<CAFE VOICE> HELLO ESPRESSO

While on working holiday,
a fascination with latte art developed.

At age 24, Hitomi traveled to Brisbane, Australia, on a one-year working holiday visa. While working at a cafe called "Beatles" on the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) campus, she watched baristas as they poured beautiful free-pour latte art onto lattes and flat whites and created intricate designs on cappuccinos with chocolate sauce. Captivated, she felt a strong desire to do it herself. However, although she was entrusted with espresso extraction and making cold drinks during her first working holiday, she wasn't given the opportunity to handle milk steaming, this remained a lingering disappointment when she returned to Japan. Later, when her husband’s job transfer brought her back to Australia for a second stay, she vowed: "Next time, I will definitely work as a barista and serve lattes and flat whites with latte art!" This began two years of thoroughly refining her barista skills and latte art technique.

It might come as a surprise for some, but in Australia, cafes are an integral part of daily life. Every latte or flat white ordered at a neighborhood cafe is delicious, and the culture where latte art is an everyday norm deeply inspired Hitomi. This led her to decide to pursue a barista career in Australia. Her go-to cafe spot was the popular Sydney-born specialty coffee shop "Campos Coffee." It was there that she also discovered KeepCup, purchasing a Campos Coffee KeepCup as a keepsake before returning to Japan.

Australian Coffee Culture

A morning-centric lifestyle is a defining feature of Australian coffee culture. Many cafes in Australia open around 5 to 6AM and close around 2 to 3PM. People routinely enjoy walking their dogs, jogging, or cycling early in the morning and popping into a cafe along the way. Furthermore, Australia has a culture where strangers easily exchange greetings and light conversation, not just cafe staff, but also people waiting in line at bus stops or supermarket checkouts. Baristas remember regular customers' names and usual orders, and customers in turn learn the baristas' names, greeting them warmly with a "Hi Hitomi, how are you today?" Friendly, warm conversations flow naturally throughout daily interactions, when ordering, clearing tables, or saying goodbye.

This morning-focused lifestyle makes hot milk beverages (like caffe lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos) extremely popular, offering far more opportunities to practice latte art compared to Japan. Additionally, the close distance between baristas and customers and the chance to communicate naturally in English were major reasons she chose to work as a barista in Australia rather than Japan.

Keywords of Australian Cafe Culture found at HELLO ESPRESSO

I try to incorporate everything I found wonderful about living in Australia into the cafe. Recently, a customer who visited the Gold Coast for the first time on a business trip gave us a wonderful compliment: "I visited local cafes over there, and I was amazed at how perfectly HELLO ESPRESSO reproduces an authentic Australian cafe!"

Quality

In Australia, you can find delicious coffee wherever you go. While it is the most fundamental aspect, I place strong emphasis on "recipe consistency" for both coffee and food. I highly recommend our avocado toast paired with a flat white it’s a classic Australian cafe favourite!

Community

In Japan, major chains are popular and cafes often function as quiet spaces. In contrast, independent shops are beloved in Australia as lively hubs for conversation. At HELLO ESPRESSO, we value creating a welcoming atmosphere where natural conversations spark between customers, and where everyone warmly looks after babies or children even if they cry, ensuring a comfortable space for all. I love that we can call out "Have a great day!" from across the shop as customers leave. The latte art classes we host are also tailored to serve as summer holiday research projects for children. Lately, parents and children have been coming to experience it together, fostering connections unique to a cafe rooted in a neighborhood with many young families.

Sustainability

Australia is very advanced in its approach to sustainability. At HELLO ESPRESSO, we minimise single-use plastics to reduce plastic waste by using FSC-certified paper cups for iced takeout drinks, bagasse straws made from sugarcane, and paper takeout bags. This summer, we also sold "KeepCups" in-store for a limited time. It brings me joy to think that customers using their reusable cups are contributing to a reduction in disposable cups.

A Taste of Australian Mornings in Hongo

Looking ahead, my immediate goal is to continue growing our community of customers and fans at HELLO ESPRESSO. Beyond that, my biggest hope is to cultivate an Australian-style morning cafe culture right here in Hongo, where independent cafes open early and bustle with regulars. I also hope to organise local events like a "weekend market" where neighbors can gather casually.

Additionally, as I find team members who resonate with this vision and world, I would love to challenge myself with opening new locations to share this culture with even more people. In the past, I've participated as a pop-up barista at awareness events like "Tokyo Rainbow Pride" and "World Alzheimer's Day," and I hope to continue contributing to the community and society through my barista and latte art skills.

Above all, my biggest dream is to host a tour visiting my favourite origin cafes in Brisbane, Australia, together with the fans and customers who have grown to love HELLO ESPRESSO!