Seven Seeds

Melbourne is full of good coffee spots. Still, there are a number of places that sit above the rest. Seven Seeds is undeniably among them.

After selling St ALi in 2008, Mark Dundon moved to Carlton where he and business partner Bridget Amor converted an old warehouse into a roaster and cafe. At a time when Melbourne was dominated by dark-roasted, untraceable, commodity-grade beans made solely for espresso, the duo began pushing quality, provenance and lighter roasts to suit filter, cold drip and other brewing styles.

The company’s roasting operation outgrew Carlton in 2017. Nowadays it imports green beans from the Americas, Africa and Asia and roasts them on a monstrous 60-kilogram Probat machine and two smaller models at its wholesale headquarters in Fairfield.

Stop in at Carlton for exactingly brewed cup of the Golden Gate espresso blend with notes of cocoa and toffee, or try a rotating single origin made with the method of your choice.

The place is regularly busy and always humming with energy. It’s not uncommon to have to wait for a table. Melbourne University is only a block away so students often drop by while they kill time between classes.

If you find yourself in the CBD looking for coffee, be sure to drop by Brother Baba Budan or Traveller Coffee, Seven Seeds’ smaller city operations.