Delicious coffee, honest people, good times
We’re a coffee roasting company born on Gadigal land / Sydney (Australia) in 2011. Small by design, independent by nature, quietly led by purpose and flavours, never by trends.
Our daily work focuses on sharing a diverse lineup of coffees that are loved for their true quality, honest sourcing, and ease to brew consistently well, at home and at the cafe. Always with a relaxed, thoughtful, and down-to-earth approach, because we believe specialty coffee is for everyone.
(1) to taste a small amount of food or drink to decide if you like it
(2) to experience a place or an activity, often for the first time
We called ourselves Sample Coffee because we wanted to be a place where people could taste exceptional, diverse, enjoyable coffees.
A place that would challenge the usual coffee experience: from caffeine hit to a moment that (naturally) draws your presence and makes you feel good.
A place that welcomed anyone who loved coffee, from first-timers to coffee nerds.
A place to, well, to Sample. Coffee.
Our original flagship store: Sample Coffee Surry Hills (circa 2012)
Our story: sampling the coffee world since 2011
2011: opening Surry Hills, a multi-roaster espresso bar
Reuben Mardan opened the tiny Sample Coffee Surry Hills espresso bar in 2011, after nearly a decade brewing and roasting for Single O and Mecca (some of Sydney’s third wave coffee institutions).
The goal for his first shop was clear: to make it a place (the place) where people could experience (sample) diverse flavour profiles, single origins, and coffee roasters without fuss or pretension. It was indeed one of the few shops in Australia showcasing a multi-roaster lineup and black drinking styles like filter and cold brew – something normal today but unusual back then.
2012-13: transitioning into a full Sample Coffee lineup
A couple of years later, Reuben started roasting his own coffee at a friend’s facility. This allowed him to transition into a full Sample Coffee lineup, offering only the coffees he fully aligned with in terms of taste and sourcing.
2014: opening the St Peters roastery and Pro Shop
The next step was obvious, if not predictable: opening the St Peters Sample Coffee Roastery and Pro Shop (an attached cafe and retail space) in 2014. This brought some room for further coffee curation and growth, both through our own retail stores and our wholesale circle.
2015: launching our online coffee subscription
One of Reuben’s climbing mates and Surry regulars, Simon Wright, had seen how the homebrewing movement and online subscription services were growing overseas. Reuben roasted beans, Simon could design, and both were about making coffee accessible to anyone. The rest is lots of code and history.
2020: opening Old Gold cafe (spoiler: didn’t last long)
In February 2020, just before COVID hit, we opened a third outpost: Old Gold, in Chippendale. The timing, as you guessed, wasn’t helpful. It survived for about three years. Then, we came back to our previous version.
Today, over a decade later, we’re still here doing our thing. Our focus and goal are still the same as in our beginnings; we have just carved out a few more sharing outlets, slowly, organically, with purpose.
2026: relocating our roastery to Marrickville
Our next stage? Relocating our roastery to Marrickville due to the redevelopment of Precinct 75 in St Peters. Keep an eye out for updates.
Our ways: delicious coffee, no shortcuts, fun times
It’s hard to talk about yourself these days in the specialty coffee world. Many of us are doing (or say that we do) the exact same thing: good coffee, ethical sourcing, exciting flavours, family-owned, etc.
When it comes down to taste, we could use a thousand words, but nothing beats experiencing it yourself. Please give it a try!
As for the rest of those claims, we make an effort to provide more facts and less fluff:
— We’re an independent business (no investors, no groups)
— All our green coffees are bought above C-market and Fair Trade prices
— All our green coffees are SCA scored 80 and over
— We publish sourcing data on individual coffee pages and annual reports to back and keep track of those claims
— We use ABA-certified home compostable in most of our packaging (even if that makes us ‘make’ less money)
— We donate $0.20 per retail bag sold all year round
— Our quality, consistency, and friendly service are backed by 10+ years of industry reputation and a heap of customer reviews (see below)
These are only a few. You can keep going deep into our coffee and business ways at:
Our accolades: some people really like us!
We promise there are more than 3 people who rate our service and coffee. Find more reviews or head to our awards and media features.
Our locations: mainly Sydney Inner West
Come say hi to our cafes and roastery in Surry Hills, St Peters, and soon Marrickville.
Contact
Email anytime at [email protected]. We’re very responsive and are always up for a chat, unless you send spam or AI slop. Too much of that.
You’re also welcome to join our newsletter/mail list, our Instagram, and somewhat neglected YouTube channel.
Manifesto
We use the word ‘we’.
We find the positive.
We’re always there to belay our mates.
We celebrate the underdog.
We recognise the next hold may not be the most obvious.
We celebrate the journey as much as the outcome.
We leave no trace, whether in a customer’s venue or campsite.
We give first and take only what we need.
We’re generous with our time, our knowledge and our beans.
When we have the opportunity to add value, we pass it on.
