Since the first Beechworth Bakery opened in 1984, they have grown to 8 stores and are Australia’s largest standalone bakery chain. Grinders Coffee are proud to partner with Beechworth Bakery and support initiatives such as their Annual Barista Competition. Who better to be our Barista of the Month, than 2023 Winner, Jemma!
Jemma, can you tell us how you started as a Barista?
I work at Beechworth Bakery in Healesville. I have been here for just over 3 years. I started here as a front of house team member and product finisher.
My main reason I wanted to work at Beechworth Bakery was to learn coffee. I never thought I would be participating in a competition, nevertheless win! What a massive achievement. Thanks to Grinders Coffee, I got to take home a beautiful coffee machine.
I know coffee is a massive part of people’s lives and makes people happy and I wanted to be a part of that joy.
Being a Barista is also being able to create new products and flavours to bring the customers. We have had this opportunity with creating a bee-sting latte, something so specific for our stores.
Tell us, how do you drink your coffee?
An Almond Mocha and if I want to treat myself, I pair it with a Custard Danish. Delicious. Yum!
What are your tips to make better coffee?
Practice is key. If your passionate about making coffee, you will make it your goal to produce the best coffee as you possibly can.
What new trends or changes have you seen coming from your customers or the industry?
Alternative milks are trending. We stock a range of milks with our most popular being oat and almond. Also having different syrups helps customers be able to create their own unique coffee flavours.
Can you tell us about your relationship with Grinder’s Coffee?
It’s been great having the team from Grinders that is so consistent and follows up with our store to check on how our coffee quality is going. Any issues we have they will fix. Always giving heaps of tips to grow our skills. Thanks to Alec and their team we have coffee training nights that make our team at Beechworth Bakery confident and more knowledgeable in making the finest coffee in Healesville.
What makes Beechworth a great place to work?
Having an enjoyable and supportive team to work around makes Beechworth Bakery Healesville a great place to work.