MAKER is built for longevity and continual improvement. We aim to contribute meaningfully to Melbourne’s specialty coffee landscape by creating spaces that feel warm, approachable and considered, by sourcing with integrity and by roasting coffees that invite curiosity and reward attention. Our future is shaped by the same principles that defined our beginning: humility, care and a deep love for the craft.
MAKER began with John and Stephanie Vroom, two hospitality professionals who fell deeply in love with coffee, service and the communities that form around places that care. Their first venture, Ora in Kew, opened in 2011 as a space to explore specialty coffee with intention. In those early years John roasted small batches at night on Bessie, their one kilogram roaster, while Steph refined a service style built on warmth, clarity and attention to detail. That combination of curiosity and hospitality became the foundation for what MAKER would grow into.
Our Values
Our values reflect how we work, how we serve and how we represent the producers who trust us with their coffee. We lead with kindness and inclusivity, creating spaces where people feel safe, welcome and respected. We pursue excellence by holding high standards and taking responsibility for the details. We act with honesty, communicating openly and maintaining integrity in our decisions. And we bring energy, curiosity and a forward looking mindset to the craft, approaching each day with a genuine desire to learn, improve and contribute positively to our community.
As their vision expanded, so did the need for a dedicated home for their approach to coffee. MAKER Coffee opened in Richmond in 2015, creating a space centred on honest, thoughtful and community focused hospitality. More venues followed across Melbourne, each shaped by the belief that great coffee is a way to create moments of care. More than a decade later, MAKER continues to contribute to Melbourne’s specialty coffee culture through roasting, education and service that is grounded in generosity and discipline. We love what we do, and we share what we know. Every interaction aims to make people feel welcome, understood and looked after. This remains the foundation of all our work.
What MAKER Stands For
MAKER exists to create exceptional coffee experiences anchored in genuine human connection. We see coffee as a way to express care, to slow down, to pay attention and to offer something meaningful to someone else. Our daily goal is simple: make people feel welcome, understood and cared for. We do this by being personable and authentic, sharing knowledge in an approachable way, treating every customer with respect, communicating openly and maintaining high standards across every detail of our work. Being part of MAKER means being part of something warm, honest and community minded.
Coffee Sourcing
We source coffees from around the world through partners who share our values: sustainability, transparency, long term relationships and a commitment to specialty grade quality. Our focus is on coffees that create memorable experiences and deepen a customer’s understanding of the people, regions and processing methods behind them. Many of the coffees we select highlight expressive varieties, distinct processing techniques or emerging approaches that expand what is possible within honest coffee production. Our ethos is purist at heart. We do not work with co fermented coffees or coffees enhanced with additives. We celebrate coffee for what it naturally is.
This approach aligns with the depth and clarity we bring to our educational writing, where we explore origin detail, processing intricacies, fermentation styles and producer decisions with transparency and respect. Sourcing, for us, is a relationship built on trust, shared standards and a mutual interest in long term quality.
Roasting Philosophy
Our roasting approach is focused, precise and built around expressing the inherent character of each coffee with clarity, sweetness and balance. Working on our Probat UG22, we push the machine to its full capability, developing profiles that honour the work done at origin and remain consistent across production. Quality control sits at the centre of our process. Every roast is cupped under stringent internal protocols, evaluated honestly and adjusted when required. This ensures integrity in how we represent each coffee and drives continual refinement in our roasting practice. For us, roasting is both craft and responsibility.
Interested in coffee, but not sure how to learn more? Come visit us for a brew in any of our locations, we are happy to pass along our knowledge of new coffees brewing methods, or just general coffee banter. If brewing at home is your thing, hit up our website and you will find a variety of delicious options. We will freshly roast it and get it delivered to your door or you can come and pick it up!
