Glee Coffee Roasters

When Ben and Chris Gleeson began roasting coffee on the New South Wales Central Coast, it was with a five-kilogram roaster. Just a few years later the brothers – who co-own Glee with their respective wives, Jemima and Beth – have 70-kilogram, 30-kilogram and 24-kilogram roasters, pumping out a tonne of coffee beans a week.

From a simple start roasting to give locals good coffee, Glee now has a burgeoning wholesale and retail arm, two Central Coast cafes and its South Brisbane outpost, which opened in 2018 – fitting, as three of its owners were born in Queensland.

The Glenelg space, which previously belonged to The Roastery Cafe, has been brightened up with plenty of white paint and greenery. From the cafe, customers can see the single-origin-focused roastery in action.

A few favourites from the menus at the Central Coast cafes made it to Brisbane too, including the avo smash with lemon, feta and dukkah. One of the biggest hits on the Brisbane menu is the smoky house beans with polenta chips, crispy kale and goat’s curd.