Melbourne coffee roaster crowned Australia's Favourite Coffee

Melbourne’s Zest Coffee has been crowned Australia’s Favourite Coffee, receiving the highest number of public votes at the competition hosted at Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) 2025.

The team at Zest saw off competition from more than 40 roasters who appeared at the international tradeshow to be named Australia’s Favourite Coffee 2025. As they worked their way around the event, attendees were asked to vote for their favourite coffee in order to crown this year’s winner.

Australia’s Favourite Coffee Award is the first competition in Australian history solely judged by consumers and café owners, allowing them to live the life of a coffee judge for a day. The competition was open to all roaster exhibitors at MICE, with any category of coffee eligible to enter.

“Winning Australia’s Favourite Coffee Roaster at MICE is a huge honour for our team at Zest. But more than that, it’s a powerful validation of the Zest Way – our belief that exceptional coffee, delivered with genuine hospitality, creates real buzz, loyalty, and joy,” says Rod Greenfield, Zest Coffee CEO.

“We’re not just in the business of roasting coffee. We’re in the business of helping cafés thrive. When a visitor tells us that our team ‘created a feeling, an energy, a belief’ or that we made them ‘feel at home’ as a literal outsider, we know we’re doing something right. That energy flows through every cup – and ultimately, flows down to the café’s bottom line.

“This award, voted by the public, is especially meaningful because it tells us our flavour, values, and culture are resonating. It reminds us that hospitality still matters, that flavour sells the second cup, and that the Zest Way makes a difference – on both sides of the counter.

“We’re humbled, we’re grateful, and we’re more energised than ever to keep sharing Zest with the world.”

For more information on Melbourne International Coffee Expo, visit the website.