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Regional Qld coffee empire borne from a Sydney traffic jam
A corporate executive fed up with city life threw it all in and moved to the Fraser Coast where he turned his love of coffee culture into a thriving business that has now taken out the title of best coffee on the coast.
Among the 50 coffee places nominated, two establishments knocked it out of the park: Retro Espresso Coffee Co took with 16 per cent of the votes in our poll, and SIP Espresso Bar came a close second with 13 per cent of the votes.
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Retro Espresso owner Vincent Rovere went from climbing the corporate ladder in Sydney to returning to his roots in Hervey Bay.
Mr Rovere said he devoted himself to the corporate life between 2000 and 2003, working as the national commercial advertising manager for Fuji Xerox, based in Sydney.
While working in Sydney, Vincent Rovere would often dream of having his own coffee business. Photo: Stuart Fast
“One day I had an epiphany in a traffic jam in Sydney, and went back to the office and said ‘I can’t spend my life in traffic jams any more’.”
Mr Rovere decided to move back near Hervey Bay, where he spent his last years of high school, and where his parents still lived.
“I wanted to move closer to my parents, and to take a complete break from my corporate (life),” he said.
After some barista training, Mr Rovere started to work in a coffee shop full-time and in 2006, created Toast Espresso Bar in Maryborough.
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“Toast was a Melbourne/ Sydney style espresso bar thrown into the middle of Maryborough, and it just took off.
“So we basically brought city coffee culture to the Fraser Coast.”
After selling Toast espresso bar in 2014, he found an old heritage building in Tiaro and opened the first Retro Espresso on March 23, 2015.
“I opened the doors with nothing but a coffee machine sitting on a bench and some cups, and started making coffee for people on the streets.”
Vincent Rovere adored the retro style, especially the 60s, which he was born in, and decided to style the store from the era.
“Since opening, our business model has always been about consistent quality coffee and just some snacks, no food.”
Over its nine years, Retro Espresso Coffee Co has become a multimillion-dollar business with three locations across the Fraser Coast, in Tiaro, Tianna and the new flagship store which was built two years ago at Torquay, Hervey Bay.
The Retro Espresso in Hervey Bay is co-owned by Boris Savage, who is a barista and coffee machine technician.
Boris Savage serves a customer with a fellow barista in the Retro Espresso, Torquay.
“In two years, he has taken the shop to awesome levels of business.”
Mr Rovere said the store had become one of the busiest coffee places in Hervey Bay.
“Retro Espresso’s success comes from the hard work of our baristas and staff that follow the mantra, consistent quality coffee, and our incredibly loyal customers.
“I might be the front man for the business, but we wouldn’t be where we are, without our staff.”
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Mr Rovere also revealed that he and Mr Savage mentored the runner ups, SIP Espresso, when they first opened.
“I had a big hand in helping SIP get off the ground; I gave them my business plan and we trained a lot of their staff.
“So for me to see SIP come closely in second to Retro, is personally pleasing.”
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