Jack McNiff has made it his business to know how Launcestonians like their coffee – and he has done so very successfully.

“With such a flooded market, in a small town, you’ve got to make sure you’re doing it right otherwise you don’t last,” he said.

“You’d don’t have to go far [to find another coffee shop]; you can go across the road.”

To put it simply, Amelia Espresso “concentrates on coffee”.

“That’s our thing. We advertise that we’re a specialty coffee place. There’s not many of those around in Launceston and Amelia started that six years ago,” Mr McNiff said.

Just celebrating the third anniversary of taking over the business from its founder and namesake Amelia Padgett, Mr McNiff has taken Ms Padgett’s legacy of creating great coffee and extended it further.

Marking the day by inviting customers to help celebrate, Mr McNiff was surprised at the number of people who wanted to share the day with him and his staff.

“We’ve had a lot of locals and a lot of people move to another job, or move out of the city, and a good number of them came specifically to say happy birthday and brought gifts. It made me feel like I’d actually made an impression,” he said.

“To know that what I do means something to people is pretty cool.

“I was happy that so many people cared enough about  the business to come and say hello and congratulations. I’m very thankful to be doing what I do.”

Sandwiched between a retail store and corporate offices in George Street in Launceston’s CBD, Amelia Espresso does not have the hallmarks of other branded coffee chains with a long list of menu items to suit everyone and merchandise to match.

Instead, Amelia Espresso serves a handful of coffees with the odd sweet treat.

“We do all the pour over stuff, the filter, the batch brews and things like that, and we’ve been doing it for a fair while. A lot of other people are catching up now and finding out that it is very popular,” Mr McNiff said.

“I guess when you’re the first people to do it, people come for that and they stick around. We care about our coffee.”

When your product offering is essentially one item with a few variations, there is nowhere to hide if you don’t do it exceptionally well.

“Consistency is the biggest thing, really. People keep coming back for consistency – they know they’re going to get the same coffee every time,” he said.

“We take care of that; we weigh our shots and make sure the shots are running at the right time every time.

“When you’re only doing coffee, there’s only one thing you can stuff up – and that’s coffee. People could go somewhere and have a bad coffee, but good food, so they’ll go back; but you come here and all you’re having is coffee – you need to get it right every time.”

Another factor that sets Amelia Espresso apart is its difference from other Launceston’s cafes.

Amelia Espresso does not have an extensive food menu or an in-house chef; in fact the only food you can buy is what is displayed in small glass cabinets.

Or, if that food doesn’t appeal you can bring your own.

“We don’t mind if people bring their own food in because we don’t have lunch; we can’t do that here,” Mr McNiff said.

It does not have intimate spaces where you can speak privately; customers come to Amelia’s to buy a coffee en route to the office or for a quick catch up with friends around the shared table.

But what it does have is a community of coffee lovers who like knowing they will get the same good cup of coffee every time.

“It’s not your typical coffee shop; it’s got the original blackwood walls; it’s a very relaxed vibe,” Mr McNiff said.

“And we’ve got great banter as well. We go back and forth with out locals and they like that.”

Buying an existing business that comes with a passionate clientele can be a risky exercise.

Ms Padgett had created a devoted community around her coffee offering, which Mr McNiff had to step into and embrace when he moved back to Launceston to take up the opportunity.

With previous experience working in a Chapel Street, Melbourne, cafe, he knew how to impress self-professed coffee snobs, so it was just a matter of getting to know his new market.

“Taking over a business, there’s people who will go with the previous owner, which is fine, but I also brought some in when I took over,” he said.

“I’m pretty happy with the amount of locals that we kept when we took it over – and they’ve been here since day dot. They continue to come in every day and we have a great relationship with them; I’m pretty thankful for them.

“They’re more friends than anything, and I hang out with a lot of them outside of work as well.”

CityProm executive officer Steve Henty said Launceston retailers who created communities around their businesses and experiences for their customers had been reporting better sales figures.

“Launceston is of a size where people build relationships and that relationship building can start with the customer’s expectation before they shop. People feel they belong in that space,” Mr Henty said.

“These businesses that tap into the visitor experience will continue to thrive going forward. You can’t get that experience online.

“When you go into a cafe you’re not buying $4.50 worth of liquid, but the experience with that retailer,” he said.

Ms Padgett before him and, now, Mr McNiff work with Invermay-based coffee roasters Ritual Coffee to ensure the beans they use are the best for Amelia Espresso’s style.

Ritual even created a signature blend for the business.

“They’re legends; they help us out with everything we need. They roasted the Amelia Blend for us, and that’s another bonus – we’ve got our own blend,” he said.

“We are constantly working back and forth with the roasters to make it better all the time, but not change it too much.”

His third year in business has been a big one for Mr McNiff, but he heads into his fourth with plans for a bright future.

In the two weeks Amelia Espresso traditionally closes for Christmas and New Year, he will be working hard on a rebrand and shop upgrade.

This includes new equipment and an outdoor seating area “to keep on stepping it up a notch”.

“We want to make sure that we’re staying the coffee place.”

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