percent owned by Vitasoy International. Tyack noted that a lot has changed since then, and the relationship between plant milk and coffee is a journey that requires significant focus.

As the industry's and consumers’ demands have evolved, so has Vitasoy’s approach to ingredients, processing, and packaging. They've been converting the finest Australian ingredients into delicious products at their manufacturing site in Wodonga, Victoria, since 2001. What started as a relatively small facility with a capacity of around 10 million litres per year has now grown to 70 million litres per year. The company is even looking to invest in further capacity expansion to meet the growing marketplace’s needs in the future.

Vitasoy has embraced sustainable practices by implementing positive measures in the packaging of its Barista’s Choice range. They know that packaging and environmental impact are significant concerns for conscious consumers and businesses. People increasingly demand action to reduce waste and minimise the consumption of Earth's resources.

To address these concerns, Vitasoy’s milk cartons are now made with bio-based Tetra Pak Craft paper sourced from 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources. These changes result in a pack made from 85 percent renewable materials and deliver a 17 percent reduction in carbon emissions, as certified by the climate change advisory firm Carbon Trust.

Vitasoy has partnered with the Mulloon Institute, a not-for-profit research, education, and advocacy organisation, in a remarkable collaboration. Their joint efforts aim to study how Australian land can become more resilient to climate extremes. Vitasoy has pledged $1,250,000 over the next five years to support the Mulloon Institute’s work in rehydrating catchments and restoring thousands of hectares of land.

According to Tyack, the industry has only scratched the surface of what plant milk and plant-based products can do for people’s health, wellbeing, and the planet. Vitasoy is fully committed to driving this movement forward.

“We know that new entrants into the market don't just bring increased competition but can also raise the bar on taste and performance, and that's a good thing. It’s what motivates Vitasoy to strive for excellence and maintain our position as leaders in the plant-based movement. We’re delivering the best Australasiangrown milks to match the worldclass quality of the coffee scene.”

“We’ll continue to push the boundaries of taste and performance, championing local producers and supporting communities. We believe this approach will keep us on the cutting edge for many years to come. We’re always keeping an eye on the future, and we can definitely say there are many more exciting years ahead in the world of plant-based milk.”

For more information, visit vitasoy.com.au.

Gerrick Numan DIRECTOR, MILLÉ

Gerrick Numan, Director of Mille´, began his career working in restaurants, cafes and bars through high school and university in his early 20s. While Numan was in Melbourne in his mid-20s, he designed, opened, and operated four venues in four years before realising I liked designing venues more than operating them.

Iretrained and worked my way up through another hospitality interior design company until opening Millé,” shared Numan.

Numan described that he would have approximately 25 hospitality interior and graphic design projects daily at one time. These projects can be in various completion stages, from initial concept stages to developed design, building consent, detailed design and construction.

The Director stated that each week begins with a team catch-up, where everyone is given transparency about where everyone is at, after which the team collaborates on solutions and sets deliverables together.

Numan shared that his love for hospitality drew him into the industry, coupled with the importance of restaurants, cafes, and bars to society.

“They are the heartbeat of our cities. They bring people together or give us time to recharge alone. I've always loved the atmosphere of a good venue, ever since I was a child.”

The design for the Numan begins as a close collaboration with the clients, with the Director stating that his and his team's role was bringing the client's dreams to life. Numan takes pride in transparency with his clients, whether it comes to fees or time spent on each stage, giving clients insights into how the company gets from an empty site to a finished venue.

This process starts with Numan uncovering the client's thoughts, dreams, values, inspiration, target market, and competition. From this process, the team creates a 3D model.

“Then we work quickly and closely with them to play around with layout ideas until we have the perfect layout that balances the customer experience with operational efficiency.”

Once the layout is locked in, the team develops the initial interior design and branding concepts based on the client's brief, inspiration and our depth of experience. Following this, the team applies these concepts to the 3D model, selecting colours, textures, materials, furniture, lighting, flooring, and everything, layered with branding, to create a whole 3D digital experience of what the final venue will look like.

“Once the client loves the final product, we move to the technical stages.”

