August 31, 2026
Hello again! This month you’re in for a treat as we’re collaborating with the coffee pros over at Proud Mary.
This Melbourne institution needs no introduction. They’ve been roasting some of Australia's most impressive coffees since 2009 and ended up expanding their operation to the United States and beyond. While roasting is their bread and butter, these days they’ve had a particular passion for bringing the community together by hosting regular industry events.
Last month, we squeezed into a very full Aunty Peg’s for one of Proud Mary’s monthly cupping nights and clearly Melbourne got the memo. Aunty Peg’s is Proud Mary’s roastery and black coffee brew bar named after founder Nolan Hirte’s grandmother. Above the brew bar is a giant event space that hosts heaps of amazing events all year round. At this particular event the turnout was massive, the room was buzzing and everyone took their coffee tasting duties seriously while also having a good time. It felt like Proud Mary in a nutshell: great coffee and a whole lot of people crowded around a table talking about what’s in their cup.
For the uninitiated, a cupping is a way of tasting different coffees side by side to explore their aroma, flavour, acidity, body and all the little things that make each one distinct. Proud Mary adds another layer of fun by running its monthly sessions blind. Coffees arrive identified only by numbers, leaving you to trust your palate and attempt to match each cup with its tasting notes. At the end of the event everything is revealed and the person with the most correct guesses wins. It’s equal parts education, guessing game and an excellent excuse to slurp coffee loudly in public.
Stay in the loop by following Proud Mary on their socials. They’re constantly announcing cool upcoming events in Collingwood. In the meantime, enjoy sipping on their coffee all month long!
@proudmarycoffee
www.proudmarycoffee.com.au
THE INTERVIEW
We caught up with the Proud Mary team to talk about coffee, community and the curiosity that keeps them moving forward. From their Melbourne home at Aunty Peg’s to a growing presence overseas, they’re still focused on the same thing: bringing people together over really great coffee.
Aunty Peg's is the brew bar attached to your roastery — where did the name come from?
Aunty Peg's is named after Nolan Hirte's grandmother, Margaret, affectionately known by everyone as Aunty Peg. She was the kind of person who believed there was always room for one more at the table. Her home was known for its warmth, home baking and unwavering hospitality; she had a way of making every visitor feel like family.
That philosophy became the foundation for Aunty Peg's. More than a brew bar, it's the place where we invite people behind the scenes of Proud Mary to explore exceptional coffee through personal service, storytelling and education. Every cup is an opportunity to share not just a coffee, but the people, places and craft behind it, just as Aunty Peg shared her home with everyone who walked through the door.
You guys highlight a different single origin at Aunty Peg's every month. What made you decide to showcase your coffee this way?
The Showcase Menu is our way of telling one coffee story at a time. Every month, we curate a menu around a single theme, whether that's an individual producer, a coffee-growing origin, a processing method, a coffee varietal or a broader idea shaping the coffee industry. We then select three coffees that explore that theme, served as espresso, pour over and cold drip, with the option to experience them together as a tasting flight.
We designed the Showcase Menu to be more than a rotating coffee offering. It's a platform for storytelling and education. Coffee is one of the world's most complex agricultural products, yet most people only experience it one cup at a time. By tasting coffees side by side, guests can compare, ask questions and discover how factors like variety, terroir, processing and roasting influence what's in the cup. More importantly, it allows us to put producers at the centre of the conversation. Every coffee has a story worth telling, and every showcase is an opportunity to introduce guests to the people, places and decisions behind each harvest. Whether we're highlighting a producer we've partnered with for decades or exploring the diversity of a single origin, the menu helps shorten the distance between the farmer and the person enjoying the coffee.
The tasting flight is really where that journey comes to life. It encourages curiosity, sparks conversation and invites guests to engage with coffee in a more meaningful way, not just by tasting the differences, but by understanding why those differences exist.
Our mission has always been to excite customers, share stories and make a difference. The Showcase Menu brings those three ideas together, it gives us a platform to celebrate exceptional coffee, tell the stories behind the cup and connect guests with the producers who make it all possible.
Community is at the core of everything Proud Mary does — what's one of the ways you build community in your local areas?
Community has always been at the heart of Proud Mary. We believe coffee is a powerful way to bring people together, share knowledge and create connections between the people who grow, roast and enjoy coffee.
One of the ways we build community is through our public cuppings. Every Saturday at Aunty Peg’s, we open up our coffee table and invite anyone; from coffee professionals to curious guests to taste, ask questions and learn more about the coffees we’re working with or interesting lots we’ve come across.
Alongside our monthly evening cupping upstairs, takes a slightly different approach. These sessions are designed to challenge expectations and encourage curiosity through blind tasting. Guests are presented with a selection of coffees identified only by numbers, alongside a menu of information about each coffee’s origin, producer, region, processing method, varietal and tasting notes. They then use their own palate to match each coffee to its story before we reveal the answers together at the end.
Blind cupping is a great way to remove preconceived ideas and allow people to experience coffee for what it is. It challenges assumptions that a certain origin, varietal or processing method should always taste a certain way, and encourages guests to think more deeply about the incredible diversity that exists within coffee.
Ultimately, these sessions are about creating connection through curiosity. They give our community a chance to learn, share observations and better understand the stories behind each coffee, from the producer who grew it to the choices that shaped the final cup.
Proud Mary have been slinging coffee in the US for almost a decade now — of all the cities in America, what made Portland and then Austin the ones?
When we looked at expanding Proud Mary into the US, we weren’t simply looking for the biggest markets, we were looking for communities that shared our values. Places where people cared about quality, creativity, hospitality and the stories behind the things they consumed.
Portland felt like the perfect first step. It had one of the most passionate specialty coffee communities in the US, with guests who already appreciated craft, provenance and quality. What we wanted to bring was a little piece of Melbourne café culture, the idea that a café can be more than somewhere you grab a coffee. It can be a place to slow down, connect and enjoy an experience built around great coffee, exceptional food and genuine hospitality.
A big part of Proud Mary has always been creating spaces where coffee and food exist together. The Australian café culture we grew up with is built around brunch, taking time with friends, thoughtful service and creating a welcoming environment where people want to stay. We saw an opportunity to share that approach in the US—pairing world-class coffee with a full café experience that celebrated both the cup and the people around it.
Austin felt like the natural next chapter. Like Portland, it has an incredible independent spirit, a strong food culture and a community that values creativity, innovation and new ideas. It gave us the opportunity to continue sharing the Proud Mary experience while building meaningful relationships and becoming part of a new community.
Ultimately, whether it’s Melbourne, Portland or Austin, we’re drawn to places where people value connection. Our goal has always been to create spaces that bring people together, share stories and celebrate the incredible journey behind every cup.
Aside from at-home, where can our subscribers drink your coffee?
Visit our Cafe on Oxford St in Collingwood or Aunty Pegs, our black coffee brew bar on Wellington St.
What are your current favourite hospo haunts and hang out spots?
Effe in Tacoma serving up wildly delicious Affogatos, and Communal Market in Caulfield for ripping toasties and delights for the pantry.
“Emplyee of the month” who is someone that deserves a shout out and why? Can be silly or serious.
It’s gotta be Jak Ryan - technically not this month, but very worthy nonetheless.
What are you looking forward to in the coffee industry at the moment? Any cool trends we should keep our eye on?
We’ve long been looking into ways of preserving the flavour of hot brewed coffee and serving it cold - that’s how landed on our Nitro SnapChill setup which features in all our venues. We’re now testing out Hyper Chillers to rapidly cool down pourovers, the goal being to have our whole filter coffee menu available on ice.
Tell us about what’s in store for the rest of the year? Any exciting or upcoming projects to note?
We’re going to be closing the year with a bang – there’s so much cool stuff coming up. Jak Ryan, our Global Coffee Lead is representing the USA at WBC in Panama. Jak is originally from Melbourne and honed his craft here before heading over to work in our Austin location. It seems like the natural progression as we take Melbourne coffee culture and know how to the world.
Our newest venue is slated to open before the end of the year - more details to come as we get closer to doors opening, all I can say is it’s going to be an exciting new format store with the same level of care, attention to detail and fun that PMC is known for.
What do you consider your most notable coffee achievements since expanding in the US?
Keeping our identity, spirit, and values in a new market. When we opened to Portland we were the new kids on the block and it very much felt like starting from scratch. It’s taken time to become part of the community but it’s a testament that we’re now viewed as much Portland and Austin brand as a Melbourne one. Regardless of which Proud Mary you visit you’ll be greeted by the unapologetically loud, irreverent and fun atmosphere
THE COFFEE
ESPRESSO COFFEE
Pocos de Caldas Yellow Bourbon Natural
Poços de Caldas sits within the crater of an ancient volcano in Minas Gerais, where volcanic soils, elevations of 1,000 to 1,300 metres and a mild mountain climate create ideal conditions for producing distinctive coffees. Coffee has been grown here since the 1860s, while a focus on specialty production has steadily developed over the past three decades. Today, more than 100 farming families work with Bourbon Specialty Coffees, preserving a strong tradition of family farming and manual harvesting. Natural processing defines the region, accounting for around 80% of production. Ripe cherries are dried whole, allowing sweetness and fruit character to develop gradually before milling. The remaining coffees are produced using the local Cereja Descascado method, where the cherry skin is removed before drying. The combination of volcanic soils, careful processing and generations of farming knowledge has established Poços de Caldas as one of Brazil’s most respected specialty coffee regions.
Coffee Origins: Brazil
Tasting Notes: Notes of cocoa, date, and malt.
Espresso Recipe:
Doses: 22g
Yield: 44g
Time: 28 – 32 seconds
Ratio: 1:2
Temp: 93 degrees
FILTER COFFEE
Washed Caturra and Castillo from Colombia Antioquia
In the mountains of Antioquia, where morning mist settles over the slopes, coffee has been cultivated for generations. Smallholder producers work at elevations between 1,400 and 2,000 metres above sea level, where cool temperatures and fertile soils support slow cherry maturation and steady development of sugars. Production remains grounded in traditional practice, with incremental refinements. Cherries are selectively picked, fermentation is managed with care, and drying is controlled to maintain clarity and stability. Each stage is deliberate, contributing to a consistent and well-defined profile. In the cup, the structure is clear. Medium, bright acidity sits alongside a medium body and a measured sweetness. Flavour leans towards panela, sweet citrus, and stone fruit. This is a coffee shaped by continuity and attention to detail. Reliable, composed, and expressive of its origin without excess.
Coffee Origin: Colombia
Tasting Notes: Notes of panela, orange citrus, and stone fruit.
Filter Recipe:
Dose: 15g
Bloom: 80g for 45 seconds
Water: 240g water
Time: 2:00 – 2:30 minutes
Ratio: 1:16
Temp: 100 degrees
DARK ROAST
Humbler
Humbler is Proud Mary’s big-bodied seasonal blend — made for the people, by the people. It's built to cut through milk for a chocolatey latte, or to pour as a rich, syrupy espresso. Sweet, approachable, and easy to brew, it's designed to make great coffee accessible to everyone.
Coffee Origins: Brazil and Colombia
Tasting Notes: Notes of chocolate fudge, caramel, date, and a syrupy finish.
Espresso Recipe:
Doses: 22g
Yield: 44g
Time: 28 – 32 seconds
Ratio: 1:2
Temp: 93 degrees
PREMIUM FILTER
Washed Castillo from El Mirador, Colombia
For the past 30 years, Octavio Rueda Ramírez has built his life around coffee. After his parents were forced to sell their land due to debt, he began working as a coffee picker from a young age, travelling wherever work was available. Even then, he carried a clear goal: to save enough money to one day buy a farm of his own. Rather than saving cash, Octavio invested in cattle, keeping cows on his uncle’s property and slowly building enough value to secure his land. Eventually, ten cows became the foundation of the payment for the farm he now manages with his wife. Together, they expanded the existing coffee plantings and continued developing the property with a focus on Castillo and Red Bourbon varieties. Today, coffee remains central to the family’s life. It has provided stability, supported their household, and made it possible to build something of their own through decades of steady work.
Coffee Origins: Colombia
Tasting Notes: Notes of sticky caramel and juicy nectarine.
Filter Recipe:
Dose: 15g
Bloom: 80g for 45 seconds
Water: 240g water
Time: 2:00 – 2:30 minutes
Ratio: 1:16
Temp: 100 degrees