Fieldwork Coffee is a Fitzroy North-based micro-roastery in Victoria, Australia, dedicated to producing ethically sourced, seasonally curated specialty coffees. Known for its meticulous approach to roasting and transparent sourcing, Fieldwork Coffee is a fixture in Melbourne’s specialty coffee scene, offering single origin coffees, experimental roasts, and flexible subscriptions tailored for both retail customers and wholesale partners.
Core Business
Fieldwork Coffee operates as a micro-roastery and coffee retailer, focusing on high-quality beans sourced through direct and sustainable relationships with farmers and cooperatives. Their roasting philosophy centers around clarity, sweetness, and a light to medium roast profile to highlight the intrinsic characteristics of each origin.
The company maintains a lean, quality-focused operation, sourcing green coffee seasonally and roasting in small batches to order. This model supports freshness, traceability, and a consistent cup quality experience across its offerings.
Product and Service Offerings
Core Range Coffees
- House Espresso (Huila, Colombia): A well-balanced, daily drinker with notes of chocolate, caramel, and citrus.
- House Decaf (Huila, Colombia): Sugarcane processed decaf with clean, sweet character and medium body.
Seasonal Single Origins
Fieldwork regularly rotates its menu based on harvest seasons, offering a range of standout microlots:
- Gitesi (Karongi, Rwanda): Washed process, known for bright acidity and black tea notes.
- James Fernandez (Cauca, Colombia): Clean and sweet with red fruit and floral qualities.
- William Andres Olivera (Cauca, Colombia): Washed microlot with a complex flavor profile and silky mouthfeel.
- Sharbo Maro (Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia): Washed Ethiopian offering with citrus florals and high clarity.
Subscriptions
- Monthly Coffee Subscription: Features rotating selections from their seasonal lineup, delivered fresh to subscribers with curated tasting notes.
Test Roasts
- Limited releases from experimental roasts, processing innovations, or early harvest previews. These offerings allow customers to explore new flavor profiles and processing methods.
All coffees are offered as whole beans, roasted to order, and shipped in recyclable packaging.
Specialisation and USP
Fieldwork Coffee’s unique value proposition includes:
- Microlot Focus: Small-batch roasting for premium, traceable coffees.
- Sustainable Sourcing: Direct trade partnerships and strong transparency with producers.
- Seasonal Rotation: Curated offerings that change with global harvests, ensuring freshness and variety.
- Minimalist Aesthetic: Clean design language that appeals to specialty coffee consumers and cafés.
Their roasting style aims to highlight the terroir of each origin, making them popular among coffee enthusiasts who seek origin clarity and nuance.
Financials and Market Position
Fieldwork Coffee is privately held and does not publish financial data. However, it operates within Australia's growing specialty coffee sector, valued at over AUD 1.5 billion, according to industry reports. The company’s focus on quality over volume allows it to occupy a niche yet influential role in Melbourne’s artisanal coffee market.
Their direct-to-consumer model via online sales, combined with select wholesale relationships, aligns with the current consumer shift toward curated, small-batch specialty products.
Shipment and Export Data
There is no evidence of Fieldwork Coffee engaging in significant international exports as of now. Their primary distribution remains within Australia, particularly through online channels and local wholesale partnerships with cafés.
However, the company’s scalable roasting practices and packaging infrastructure suggest potential for expansion into premium international markets.
Target Market
Fieldwork Coffee serves a discerning clientele, including:
- Home brewers seeking fresh, traceable single origins
- Specialty cafés and espresso bars interested in rotating microlots
- Subscription coffee drinkers looking for curated selections
- Coffee enthusiasts exploring terroir and processing variety
- Sustainability-conscious consumers supporting ethical sourcing
Their target market aligns with younger, urban, and values-driven demographics who prioritize flavor exploration and producer equity.
Capabilities
Fieldwork Coffee demonstrates strong capabilities in:
- Microlot roasting and profiling
- Green coffee sourcing through ethical channels
- Online retail and subscription fulfillment
- Wholesale training and support
- Consumer education through tasting notes and brew guidance
The company operates an agile roasting and fulfillment workflow designed for freshness and customer experience.
Certifications and Compliance
Although Fieldwork Coffee does not prominently advertise third-party certifications (such as Fair Trade or Organic), they emphasize direct trade principles and ethical sourcing, working closely with producers to ensure sustainable relationships and fair compensation.
This approach aligns with the evolving preference of specialty consumers who value transparent trade over certification labels.
Customer Testimonials
Fieldwork Coffee maintains a highly engaged customer base, especially through Instagram and Melbourne’s café networks. Common feedback includes:
- “Cleanest Ethiopian I’ve ever had. Super floral and sparkling.”
- “Their decaf is the best I’ve tasted—hard to believe it’s decaf.”
- “Love their subscription service. Always fresh and interesting coffees.”
Wholesale partners often commend the consistency of roast profiles and reliability in fulfillment.
Major Achievements
- Established a niche reputation in Melbourne’s competitive specialty coffee scene
- Successfully implemented a rotating seasonal coffee program
- Built a loyal following through a curated subscription model
- Introduced microlots from lesser-known producers and origins
- Maintained a zero-waste packaging policy using recyclable materials
Fieldwork Coffee continues to lead with integrity, taste, and traceability—redefining how Australian consumers experience specialty coffee through thoughtful sourcing, small-batch roasting, and seasonal storytelling.