Australian coffee roaster, Merlo Coffee, has announced plans to open its first stand alone roasting house in Melbourne in the beginning of February.
Poised to open in the iconic Queen Victoria Market on February 10, the store will begin roasting and selling coffee and fresh beans seven days a week.
The expansion into Victoria signifies a coup for the company, who have always aspired to a bricks and mortar presence in the nation’s culture capital.
“This is a major line-in-the-sand for Merlo,” Dean Merlo, founder, Merlo Coffee said.
“While we have a family of wonderful wholesalers in Melbourne (coffee outlets that proudly use Merlo beans), to this point we haven’t roasted in the southern capital.
“After years of planning, our long-term vision is now a reality; not only will the famous blue Merlo coffee cups now be seen around Melbourne, but we will be roasting beans all day, every day, ensuring our commitment to freshness and authenticity is delivered in Melbourne,” he continued.
The Melbourne opening comes amid wider restructuring and expansion of the company, including the opening of Victoria Point and Indooroopilly last year, and a full refurbishment of the Springfield Merlo Torrefazione, a growth strategy spearheaded by Merlo CEO, James Wilkinson
Today, Merlo owns and operates 14 of its own stores, with the Queen Victoria Markets development bringing the tally to 15.
Merlo supplies freshly roasted coffee to over 1,000 cafes and restaurants around Australia and ships coffee online to customers throughout the country and overseas.