Hey Jenni - what's brewing at Market Lane?
Hi, Food For Everyone team! Last year we celebrated Market Lane’s 15th birthday, so there were various celebrations in the works – including the launch of our gorgeous collaboration poster with you! We can’t quite believe it’s already been 15 years since we opened Market Lane; the time has really flown! Celebrating feels like a special chance to reflect on the people who’ve helped shape who we’ve become as a business.
This includes all the extraordinary people who’ve worked with us over the years, particularly our wonderful team members – some of whom have been with us for the whole 15 years, or a decade or more – the coffee-producing people and groups we’re so proud to collaborate with, local suppliers and the gorgeous customers we get to serve every day.
All these people (and relationships) are truly what get us out of bed in the morning. They are motivating and bring meaning to what we do – what a joy it is to be on this journey together!

Tell us about pour over as a brew method. Is it one of the best ways to enjoy ML coffee?
Since day one at Market Lane, we’ve always championed pour over filter brewing as a delicious, easy and affordable way to enjoy great coffee. Getting going at home with your first coffee-brewing set-up doesn’t need to be expensive, a cone-shaped coffee brewer can start at around $30. It’s a simple and uncomplicated brew method – unlike an espresso machine – and it’s very easy to keep clean; you rinse it and pop it on your drying rack ready for the next morning.
Because of its paper filter and gentle method, pour over brewing tends to produce a clean cup of coffee that allows the variety and terroir of a coffee shine through. We love it because it’s a great way to experience and celebrate the flavours that make each coffee unique and distinct.
Food For Everyone was founded on the idea of how food connects people, tells stories and holds memories - in what ways does coffee do this?
I love this question, in what ways does it not! One way familiar to most is through café culture – coffee shops create crucial third spaces and offer meeting points for community…for planned connections, chance encounters with strangers, and everything in-between. These opportunities root us in our neighbourhoods or offer a compass while travelling overseas.
I think I’m in the minority here, but my love of coffee did not start with the beverage itself, it was the connections to the people and communities all over the world that got me hooked. Each coffee tells the history of a country, often explaining why coffee exists in any one place, through the global history of colonisation.
It also tells us about place through the terroir where the coffee was grown – the soil, elevation, varieties, temperatures, etc – these environmental factors were not traditionally talked about when discussing coffee, but they leave an indelible and unique mark by way of flavour.
This part of a coffee’s story is now more important than ever as we try to make sense of, and act on, the global climate crisis. As the planet warms up, it’s a lot more difficult to produce great coffees. Already we have seen producers struggling with the changes in temperatures, storms that affect fruit growth, erosion wiping out farms and disease. These challenges tell us about our world today – they are speaking to us.
What's the ultimate food to pair/enjoy with coffee?
Growing up in the northeastern United States, there are a few special treats from my youth that make the most special and comforting combination with coffee. A crumbly sour cream coffee cake, a warm apple pie, and I would never pass up an apple cider donut in autumn. Basically, any fresh baked good that contains butter and cinnamon.
Coffee beans tell a story from farm to cup. Could you share a particular story from one of your coffee farmers that highlights the human connection that goes into every cup?
I spent five years as Market Lane’s coffee buyer in Rwanda. It was a massive privilege and a dream come true. Nowhere are our relationships stronger or more meaningful than with our coffee partners there. We’ve been working with the Dukunde Kawa co-op in Rwanda’s North for 15 consecutive years – their coffee was on the very first pallet of coffee we ever brought to Australia.
Our annual visits to Rwanda have helped us understand that the scars of the 1994 genocide run deep there. Every single person we meet in Rwanda has been profoundly affected by this devastating history. To understand this origin is to know that it is a country working valiantly to grow, build and flourish in the aftermath of the events of the mid-90s.
Coffee has played no small part in this rebuilding. In the wake of the genocide, coffee was identified as one of a handful of sectors that could revive the economy. We’ve been privileged and fortunate to witness first-hand the ways in which coffee has transformed the lives of many thousands of people in Rwanda. Coffee has helped create jobs, develop skillsets and rebuild communities over the last three decades.
