Essential Coffee has bucked industry trends by increasing its coffee volumes and sales in recent years, fueling business growth across its key markets in Australia and New Zealand.
CEO Todd Hiscock credits this success to superior products, including award-winning premium coffee blends, single-origin coffees, and hand-made European equipment. Additionally, the company’s dedicated national service teams in both countries have helped strengthen its position. However, Hiscock also highlights the role of a business restructure following the pandemic in laying the groundwork for continued expansion.
“It hasn’t all been roses and perfume,” Hiscock admits. “COVID nearly destroyed the business with extended closures of many customers, especially pubs and clubs in New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand.”
Further challenges included legal battles to remove negative shareholders and dishonest employees, which created significant damage and distraction. Despite these hurdles, Hiscock says the company emerged with a stronger resolve to succeed and a renewed focus on retaining professional service providers with proven track records.
On a positive note, Essential Coffee has focused on rewarding those who support the company and its customers. “Our investment company’s share registry and dividend statements reflect this,” says Hiscock, noting the growing number of employee shareholders who have been rewarded for high performance.
Unlike many large coffee businesses in the region, Essential Coffee is owned by Australian and New Zealand families, including Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders. This ownership structure sets the company apart from competitors, many of which are owned by Japanese or European multinationals, such as Kiran, Asahi, Suntory, JDE Egberts, Lavazza, and Coca Cola Europe.
Most recently, Essential Coffee Australia, along with one of its associates, achieved notable success at the 2024 Golden Bean Awards, winning six bronze medals. The company earned awards in the milk-based coffee, espresso, and filter coffee categories, reinforcing its position as a top player in the global coffee roasting competition.
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