SYDNEY, Australia – From working in some of Sydney’s most renowned specialty coffee cafes and roasteries to owning his own award-winning café, Costa Arvanitopoulos has done it all in the coffee world. Even after all he has achieved, he is looking into the future to help everyday Australians buy coffee online with ease from Australia’s first online coffee marketplace, Barker St. Barker St is an online coffee marketplace and subscription service however it was not always in its current form.
In 2016, Barker St was launched as a subscription only offering. In 2018, after two years in operation, Costa spent endless hours reflecting on what he was offering his customers, what his customers were actually looking for and what was available online and in no time came to the realisation that he must make considerable adjustments to the business model which led to the creation of the Barker St coffee marketplace.
Since then, Costa has never looked back, Barker St has had exponential growth with double digit increases each month. The tremendous growth in sales has been further reinforced by COVID-19 which has created an explosion in the home coffee brewing space.
Costa mentions his frustration visiting multiple websites every time he wanted to buy coffee online was his light bulb moment. “I just thought to myself that buying quality coffee online should not be difficult in a country where coffee is such a huge part of its culture”.
As home coffee brewing increases in popularity and in turn Australians become more educated with an appreciation for quality coffee at home, Barker St eliminates the search by bringing Australia’s finest roasters onto the one website, with a guarantee that every bag of coffee has been carefully selected to ensure it is ethically sourced, sustainably grown, and of the highest quality.
“We currently have 26 of Australia’s finest roasters from both major cities and regional towns. We offer over 250 different coffee beans and we have recently expanded our range to include the highly popular drip bags, capsules and specialty instant from our partner roasters”, Costa mentions.
Barker St. brings experience, knowledge, and quality to every customer. Costa’s decade-long experience of the industry and practice working with some of the finest roasters in Australia means Barker St brings knowledge and intel to their customers that simply can’t be gleaned from reading the back of a packet in the supermarket.
When asked if outside investment was on the cards, Costa mentions “At the moment we are focused on getting Barker St right and providing a superior experience for our customers. 2021 is expected to be a momentous year, where we have solidified the foundations with a view to considering third party investment before we enter our next growth phase.”
Barker St has grown from its team of two (his wife Effie is a co-founder) to just under 10. If sales continue to grow at the same rate, 2021 will see our team grow much faster to ensure we continue to deliver an excellent service.
“Australia is a world leader in the coffee industry and has set a high benchmark. Everyone looks to our roasters and industry experts for inspiration and insight on where coffee is heading. This is why we have been approached on countless occasions to offer Barker St beyond our shores. Unfortunately, this is a hurdle we have not yet resolved as there are shipping constraints which are yet to make it a viable proposition. This is something we are working to resolve so that the Barker St experience has no boundaries.” Costa says
Arvanitopoulos is a real visionary and has created a service which coffee drinkers are flocking to. It has become part of the shopping ritual just like the weekly groceries.
“We are proud of how far we have come and that we are recognised as Australia’s largest online coffee marketplace. We give all Australians easy access to coffee from the finest roasters in Australia, delivered fast, fresh and straight to their door. This is all made possible by our fabulous partner roasters who have really believed in our vision.”
