White Owl Coffee beat some big players to claim the title of the country's supreme coffee recently.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Rutherglen business took out the inaugural Australia's Favourite Coffee Award at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE).
The competition was open to all roaster exhibitors and judged by consumers and cafe owners throughout the event from May 12 to 14 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
White Owl Coffee scored the highest number of public votes via the MICE app or through QR codes at its stand.
White Owl Coffee's head of coffee Joe Perry said it was a real highlight of the expo.
He said they showcased their Nest Blend, which was their house blend, as well as their Hometown Blend.
"It was Australia's favourite coffee voted by people in the profession and coffee aficionados," he said.
"We were by far the smallest exhibitor there with just three on our team (Joe, mum Kay Perry and sister Matilda Perry).
"To walk away with the people's choice award was pretty special.
"It's enormous for us little guys from country Victoria!
"It's reassuring to know that we're making good coffee."
White Owl Coffee's Nest Blend consists of Colombian and Brazilian beans roasted medium to dark to caramelise the sugars in the bean that creates a rich, deep flavour when extracted as an espresso.
Mr Perry said he had been to the expo many times but it was the first time as an exhibitor.
"We were blown away with the level of inquiry from distributors all over the country," Mr Perry said.
"It was a real stepping stone towards us becoming a nationally-recognised brand."
White Owl Coffee Merchants commissioned a new mega roaster at their Rutherglen property, previously King Jack Winery, in August with the capacity to increase its coffee bean volume 10-fold.
The Melbourne awards ran together with the annual MICE Product Innovation Awards.
