“Good coffee is for everyone,” says Allways Coffee founder Michael Tyson (ex-Pilgrim Coffee, Marvell Street Coffee Roasters). “If we can make it more approachable, the whole industry benefits.”
After a long and surprisingly complicated road, Tyson debuts Adelaide’s first coffee-bean vending machine today. Standing in the Pirie Flinders UPark, the dispensary is the first of its kind in Adelaide, offering freshly roasted beans, ground coffee, pods, instant coffee and a handful of brewing essentials (such as filter papers), 24/7.
It packs together a cohort of independent, local roasters including Elementary, Two Fish, Monastery, Kindred, Vice, Pogo, Coffee in Common, Dawn Patrol and others.
Tyson relocated to SA with his family 18 months ago, and was surprised to find that few cafes were “guesting” – that is, serving coffee from multiple roasters. Those that did offer alternatives generally looked interstate, which he says is great for broadening our horizons but doesn’t do much to develop knowledge of the local scene. His new coffee vend-ture provides “a snapshot of what everyone’s doing locally”, he says.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen bean units like this pop up in Australia. As people search for convenient, contact-free ways to make everyday purchases, vending is trending.
At a time when we’re looking to support small businesses – a practice usually tied to relationships and rituals – a vending machine may feel like an impersonal way to buy “artisanal” produce. But Tyson considers it a new entry point for those wanting to explore the higher end of the coffee spectrum, and with added convenience. “The ultimate goal of the specialty coffee industry is to keep chipping away and taking pieces off the [cheaper] commodity coffee market. That will make things better for small operators, better for coffee farmers – everyone,” he says. The list of roasters already onboard shows strong proof of concept.
In the time it’s taken to find a suitable location for the vending machine, Tyson has been busy with other projects. He recently launched a zero-waste coffee subscription – an Australian-first, he says – again with a local flavour. “You can choose beans or ground coffee, and select from blends, single-origin varieties, filter roasts, decaf and pods,” he explains. Beans are transported in reusable buckets, packed into plant-based compostable bags and shipped (or in some cases, biked) to customers in biodegradable mailers. “Our mission is to make every coffee a discovery, not just a beverage,” Tyson says. In-depth backstories accompany each release and are shared via the Allways Coffee blog.
In his spare time (honestly, we’re surprised he has any), Tyson runs a pop-up coffee bar at Treadly Bike Shop every Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am until 1pm.
