Toby’s Estate began in 1997, when Toby Smith, a lawyer who loved coffee, left the law to follow it. He travelled to remote coffee-growing regions and lived among producing communities, then came home, turned his mum’s garage into a small roastery and taught himself to roast. Toby’s Estate is now a team of more than 100.

The roastery sits behind the flagship café in Chippendale, Sydney, where glass doors at the back of the café open onto the roasting floor. The roasting team works there every day on the espresso blends, the monthly single origins and the limited Flavour Savours releases, more than 80 single origins a year. Every batch is tasted and tested at ages from one hour and 14 hours up to 30 days. Toby’s Estate buys from large, established farms and from smaller, less visible producers, makes a Toby’s tour to its producing countries every year and invests in local social and environmental projects chosen by the producers.

The island brew bar at the Chippendale café removes the wall between barista and customer, with overhead mirrors for anyone watching from further back, and the food runs to toasties, baguettes and pastries. The Fitzroy flagship in Melbourne is an industrial space of galvanised steel, warm wood and plum-red accents, with blends, single origins and a frozen coffee range. In Newstead, Brisbane, a circular bar designed by Russell & George puts espresso, filter and training stations in view, beside a full kitchen. The Singapore flagship at Robertson Quay reopened after a warehouse makeover by Atelier and Alpha, with espresso and filter bars, the Freezus range and the canned Not-Hot-Coffee drinks made for the climate.

Its coffee is also poured at partner cafés across Sydney.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters