art is our origin story
When my wife Victoria and I began our temporary art installation project at 108 River Esplanade, we could never have imagined what it would become. When we started this project, we anticipated being here for eight weeks, that was eight years ago...
Having taken a sabbatical from my engineering career, I had spent 6 months in my art studio preparing a series of paintings with the intention of holding a solo exhibition before heading back to a 'real job'.
We found the venue now known as the espressonist whilst looking for an appropriate exhibition space. My work as a visual artist had centred around cities, life in the city and man made landscapes. I would walk past buildings in Melbourne CBD in early construction and I would think, “those huge concrete cavernous spaces look like an art museum, like the Tate Modern or the NGV, what if you could exhibit in a construction site?”
community activation
Eventually we found a developer, Mirvac, who believed in our pitch and saw that we were offering to build something special on Yarra's Edge in Docklands.
Together with an architect friend, we began designing a temporary interior for the space (at the time of first viewing, it was still a build site). Eventually we came up with a temporary design of large gallery walls, embracing the raw concrete floors and exposed ceilings.
The original exhibition was a huge success, we sold nearly all the paintings, which was fortunate, because the temporary fitout had gone well over budget! We had covered our costs which felt like a great achievement as an artist exhibiting solo for the first time.
The show had gotten the attention of locals and created a buzz, the kind of buzz that Docklands was looking for, having struggled somewhat with the perception it was not a very cool suburb.
Over 300 people attended the opening night, a great turn out, the activation was a success. Mirvac invited us to stay longer and continue and expand our activation project.
We continued to host new art exhibitions of various local Melbourne artists. In addition, we launched a pop up coffee shop, consisting of two staff and a humble little coffee cart, and The Espressonist was born!
humble beginnings
In 2016 The Espressonist Pty Ltd was launched as a pop-up coffee shop within our temporary art installation at 108 River Esplanade. Our original setup was very basic, a coffee cart and a drinks fridge. There was no comparable offering locally. The pop up achieved significant success, developing a strong and loyal customer base very rapidly, due to its unique offering in the area. We based our strategy on one simple principle, in Melbourne, good coffee draws a crowd.
Fast forward several years and the business had bootstrapped from temporary to permanent, from coffee only to a full-service kitchen, things were looking promising and I was immensely proud; our brunch was making waves in local news headlines and we were getting busy! Our busiest month on record was February 2020. By the end of March 2020, we were in lockdown.
surviving COVID
We could not have anticipated the extent of the challenges that the Melbourne CBD would face from 2020 onwards. Melbourne CBD was one of the most impacted precincts on the planet by pandemic restrictions – widely reported in international news. 2022 presented further challenges with hyperinflation, increasing interest rates and major labour shortages. We watched as many of the businesses around us closed their doors permanently.
But we were determined to survive. We put our minds to pivoting, innovating and reinventing ourselves. Our gallery could no longer operate and so we wound up gallery operations in the second half of 2020. Our wine bar which had focussed on fine dining and tapas was no longer feasible, but we had the grand idea of pivoting to fish and chips. We remained open for dinner doing takeaway fish and chips throughout all the lockdowns.
In fact, we were open 7 days a week throughout all the lockdowns. Initially we had no idea if we would have enough trade to stay open, but we soon realised that during the lockdowns, coffee was an essential service. We were now more than just a coffee shop, we were a beacon of hope, some light in the darkness, a place to go when you weren't allowed to go anywhere!
the espressonist 2.0
We pivoted our menu to takeaway only, we began selling basic groceries and necessities, ready-made take-home meals and spent much of our time during the lockdowns renovating and upgrading the venue in anticipation of opening up again.
Having survived the pandemic, the espressonist has evolved, matured and settled into its own. We provide a sense of place and community that is scarce in our region. Our courtyard arbor adorned with its establish tropical plants beckons to those walking along the boardwalk, like an oasis in a desert of concrete and glass. At times the Docklands can seem harsh and barren, but we love our secret hideaway on the river, it truly is a remarkable location and we feel privileged to have made it our place of business and our home.
art is our origin story
When my wife Victoria and I began our temporary art installation project at 108 River Esplanade, we could never have imagined what it would become. When we started this project, we anticipated being here for eight weeks, that was eight years ago...
Having taken a sabbatical from my engineering career, I had spent 6 months in my art studio preparing a series of paintings with the intention of holding a solo exhibition before heading back to a 'real job'.
We found the venue now known as the espressonist whilst looking for an appropriate exhibition space. My work as a visual artist had centred around cities, life in the city and man made landscapes. I would walk past buildings in Melbourne CBD in early construction and I would think, “those huge concrete cavernous spaces look like an art museum, like the Tate Modern or the NGV, what if you could exhibit in a construction site?”
community activation
Eventually we found a developer (Mirvac) who believed in our pitch and saw that we were offering to build something special on Yarra's Edge in Docklands.
Together with an architect friend, we began designing a temporary interior for the space (at the time of first viewing, it was still a build site). Eventually we came up with a temporary design of large gallery walls, embracing the raw concrete floors and exposed ceilings.
The original exhibition was a huge success, we sold nearly all the paintings, which was fortunate, because the temporary fit-out had gone well over budget! We had covered our costs which felt like a great achievement as an artist exhibiting solo for the first time.
The show had gotten the attention of locals and created a buzz, the kind of buzz that Docklands was looking for, having struggled somewhat with the perception it was not a very cool suburb.
Over 300 people attended the opening night, a great turn out, the activation was a success. Mirvac invited us to stay longer and continue and expand our activation project.
We continued to host new art exhibitions of various local Melbourne artists. In addition, we launched a pop up coffee shop, consisting of two staff and a humble little coffee cart, and The Espressonist was born!
humble beginnings
In 2016 The Espressonist Pty Ltd was launched as a pop-up coffee shop within our temporary art installation at 108 River Esplanade. Our original setup was very basic, a coffee cart and a drinks fridge. There was no comparable offering locally. The pop up achieved significant success, developing a strong and loyal customer base very rapidly, due to its unique offering in the area. We based our strategy on one simple principle, in Melbourne, good coffee draws a crowd.
Fast forward several years and the business had bootstrapped from temporary to permanent, from coffee only to a full-service kitchen, things were looking promising and I was immensely proud; our brunch was making waves in local news headlines and we were getting busy! Our busiest month on record was February 2020. By the end of March 2020, we were in lockdown.
Surviving COVID
We could not have anticipated the extent of the challenges that the Melbourne CBD would face from 2020 onwards. Melbourne CBD was one of the most impacted precincts on the planet by pandemic restrictions – widely reported in international news. 2022 presented further challenges with hyperinflation, increasing interest rates and major labour shortages. We watched as many of the businesses around us closed their doors permanently.
But we were determined to survive. We put our minds to pivoting, innovating and reinventing ourselves. Our gallery could no longer operate and so we wound up gallery operations in the second half of 2020. Our wine bar which had focussed on fine dining and tapas was no longer feasible, but we had the grand idea of pivoting to fish and chips. We remained open for dinner doing takeaway fish and chips throughout all the lockdowns.
In fact, we were open 7 days a week throughout all the lockdowns. Initially we had no idea if we would have enough trade to stay open, but we soon realised that during the lockdowns, coffee was an essential service. We were now more than just a coffee shop, we were a beacon of hope, some light in the darkness, a place to go when you weren't allowed to go anywhere!
the espressonist 2.0
We pivoted our menu to takeaway only, we began selling basic groceries and necessities, ready-made take-home meals and spent much of our time during the lockdowns renovating and upgrading the venue in anticipation of opening up again.
Having survived the pandemic, the espressonist has evolved, matured and settled into its own. We provide a sense of place and community that is scarce in our region. Our courtyard arbor adorned with its establish tropical plants beckons to those walking along the boardwalk, like an oasis in a desert of concrete and glass. At times the Docklands can seem harsh and barren, but we love our secret hideaway on the river, it truly is a remarkable location and we feel privileged to have made it our place of business and our home.
Originally a contemporary art gallery, the espressonist has retained its roots in the gallery space, you will find original art on the walls, always. For exclusive functions we are equipped to serve 80 seated dinner guests or up to 120 guests for standing cocktail and canape events.
about our food
We serve specialty coffee and a contemporary brunch menu seven days a week, in a beautiful bespoke art inspired space nestled on the Yarra river not far from South Wharf DFO. If you peak in to our open kitchen you will see a team of highly qualified chefs, committed to plating every brunch dish with care and consistency. Our food is honest and unpretentious. Our signature dish for brunch is our spicy chorizo and hash brown benedict, but equally as inviting are many of our other options including Soft Shell Crab tacos, Smashed Avocado with charred corn salad and Sambal Chilli Scramble. We also have some great quick takeaway options such as our superfood salad, our sweet chilli chicken wrap and our Reuben sando.
about food
Serving specialty coffee and a contemporary brunch menu seven days a week, in a beautiful bespoke art inspired space nestled on the Yarra river. Our signature dish for brunch is our chorizo and hash brown benedict, but equally as inviting are many of our other options including Soft Shell Crab tacos, Smashed Avocado with charred corn salad and more. We also have some great quick takeaway options such as our superfood salad, our sweet chilli chicken wrap and our Reuben sando.
bespoke events
The espressonist differentiates itself as a bespoke and unique event space with contemporary minimalist architecture, high quality finishes, and well thought out spaces. Our chefs will create a unique and enticing menu of delicious food for your special occasion, from cocktail snacks and can2apes to thoughtful degustation banquets the espressonist kitchen team will always strive to exceed our clients expecations.
Bespoke Events
The espressonist differentiates itself as a bespoke and unique event space with contemporary minimalist architecture, high quality finishes, and well thought out spaces. Our chefs will create a unique and enticing menu of delicious food for your special occasion, from cocktail snacks and can2apes to thoughtful degustation banquets the espressonist kitchen team will always strive to exceed our clients expecations.
