At Rumble Coffee Roasters, it all begins with knockout coffee, characterised by a straight-talking approach, a love of exceptional beans and a commitment to doing right by people and the planet. Championing transparency, sustainability, and long-term relationships, from farmer to customer, is the foundation of everything the Rumble team does.
Opening their own espresso bar in Kensington, Melbourne, VIC gave Rumble the perfect stage to showcase the coffees they roast every day and to connect directly with a community that’s fast evolving and eager to learn more about specialty coffee. The centrepiece of the bar is a custom navy KB90, built for speed, ease and precision, allowing baristas to brew with confidence and keep their focus on delivering the best customer experience. Back in the roastery, the team utilise a GB5 and Swan grinder for experimenting, training and refinement.
We sat down with Director Joe Molloy to discuss all things Rumble, the journey of expanding from roastery operations to a fully-fledged coffee bar in Kensington and valuable lessons learned along the way.
How would you describe the brand, vibe, and ethos of Rumble?
It always starts with knockout coffee. We’re here to shake up the coffee industry with a straight-talking approach, a love of great coffee, and a commitment to doing right by people and the planet. Our ethos is all about transparency, sustainability, and long-term relationships, from the farmer all the way to the customer.
You now have a café! Congrats! What made you open your own café and how’s it going?
Thanks! Opening the espresso bar was about creating a space where we could showcase the coffees we roast every day to our community. Kensington is changing and growing at a rapid pace, and it’s been incredible to be a part of that growth.
What lessons did you learn from opening the café that would be helpful to other roasters thinking about doing the same?
Keep it simple. Focus on consistency and service, alongside the coffee. We have a terrific team running the bar, and one of my favourite things is to read a new Google review that mentions the friendly service. Roasting great coffee is one thing, but great service is what keeps people coming back.
Rumble places unwavering value in transparency and sustainability in the coffee chain – how is the current cost of quality green bean affecting your operations both as roaster and café?
The rising cost of green coffee is real, but we see it as an opportunity to double down on why we exist. Publishing what we pay for every coffee keeps us honest and helps our customers understand the true value of quality. Producers finally have the chance to earn a price for their crop that reflects the time and effort they put in.
On the café side, it means being crystal clear about pricing and making sure our team can communicate why a cup of coffee costs what it does. Coffee is still far cheaper in Australia than around the world, and we risk losing our hard-won global reputation unless we raise the price of a cup and keep buying good coffee.
Your dedication to excellence is apparent both backstage in the roastery and customer-facing in the café with espresso machines and grinders that support both training, workflow, and quality in the cup. Tell us more about your decision to have a GB5 and Swan grinder for upskilling and a KB90 on the coffee bar?
On the bar, the KB90 is all about speed, workflow, and consistency. It lets our baristas focus less on the mechanics and more on connecting with customers, while still hitting that high standard in every cup. And it’s just the best-looking machine in Melbourne. Ours is custom in a dark blue, and as I spend most of my time on the customer side these days, I get to appreciate how it looks every day.
We’ve long had a GB5 at the roastery to train, experiment, and upskill the team, and the Swan helps us refine that process. It’s an excellent grinder that makes delicious coffee and fits into our workflow well.
Is there an espresso machine your customers predominantly use?
Yes, the Linea PB is still the workhorse for many of our wholesale partners. Its reliability, consistency, and straightforward design make it a perfect match for busy cafés. The PB hits that sweet spot of quality, longevity, and classic design that La Marzocco is deservedly famous for.
What’s next for Rumble?
We’re excited to keep growing our community, from wholesale partners to retail customers, while staying true to our mission of transparency and sustainability. The espresso bar is just the start; we see it as a hub for education, training, and connection. Our monthly coffee cuppings there are super popular, and we are planning on more events in the near future.