This includes engagements with various engineers, including fire, mechanical, hydraulic, and structural, as required, after which a set of drawings for building consent are produced.

Numan stated that inspiration for each product is from the client's dreams and vision for their projects, with Numan and his team helping clients bring their ideas to life. However, the most challenging places to create and design were in the fit-out of malls or other large precincts as they require more people to review and sign off.

The director shared that the company’s point of difference compared to others in design for hospitality was to do with the team's proven indepth knowledge and experience in hospitality operations. Numan revealed that all his staff had spent years working in hospitality. He stated that this helped the company and the team to connect with and understand its clients and design for its success instead of just designing for design's sake.

The director's proudest achievement within the industry was the team he as at Millé. The driving factor of which had to do with the team's care for clients and hospitality.

“I can go away for two weeks, and our clients will be looked after even better than when I am here is an absolute honour. We have a great work environment here.”

Numan hopes that one day he and his team at Millé will be the go-to operators to bring clients' dreams to life. Numan added that his wife, Rhea and the team at Millé were amazing and made everything in the business worthwhile.

Andy Barnett OWNER, HEAD DESIGNER, UNIQUE

Having always known that design was his passion, the road to creating fit-out designs for Andy Barnett has seen him branch out to various areas of the industry.

Since graduating with a degree in graphic design in 1999, initially found a role working on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This would start a 13-year-long sting working in the film and theming industries, usually working in the construction and art departments. Barnett worked on such blockbusters as the Star Wars franchise, Matrix, The Narnia franchise, and others.

He would go on to work on fit-outs for casinos in Macau, China, before arriving back in New Zealand in 2012.

He said that it was at this point in his career that he would start up his own business designing fit-outs.

“We moved back to NZ and started Unique Ltd in 2012 with the Idea of bringing some of the talents that I had worked with over the years together. We introduced techniques, finishes and work ethics into the commercial world of New Zealand that were common in film, but unseen in the commercial and residential market here.

After a lot of experience and hard work, Barnet has what he described as an unusual approach to design.

“I like to understand the client's thoughts and ideas but also how they want their environment to feel and function,” said Barnett.

“The conceptual mood board follows the meeting. This usually illustrates a selection of images, gathered from various sources along with some initial hand-sketched designs, layouts and or CAD models.”

Barnett said that once this is discussed with clients and agreed upon, the process continues with the developed design in which all areas of the fit-out are looked at.

When sourcing inspiration, Barnett likes to absorb what is around him in his day-to-day life. But as with most design processes, there is an element of sophistication and challenging moments.

“Most of our jobs are challenging, I guess that's what sets us apart. We make the impossible possible,” said Barnett.

Working on the front of house for four themed Hoyts cinema complexes in Australia, and designing and building the world's largest skateboard for a campaign in the leadup to the 2021 Olympic Games have been challenging projects that Barnett worked on. Barnett said that they are set apart from others due to the experienced talent they can draw from within the team. Barnett said there is always a new area of the industry to work on.

“The experience has been great so far. We are always busy and always have interesting creative projects to be involved in, but we need to do more.”

Buster Caldwell CREATIVE DIRECTOR, WONDER

Buster Caldwell is the director of Wonder, a full-service interior design studio based in Auckland. Wonder are specialists in hospitality fit-outs, as well as other commercial and retail spaces.

Since studying Industrial Design at university, Caldwell has been practising interior design and architecture ever since. Contracting himself as a designer throughout his university days, he was fortunate to have had business relationships that he called upon the end of his degree.

He admits that he weaselled his way into being a very small part-owner in a little design studio, and over the years has bought the remainder of the business, which has turned into Wonder.

He admits that his days are fairly structured, but the day-to-day process of his work can vary depending on the tasks at hand.

“I try to keep a fairly strict schedule and prioritise our crew at Wonder, so Mondays are pre-booked internal time with our team. We have pre-scheduled sessions together all through the week,” said Caldwell.

“The remainder is jam-packed with client meetings and business administration. I’ve recently been colour-coding my hourly commitments between Sales, Design, Business, Meetings and Personal, and so have a bit of a ratio recipe that I aim to achieve weekly.”

