Coffee blend a golden brew

EVERY year or two, Karon Farm Coffee enters an Australian roasting competition to get feedback on the company’s blends.

So, after recently competing in the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards, the Gordon-based business were very happy with the judge’s score and assessment.

For their standard Mount Buninyong Blend, the Karon Farm Coffee team, including owner Luke McPherson, brought home their first-ever gold medal, winning the Traditional Blend – Cappuccino and Milk-Based Coffees category.

“It’s a two-bean blend, which is a Colombian and Brazil-based blend. It’s the darkest of our blends, but not super-dark, so it works really well in milk-based drinks,” he said.

“The Mount Buninyong Blend is our best-selling coffee. We deliver 300 or 400 kilos of it to homes and cafes a month.

“We get the coffees through Langdon’s, one of our longest-serving green bean partners, and funnily enough their founder launched the company to deliver spices and coffee to the goldfields, so there’s an interesting, deep tie back to the region.”

Mr McPherson said the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards’ recognition is humbling, as they were competing against top roasters from across the country.

It was also an opportunity for the small business to champion the region’s food, beverage, and broader hospitality industries.

“Ballarat’s got so much to offer, and I’m glad to be part of the growing food and drink scene,” he said.

“It’s good to know that we can do as well as some of the bigger companies based in Melbourne and around Australia.”

Karon Farm Coffee launched six years ago, and it’s been Mr McPherson’s full-time focus for the last three years.

Currently in a home-based custom-built roasting shed, the company set to open a new factory in Wendouree, where they aim to host customers, tastings, industry nights, and barista training events.