A Humbling Journey to Moon Boy: From First Cafe to Coffee Roastery
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In Short
Moon Boy didn't start as a coffee roastery.
It started with a small cafe, a 2kg weekly coffee order and a lot of ambition.
Over six years we grew that cafe from 2kg of coffee per week to more than 70kg during peak summer periods. Along the way we learned the value of community, consistency and great coffee. We bought our first coffee roaster, developed what would become our signature Murray Street Blend, launched our own roasting operation and eventually sold the cafe to focus entirely on Moon Boy Roast House.
This is the story of how we got here.
December 2017 - The Beginning
In December 2017, we purchased our first cafe.
Like many first-time business owners, we had plenty of excitement and plenty to learn.
At the time, we weren't coffee roasters.
We were cafe owners trying to build something special for our local community.
We partnered with a coffee roaster who supplied our beans and helped us get started.
One conversation from those early days has stayed with us ever since.
To qualify for wholesale pricing, we were told we needed to order at least 10kg of coffee per week.
Ten kilograms.
At the time, that felt impossible.
We were only using around 2kg per week.
How on earth were we ever going to sell 10kg?
Looking back now, it's funny to think how big that number seemed.
But it gave us something to chase.
Building More Than a Cafe
The following years were all about growth.
Not just in coffee sales, but in confidence.
We learned how to run a business.
We learned hospitality.
We learned how important it is to remember customers' names, orders and stories.
Most importantly, we learned that coffee is about much more than what's in the cup.
Coffee creates connection.
Some customers would visit every day.
Others would stop in once a week.
Over time, strangers became regulars and regulars became friends.
The community was growing and so were we.
2019 - When Everything Changed
Then came COVID.
Like every hospitality business, we faced uncertainty.
Nobody knew what the future would look like.
But something incredible happened.
Our community showed up.
People continued supporting local businesses.
They checked in on each other.
They looked for familiar faces and familiar routines during a very unfamiliar time.
While the world felt uncertain, the cafe became a place of consistency.
A place to have a conversation.
A place to feel connected.
A place where people could simply feel normal again.
Looking back, those years reinforced one of our strongest beliefs:
Great coffee matters.
But people matter more.
2020 - Our First Coffee Roaster
By 2020, our curiosity about coffee had become impossible to ignore.
We wanted to understand more.
We wanted to learn more.
So we bought our first coffee roaster.
At first, it wasn't a business decision.
It was curiosity.
We spent countless hours experimenting, learning and making mistakes.
Batch after batch.
Roast after roast.
Some were great.
Some definitely weren't.
But every roast taught us something new.
The Birth of Murray Street Blend
Around this same time, we developed the first blend we could truly call our own.
Named after the street where our cafe was located.
At first, we introduced it simply to gather feedback.
We wanted honest opinions.
What happened next surprised us.
People loved it.
Customers kept coming back for it.
The blend became part of the cafe's identity.
And to this day, it remains one of the most important coffees in our story.
2022 - Taking the Leap
After years of learning, experimenting and building confidence, we made one of the biggest decisions of our journey.
We stopped buying coffee from our roasting partner and committed fully to roasting our own coffee.
No safety net.
No halfway point.
Just belief in what we had built.
That same year, we secured a warehouse space that would eventually become Moon Boy Roast House.
For the first time, the vision was starting to take shape.
The Right Time to Say Goodbye
Towards the end of 2022, something unexpected happened.
We received an offer to sell the cafe.
The timing couldn't have been better.
The roasting business was growing.
The opportunity felt right.
And after a lot of thought, we decided to take it.
It was emotional.
That cafe had taught us everything.
But we knew the next chapter was waiting.
2023 - Moon Boy Begins
After the sale, we took six weeks off.
The first real break we'd had in years.
Then we got to work.
In 2023, we committed ourselves fully to Moon Boy.
Everything we had learned about coffee, hospitality, business and community became the foundation for the brand.
Today, Moon Boy exists because of every lesson learned along the way.
The early mornings.
The mistakes.
The customers.
The conversations.
The coffees shared across countless tables.
Why We Still Supply the Cafe Today
One of the things we're most proud of is that we still supply coffee to the cafe we once owned.
For us, that's a full-circle moment.
The ownership changed.
The relationship didn't.
It's a reminder of where we started and how far we've come.
Looking Forward
Moon Boy was built on a simple belief.
Coffee has the power to bring people together.
It sparks conversations.
It fuels creativity.
It creates community.
And sometimes it changes lives.
We started with a 2kg coffee order.
Today we're still learning, still roasting and still sharing our love of coffee with the people around us.
And honestly?
We're only just getting started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Moon Boy Roast House based?
Moon Boy Roast House is located at:
2/42 Gordon Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
This is where we roast our coffee, pack orders and continue building the next chapter of the Moon Boy story.
If you're local, there's a good chance you've already seen us loading bags of coffee, testing new roasts or talking coffee with customers.
Do you offer wholesale coffee supply?
Yes.
We currently supply coffee to a growing network of wholesale partners across the Port Macquarie region and proudly work with 8 wholesale accounts.
Having operated cafes since 2019, we understand the challenges hospitality businesses face because we've lived them ourselves.
We don't just supply coffee.
We help cafe owners with:
- Coffee selection
- Brewing advice
- Menu consistency
- Equipment recommendations
- Business and hospitality insights
If you'd like to learn more about wholesale coffee supply, email moonboyroasthouse@gmail.com or text 0432 800 941 and Caitlin will give you a call.
What is the Murray Street Blend?
Murray Street Blend is where our roasting journey truly began.
Named after the street where our first cafe was located, it was the very first blend we created ourselves after purchasing our first coffee roaster.
Originally introduced simply to gather customer feedback, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
People loved it.
Customers kept coming back for it.
What started as an experiment quickly became part of our identity.
Today, Murray Street Blend remains one of the most important coffees we roast and a reminder of where the Moon Boy story began.
How often do you roast your coffee?
Every single week.
Freshness is one of the most important factors in producing great coffee, which is why we roast continuously throughout the week rather than roasting months in advance.
Whether you're brewing at home, running a cafe or ordering online, our goal is to ensure you're receiving coffee that has been roasted as fresh as possible.
Great coffee starts with fresh coffee.