Visiting Ickle Coffee’s new flagship store in Kingsgrove is an educational experience. In the colourful, welcoming space they’re always brewing something fantastic. Bags of various single origins are on the shelves, and co-owner Rowena Chansiri is on hand to guide customers through the options.

“If people come in asking for coffee beans, I ask them how they have their coffee, what kind of flavours they prefer, whether they like something bright or non-acidic, and together we pick something suitable,” says Chansiri, who roasts Ickle’s coffee in Alexandria for some of Australia’s best cafes. She co-owns Ickle with her sister Kate Chansiri.

Ickle Coffee turns four this year, but it took the pandemic for Chansiri realise Ickle needed a cafe of its own.

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“People have been home for two years drinking coffee locally, and good coffee is concentrated heavily in the inner west, Surry Hills and the city,” she tells Broadsheet. “Other parts of Sydney aren’t so lucky. I live in Riverwood, near Kingsgrove, and I struggle to find anything.”

The new cafe is so coffee-centric, Chansiri didn’t even bother applying to council for permission to serve food. “We don’t cook, we just want to focus on what we do best.”

Pastries such as Portuguese tarts, orange cake, Boston doughnuts and croissants come from Tuga, and gluten-free fare comes from Little Secrets Bakehouse. There are also vegan smoothies: mango, acai and green.

Sustainability and good ethics are important to the Chansiris, from the importers they choose to work with, to waste minimisation in the shop. Coffee beans are sold in Ickle bags made from recyclable materials, or you can BYO coffee bag and fill it with whatever is on offer that week: whether it’s an Ethiopian natural-processed (good for milky coffees); a Rwandan wash-processed (Chansiri’s current favourite); or a sweeter, fruity reposado from Costa Rica (good for espresso or filter).

“We really want to minimise waste. Even if we use recyclable packaging, it’s still waste, so our customers bring in any bag they can find, fill it with our coffee and we give them a sticker to put on top that explains the contents.”

The cups and glasses for the cafe were donated by Outfield, an Ashfield cafe and Ickle customer that has moved towards picnic-friendly takeaway packaging.

After roasting and hand-delivering to inner-city customers for four years, Chansiri is happy to be talking to the public every day. “I love being at the cafe. There’s something about being able to talk to people about what you really know, love and understand.

“Our business is really simple. We’re helping people to understand where coffee comes from, how it’s made and how it’s supposed to taste – but ultimately we just want to serve good coffee.”

Ickle Coffee
251 Kingsgrove Road, Kingsgrove
0402 366 664

Hours:
Daily 7am–3pm

icklecoffee.com
@icklecoffee