WHAT WE DO

MCM was established in Australia in 2008 to meet the growing demand from boutique specialty roasters for high quality green beans. Today we supply coffee around Australia and New Zealand.

Our mission is to offer an extensive and varied selection of the finest green specialty coffees from around the world.

We seek to have distinctive and superior beans that speak for themselves in the cup. We only trade in specialty coffee and do so with integrity and without compromise.

We ship green coffee to specialty coffee roasters throughout Australia and New Zealand. We currently take consolidated orders every 4-6 weeks. Each pallet is packed as per the customer selection on a pre-order basis and, after clearance in Melbourne, it is dispatched directly to the customer. This means we are able to offer regular choice and supply of fresh, quality single estate beans as new crops become available.

We are the exclusive agent for Mercanta, the Coffee Hunters. Through Melbourne Coffee Merchants you will have access to the full Mercanta inventory, which typically comprises about 100 different specialty single estate coffees at any given time. This will include a wide range of different coffee varieties, including rare, exclusive, and sometimes virtually unknown coffees.

SPECIALTY COFFEE IS WHAT WE ARE ABOUT

We aim to source the best of crop coffees from each of the producing countries we work with. We look for coffees that are sweet and clean, and taste exquisite.

We do not buy coffee on the world futures market. Instead, we partner with shippers who directly source high quality coffee that is sustainably produced and equitably traded. Our philosophy is focused on:

• The Very Best Quality: Our sole focus is to bring in the finest quality 'specialty' coffees. Our definition of 'specialty' is anything that cups 80 or above on a Cup of Excellence scoring sheet. All of our coffees are selected by a blind cupping, in a peer environment. Every lot is comprehensively tasted before purchase.
• Traceability and Transparency: We aim for 100% traceability. We seek to know exactly where our beans come from and who grows them. We give you comprehensive notes on all coffees, and photos where available.
• Sustainability: We pay a premium price to access the best beans, with prices that are substantially above the commercial commodity price and the fair trade price for generic or bulk coffee. Growers are treated as partners in the mission to get the worlds finest beans into the hands of discerning customers.
• Keeping It Fresh: You will never get "past crop" coffee through Melbourne Coffee Merchants. We only ever sell coffee that is 'in season' and at its peak.
• Sharing the love: We aim to share, educate, and inspire, and get people as excited about quality coffee as we are. Come down and see us! Our offices are located in Prahran, Melbourne. We also have a retail outlet, Market Lane Coffee, where we showcase some of our coffees, and have a cupping lab set up. Please feel free to get in touch we would love to sit down and have a chat about your green bean needs.

THE LOWDOWN

So how does it work?
You have access to the full Mercanta inventory, which comprises over 100 specialty coffees. This catalogue changes regularly, depending on what's in season and tasting good.

We take consolidated orders every four to six weeks. We send out an offer sheet, collate everyones orders and then consolidate them and ship them out together in a container. Each pallet is packed as per the customer selection and strapped and shrink wrapped securely onto a pallet, and, after clearance it is dispatched directly to each customer.

Do you hold any coffee in Australia or New Zealand?
A little bit in Australia. But not too much. We prefer to bring regular shipments of fresh crop coffee into the country. The advantage of this system is that there are no holding costs or old coffee hanging around, and it allows for a regular choice and supply of quality single estate beans as new crops become available.

Do you supply the whole of Australia and New Zealand?
Yes. We work closely with the top specialty coffee roasters across Australia and New Zealand, who seek the finest quality green coffees, shipped at the start of their crop and delivered to order.

Is there a minimum order?
Yes. One pallet or 8 standard size bags (480kg). These may be any selection of coffees - i.e. you can have a completely mixed pallet or a pallet of one particular coffee.

How long will it take to get here?
It generally takes 6 weeks from ordering for your coffee to arrive and up to a week upon arrival for interstate deliveries.

I am too small. Is there any way I can get half a pallet?
If you require less than a pallet of coffee, we can offer this, but there is an additional surcharge for packing and handling. To avoid this, some of our customers share pallet orders with other customers if they cannot make a whole pallet themselves. We can help connect you with customers who are looking to do this. We also have some customers who onsell our beans in smaller (more manageable) quantities, such as Ministry Grounds Coffee in Australia.

What are your payment terms?
COD, which means payment on delivery. We require a 50% deposit if you are purchasing from us for the first time.

Do your prices include local freight?
No, the prices quoted on the offer sheet are landed costs of the coffee. Local delivery fees are an additional cost. We shop around and find the best price for local delivery, and pass these costs directly on.

I am planning to start roasting my own beans. What do I need to know?
In our experience, most new roasting operations are ready to roast three months after their expected start date. Delays can occur in building the roaster, shipping on both ends, installation, gas certification, and final operation or expected outcome.

Until you are ready to order (about two months prior to you being operational), there's not much point in sending you a detailed price list of our coffees, as our inventory and availablity on lines will have sold before you are ready to place your first order. But here are some general price ranges that will be useful for you in your business planning:

• You will be able to find a selection of commodity green coffees from importers at around $7-9/kg.
• If you spend a little more, you may find green beans listed as 'specialty' grade at around $10-11/kg. These are more likely to be higher quality commercial grades and not genuine specialty coffees.
• From around $12/kg and upwards, however, a wide selection of traceable, high quality specialty grade coffee is available. Most of our coffees are available in the $12.00-$16.00/kg range, though prices for micro lots, exotic origins and award-winning Cup of Excellence auction coffees can be significantly more.

Around eight weeks before your roaster is installed and you're ready to start roasting, please get in touch and we can provide you with a full and up to date listing of all our green coffees. We look forward to working with you!