Our story — Velocity Group

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Eleven years, one room, a long list of regulars.

Velocity Group started in 2014 as a hole-in-the-wall espresso bar in a former print shop. We're still in the same room. We've just added a few more chairs, a slow brew bar, and a much better sound system.

The origin

It started with one machine and a hand-grinder.

Lena and Marco opened the original espresso bar in 2014 after spending a year working on small coffee farms in Honduras and Ethiopia. They came back to Melbourne, signed a lease on a 22-square-metre shop, and started pulling shots the next morning.

The room held six seats, one Faema E61 lever machine, a hand-grinder, and a small fridge. Within a year the line was around the corner.

Eleven years later, Lena still pulls the first shot of the day. Marco roasts for two of the three roasters we work with. We have nine baristas and a slightly bigger room, but the goal is unchanged: pour good coffee, treat people well, don't overcomplicate it.

Since 2014

Timeline

Eleven years, in brief.

2014

Lena and Marco open the original espresso bar on Burnley Street. Six seats, one machine, one grinder. First day they sell 38 coffees.

2016

Add a small slow-brew bar: V60, Chemex, Aeropress. Take on our first wholesale customer (a restaurant two doors down, still on the books).

2018

Open the back room — an extra 18 seats and a small kitchen. The food menu starts with three items. It now has eleven.

2020

Like everyone else, we close for a while. We use the time to replant the courtyard, redesign the wholesale book, and write a new employee agreement (above award, always).

2022

Marco starts roasting with Industry Beans. We switch our seasonal blend to a single-origin rotating program. The beans-to-take-home side of the business triples in twelve months.

2024

Barista Anna wins the Victorian AeroPress Championship. We throw a small party. We still have the same espresso machine (now fully serviced eleven times).

What we believe

The short manifesto.

Three things. None of them are original, but we try to keep them honest.

01

Source, don't buy

We work directly with three small roasters in Melbourne and know the importers personally. We pay above market for green coffee. We pay above award for people.

02

Make it slowly

Espresso shots are 24–32 seconds. V60 takes 3.5 minutes. We don't rush. If you're in a rush, we're not the right café for you and that's okay.

03

Stay small

One room, one menu, 250 cups a day max. We turn people away at the door before we let quality slip. We'll stay this size on purpose.

The team

Three people, many regulars.

There are nine of us in total — three full-time, six part-time. The three you'll see most often are below.

Lena Park

Co-founder · Head barista

Marco Reyes

Co-founder · Roaster

Anna Nguyen

Barista · 2024 AeroPress champion

Come in for a coffee.

No reservation needed for small groups. Just walk in. If you'd like the back table for a longer brunch, you can book it below.

Reserve a table