Hot cross bun Freddo espresso. Tsoureki frappe. Classic Greek coffee your way. This is ‘Melvourni‘.
Husband and wife George and Thalia Dardamanis started ‘Melvourni’ 10 years ago. What started off as their small hobby has become a successful Greek coffee business that serves beyond the Melbourne community.
An ode to the nostalgia of dipping biscuits in his mum’s bitter Elliniko, George tells me ‘Melvourni’s’ mission is to give people good quality Greek coffee with a contemporary twist.
“There were never many options for quality Greek-style coffee in Australia,” George explains.
That all changed with ‘Melvourni’. “The first thing people say when they try our coffee is, ‘Oh my God, how smooth is it?’ It’s real coffee, and you can taste the difference.”
“We want to give people the same kind of quality as we would expect in a specialty roaster.”
He tells me the endearing story about how Melvourni came about through the birth of his first-born son.
”Once you have your first child, you get visitors coming over and and we would serve them Greek coffee. That’s when my wife looked at me and she goes surely we can come up with a better Greek coffee than this. And, I’m like, oh God, here we go.”
The name ‘Melvourni’ came about when George and Thalia were driving through their hometown Melbourne and admiring it’s skyline.
“Thats where my wife mentioned the name, and it stuck. We thought it was perfect, because we think in Melbourne we are very blessed with the best coffees in the world.”
George names 3 non-negotiables for ‘Melvourni’s’ coffee; organic, specialty grade and ethically sourced.
With no pesticides and hailing from national forests, George and Thalia source the Arabica beans from Brazil, have them locally roasted and traditionally grind the beans using old style Greek stone grinders to get the gorgeous powdery consistency needed in Greek coffee.
Their range features three iconic coffees – Greek, freddo, and frappe – all available in decaf (because everyone deserves good coffee).
They also offer fun flavours: classic, hot cross bun, cinnamon, gingerbread, chocolate, 24K GOLD, and their standout favourite, tsoureki, which surged in popularity after Easter last year and looks set to do the same again this year.
To enhance their beloved flavours, ‘Melvourni’ collaborated with their good friend celebrity Chef Dezi Madafferi to make a limited edition cinnamon frappe set.
“ That went really well for us, and we’re always expanding on our flavours”, George said.
‘Melvourni’ doesn’t just sell coffee – they help you make it, too. Their range of coffee tools includes traditional brikis in small, medium, and large, coffee machines, frappe mixers, strainers, and even a beautifully crafted brass coffee mill for grinding beans to the perfect fineness.
Looking ahead, George and Thalia hope to take ‘Melvourni’ global by exporting their coffee worldwide. George also dreams of opening a small café to serve freshly brewed coffee and connect with the local community.
“We’d love to continue spreading the word of Greek coffee. Getting a lot more people drinking not just in Australia, but around the world.”
Prepare for Easter gifting and sipping, with Melvourni’ online here, or through their stockists:
