What’s an ex-British mountain biking champion doing opening a coffee shop in Kelmscott? For Morgan Francis-Roberts it was an easy sell to expand his niche bicycle suspension shop to include a cafe that opened at the end of June.

“We thought, why not open a coffee shop and try and attract the road riders?” says Francis-Roberts. “Road riders don’t use suspension but they love coffee. We floated the idea with a few riding groups and just went in.”

The Darling Scarp is well known for its mountain biking tracks. Customers often ride their bikes to the shop, making for a good mix of road riders and mountain bikers. For cyclists, being able to keep an eye on their rides while at a cafe is important. Outdoor bar seating makes this easy with further outdoor seating on the grassed area planned for the warmer weather.

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Hidden Coffee isn’t just for cyclists, of course, and the cosy cafe is often filled with walking groups and families.

Coffee is the star here. After cupping sessions with various roasters, Francis-Roberts felt micro-roaster Backyard Coffee was the right fit. The blend is an exclusive mix of Ethiopian, Colombian and Sumatran beans and was developed by Francis-Roberts together with barista friend, Josie Dyet. Bannister Downs milk ensures customers can enjoy a creamy cup. Pour-overs and syphon coffees are available by request.

Packaging at the cafe is all biodegradable or recyclable, with cups, lids and plastic containers made from compostable corn syrup.

“The first thing some people ask, ‘is that plastic?’,” says Francis-Roberts. “We have to show them before they will buy the product. They don’t mind paying a little extra to know it’s compostable.”

Holy Bagel Company bagels are the star of the menu with fillings ranging from Classic (cream cheese) to Contemporary (pastrami, kraut, cheese and gherkin). There’s similar breadth to the cake and slice options with Raw by Chris and Rochelle Adonis supplying product.

Hidden Coffee
21 Page Road, Kelmscott
(08) 6196 0635
hiddencoffee.com.au

Hours
Tue to Fri 6am–2pm
Sat 7am–3pm