Interview with Paul Kimber of Industry Beans

Hey, what's up, Happy Friday!

Hey, Happy Friday! I'm Paul Kimber. I'm the National BDM for industry beans. And we're currently sitting in Industry Beans, Fitzroy.

So how long have you been in the coffee industry? And how have you been at Industry?

I've been in the coffee industry for 20 odd years, from London to Melbourne. And I've been working for Industry Beans for about five years.

So, you say from London to Melbourne. How long did you work in the coffee industry in London for? I know that the industry is famously very hectic.

I was only in London for a year before I came to Melbourne, it’s where I learned how to make coffee. I wasn’t very good, but that's where I first started.

What was your first job when you first moved to Melbourne?

My first job when I first moved to Melbourne was manager of a cafe on St Kilda Road.

And you're a bit of a self-made man. You had your own company and café for a while there too.

Yeah, so I've a managed cafes for five years in Melbourne. And then I owned two cafes in Melbourne for over 10 years.

And what do you think makes Industry Beans so special?

I always wanted to work for Industry Beans because of the quality of the coffee. Being in sales, having a great product is number one for me.

Would you say it sells itself?

It sells itself? Yeah! Our coffee is super consistent and of high quality. And the owners of Industry Beans just make it a great place to work.

You just touched on this a little bit, but as a business development manager, how are your days usually spent?

Every day is different. I will generally be involved in all the sales. So, anybody who inquires to use our coffee, I’ll get in touch, organise a meeting and we'll have a testing session. And then I'll work with them all the way through until when they start using our coffee, making sure that they're happy with everything and that the coffee's testing great, everyone's trained up and business is going well.

Sounds very hands on and fun. How many different accounts do you personally work with?

We have three account managers who help me look after all of our customers, but all of our customers have my phone number so, if they need something or there's a breakdown or they just want help with business in general, I'll be there to help them.

Would you say that you have more of a hospitality background or management background?

I was never employed just as barista, I started straight into management. When I was in London, I was an assistant manager and the manager of the store just sort of said to me, “you're in charge of the coffee”. I kind of fell in love with it, and the sales grew really well. And then when I came to Melbourne, I just got more and more involved in coffee. It's been my passion for a long time now.

So, what core values have led you to be where you are today?

When I look back on my career I think, I love coffee, but I would say I love helping people more.

Can you think of any particular times stand out? Any that make your heart sing?

In hospitality in general, each day is about getting little wins. Working with people and helping people, it makes me feel good about myself and what I do.

Yeah, for sure. It all accumulates

Yeah, exactly. I can't think of one big occasion right now. But being there and the customers knowing that I’m there, it’s important to me.

That's really nice! You must have seen the industry from so many different angles at this point, right?

Yeah, and the customers that we're supplying know that I've owned cafes, they know that I get it and that I see all of the hard work they do. Having someone in your corner, even just as a sounding board is a nice thing.

Yeah, because no matter how small a question might be, you've been there before, right?

Exactly! When you own cafes, you're working a lot of hours and It’s physically demanding. And at the end of the day, you've got to think about how the business is going to improve and you’ve got to try new things all the time to see what works with your customers.

Very well said. What do you think every café needs to succeed?

I think it's really simple to be honest. If you've got a nice looking venue, you have great customer service, great coffee and great food. That's it. It sounds so simple, but it's so hard to achieve consistently. It's hard to keep focused on the fact that each customer that walks through your door is the most important person.

Yeah, that's right. Because as a hospo worker you’re there all day, but for that customer, their visit is probably a real special treat for them. That's their respite from their job or from their life. It’s quite an honor to be able to offer that experience to someone.

Absolutely. There's nothing better than when you walk into a hospitality venue, and you're greeted with the smile of someone friendly who cares about you visiting their venue.

Can you tell me about your relationship with La Marzocco?

We use a lot of La Marzocco machines for our customers and over the last five years, I would say 70% of our customers have gotten La Marzocco machines. And to know that you've got a reliable machine on the bench that's not going to let you down. And also just intuitive machines that are pretty easy to use, without being too complex. And when you're in a busy environment when you're doing you know, 10, 20 kilos a day. Just having something that works and is easy to use is important. 90% of baristas who have used one before, it's very comfortable for them, they trust the brand, they trust that they're gonna be able to make nice coffee out of that machine. They're a great company to work with, super friendly and the product is great and reliable. And most importantly, the La Marzocco and Brewtech relationship is important to us. We know that we can call Brewtech, request the job and know that the job is done. We don't have to think about it again. Knowing that they will treat our customers like they’re their customers, and that professionalism and customer service is really important to them too. We want Brewtech to be almost an extension of Industry Beans and our values towards our customers.

Wow, that's really nice! How did you meet Craig, by the way?

I met Craig when I first started working at Industry Beans because we were pretty much only using La Marzocco machines at that point. Craig and I are both English. It was just banter from the start. He's a lovely guy and is so passionate about servicing machines. We got on straight away and it's just been an easy relationship from the very start! It's not just about the servicing, you know, like we'll do a lot of powder coating work and sometimes even full refurbs. It's a phone call I look forward to as opposed to put off.  I work a lot with Steve Calipari. He and I have a great relationship. He can definitely talk nonsense, but I love that as well. Craig's simply just really good at hiring people who are passionate about coffee, but also really nice to deal with, with super friendly personalities.

Lastly, what is next for Industry Beans?

So we've got two stores in Sydney to Brisbane and three in Melbourne. We've just opened a new cafe in Sydney, and it's like a micro roastery with a Loring roaster in there as well. And also, we've just released a new our Fitzroy Iced in a takeaway bottle! We just want it to be the best iced latte you can buy!

I love the Fitzroy Iced! Thanks for giving me your time today!

My pleasure!