Today, Rwanda is a country that’s very much moving forward. The resilience and general positivity of a population working hard to overcome its past and embrace what is wonderful about its present is awe-inspiring. As for the coffee industry, Rwanda is producing some truly exceptional coffees, with more and more high-quality coffees showing up on the cupping (tasting) table – and our coffee menu – every year.
Market Lane is truly 'Melbourne' - if someone is visiting from out of town, what spots would you take them to give them a taste of the city?
Even though I’ve been living in Melbourne since 2011 I still feel like a bit of a newbie, discovering new places all the time! Some spots I love are Public Wine for a delicious glass of wine from the inimitable Campbell and his team, Melbourne’s farmers markets (including a visit to Masses Bagels, founded by amazing Carmen, a Market Lane team member), and Pizzeria Magma in Fitzroy North for the pizza (and hospitality) of your dreams!
I love visiting the Melbourne Museum, specifically it’s Forest Gallery and it’s Bunjilaka Centre. The museum offers these truly stunning ways to experience the plants, animals and First Nations history that gives Melbourne its identity. For a slower ‘taste’ of Melbourne I’d recommend a walk along the Merri Creek. I live across the street from it in Coburg North and walk regular with my family. We meet friends for a wander most weekends, have hot chocolates at our favourite rocks, and try to identify the native birds and frog calls. It’s always a beautiful chance to think about and honour the First People of this land, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, and it’s greater Kulin Nation, a history and legacy that we’re so lucky to experience and be in proximity to.
Can you share any cooking or dining rituals that are important to you?
Coming up on ten years this summer, I’ve been making passata with four dear families, (‘the Passata Pals’)! The first year we were very naive, no one knowing how long it takes to makes passata in bulk. We ended up wrapping up at 12am. We’ve gotten a little more streamlined with our processes, and a bit better with the time management since then! We kick off around 9am sharing a breakfast of Aviv bagels while washing and chopping the tomatoes. In recent years the older kids have started to participate and help with the work. Each year we wrap the day up by sharing a fresh pasta dinner made with the passata, and then each family wobbles home with about 80 kilos of jarred tomatoes to supply the year ahead. It’s been quite moving and beautiful to experience the years pass through this food making tradition.
If we were to peer into your fridge/pantry right now, what are 5 things we would find?
- Pickles! In all forms! If I haven’t ravaged my homemade stock, a few jars of lacto-fermented gherkin cucumbers. And I often make a quick batch of spicy-garlicky carrot sticks, they ferment quickly and are a great snack.
- A chilled aperitivo or sweet vermouth like Cynar, Carpano Antica Formula, Bizzarro or Campari. After having two young kids, and then navigating Melbourne’s intense period of lockdowns over the last few years, I realised we had not been hosting people in our home as much as we used to, and I’ve missed it! My solution has been having the fixings for a simple aperitivo hour offering on hand.
Paring a refreshing aperitivo with a few salty/vinegary snacks feels like an achievable level of hosting, even when it’s completely unplanned. An aperitivo on ice (or a bubbly version) with some of those pickles, olives or some anchovies and cheese is so satisfying to me, and it means that I can focus on talking to friends instead of cooking. There are great affordable aperitivos on the market, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, so it feels easy to have something available for everyone to enjoy.
- Tomato Kasundi. My partner has an annual-ish tradition of making a triple batch, based off the Annie Smithers recipe. We love it with a poached egg or a cheese toasty. It’s somewhat famous (uber locally ) – if you invite us over for dinner, you’re getting a jar!
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/blueprintforliving/annie-smithers-tomato-kasoundi/13779736
- Passata. The cupboard is full, naturally. I can’t think of an easier, crowd-pleasing weekday dinner for our busy family than a quick sugo or puttanesca pasta.
- Almond Chili Oil from Raf Rashid’s Taco Truck. Spicy, crunchy, umami, yum to the max and good on everything, especially a potato wedge with sour cream.
Pour Over At Home by Market Lane
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