His design process is similar in method, which he said will always begin with a special idea, and then he figures out how to bring the blurry picture into focus.

“We always start with the skeleton, then add the body, next the clothes, and finally the accessories. This also shifts subtly with every client personality that we work with. We like to set certain milestones in place, each carries a little more fidelity. We work our way along the journey adding layers of detail in a step-bystep process.”

He said that the smaller fit-outs are actually more difficult and complicated. Caldwell listed a number of reasons why this is the case, including tight timeframes and budgets, and also high expectations to deliver on.

Introducing an attitude is what he considers to be the most important part of designing a fit-out, and acknowledged that some spaces need an attitude in order to come to life.

“There are a million vanilla spaces that lack something extremely lovable, and generally, that comes from the space having an authentic and remarkable character of its very own. It’s easy to do good, but extremely hard to do special.”

Caldwell said that his favourite types of jobs are those in which he can design something out of the ordinary. He said that if the client can provide the rope for an idea, then he and his team find ways to introduce clever and interesting ideas.

Caldwell said that his company is a little bit quirky, and a little bit fun, but also know how to pack a punch. Having thrived with Wonder for five years now, he said his goal for the future is to do some of the most special fit-out work in the country.

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Jamie Galloway,

For the best flavour profile, opt for freshly roasted beans. Look for beans with a roast date within a few weeks for that delightful freshness,” said Galloway.

Coffee technology focuses on creating a tailored and seamless process for coffee enthusiasts. Galloway further highlighted the advancements in modern coffee machines, which now boast advanced features to personalise the coffee experience. These include adjustable brew strength, temperature control, and smart mobile device connectivity.

The latest coffee technology trends revolve around customisation, convenience, and automation. Foundation Coffee, driven by a passion for locally roasted coffee, operates its on-site roastery and proudly supplies over 1,000 Kiwi businesses weekly. As an active New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association member, Foundation Coffee recognises the importance of supporting the local coffee market in fostering community economic growth.

A wave of innovation and sustainability has swept through the cafe industry, leading to constant advancements in coffee brewing techniques, extraction methods, and equipment design. Galloway emphasised that one crucial but often overlooked step in the coffee brewing process is regular cleaning and maintenance of equipment.

“To ensure optimal performance and preserve the taste of your coffee, regular cleaning and maintaining your coffee equipment is essential. This includes cleaning the brewer, descaling, and changing filters,” Galloway advised.

He also discussed the industry-wide shift towards sustainable coffee as the new norm. There is a growing commitment to sourcing coffee beans sustainably, aiming to reduce carbon emissions during production. Collaboration among coffee producers, suppliers, and consumers is pivotal in creating a more environmentally friendly industry. Galloway highlighted that this movement is happening globally but can start within our homes and businesses.

“As a business, Foundation Coffee is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of our coffee roasting and supply chain. We strive to minimise waste within our company and among the businesses we supply,” Galloway added.

At the Tāmaki Makaurau Zero Waste Awards 2022, Foundation Coffee was honoured for its commendable sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing the utilisation of plastic milk bottles. Their introduction of the groundbreaking 'Business Milk' product range played a pivotal role in achieving this objective. When businesses purchase coffee from local suppliers, they contribute to the livelihoods of roasters, processors, and distributors in their region, strengthening local economies and supporting job creation. Additionally, supporting the local coffee market fosters diversity and uniqueness in coffee offerings while promoting sustainability by reducing carbon emissions associated with long-distance transportation.

Galloway advised baristas to refrain from using pre-ground coffee, as it can result in a lacklustre cup, especially if it has been sitting on the shelf for too long. He also cautioned against using heavily chlorinated or flavoured water, as it can overpower the delicate flavours of the coffee beans. For the best brewing results, Galloway recommended using filtered or bottled water.

“Coffee brewing is an art form with endless possibilities. Don't hesitate to explore different machines, grind sizes, water temperatures, and brew times to discover the perfect balance and flavour profile that suits your taste,” Galloway encouraged.

So, embrace the art of coffee brewing, and embark on a journey to find the perfect balance and flavour that resonates with your palate.