Common Ground

Sasha Krivitsky and Jacqui Alexander are the father-and-daughter team behind Common Ground in Ormond, a coffee house comprising a roastery, a coffee bar and a retail area devoted to the art of creating interesting coffee.

While Krivitsky looks after the sourcing and roasting with taste and knowledge, Alexander takes care of the marketing and branding.

A small and independent operation, Common Ground takes a small-batch, artisanal approach to roasting in their Probat roaster, believing it brings out the best flavours in the beans.

To make room for customers, Common Ground – which wasn't originally intended to be a hospitality venue – hosts a large communal table and stools, as well as smaller tables spotted around the refreshingly bright space.

The polished floor, fresh flowers and abundance of natural light make the coffee bar a great place to make your way through the list of blends on offer, accompanied by bagels with jam or pastries and cakes from Il Fornaio (try the passionfruit tart).

Common Ground also houses a retail space, so you can pick up beans to take home and talk to the staff about what’s on offer.