The Flo Opens in Spring Hill

Coffee has always been a significant influence on Fiona Liu. Working at various Brisbane coffee shops throughout her university years while visiting different cafes to get her own fix, it soon became clear to her that a deeper passion was present.

After four months of searching for her own location and another three of refurbishing it, Liu opened her own cafe, The Flo, in late January. She's using Industry Beans coffee to produce a collection of her own drinks.

Taking over a poky tenancy in Spring Hill, Liu has produced a smart space of polished concrete with industrial lighting and vivid flashes of turquoise. The cafe doubles as a florist and has bunches of flowers scattered about the space, all that colour offset by a darkened floor-to-ceiling mirror at the back of the venue.

“It’s all about the combination”, Liu says. “[The features] look normal when they’re separated. But when you combine the concrete [with] the flowers, modern colours, the small tables, and the smoky mirror, it [creates something] different."

The creativity stretches to The Flo’s coffee menu; Liu’s matcha, beetroot and cocoa, blue, and Nutella lattes are all popular with the cafe’s growing crew of regulars. On the iced-drinks list, cold-brew tea is a refreshing standout. Peach oolong, rose oolong, green jasmine, or lemon black is poured over fresh fruit, large ice cubes and topped with floral garnishes.

The food menu deals in a straightforward mix of sandwiches, croissants, wraps and salads, many of them designed for grab-and-go.

This story was updated on November 15.

The Flo
70 Little Edward Street, Spring Hill

Hours:
Mon to Fri 6.30am–4pm
Sat 7.30am–2pm

instagram.com/theflo.brisbane