Peter Walsh, Member for Murray Plains, Leader of The Nationals
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Peter can’t resist the Marocco Café in downtown Kyabram, where he loves to order a piccolo if he has the time to sit down and enjoy his caffeine kick start. If it’s takeaway, his fall back is flat white.
A white, he says, is created by milk.
“Real milk, milk from cows. Not almond juice, oat juice or soy juice — it’s milk and none of those are,” he said.
“I like the piccolo because it’s smaller but, with double the caffeine, is easier to drink, has fewer calories and no juice.”
Peter also looks forward to catching up with constituents in his electorate office — particularly those who want a coffee, because he rarely has one there.
“It’s always a good excuse to duck out to one of the many coffee shops within a few minutes’ walk in any direction,” Peter said.
“However, when in the east of my electorate, I’m happy going out of my way home to go through Ky and drop into the Marocco.
“Particularly as it is open until 5pm, instead of closing around 3pm like a lot of others do — and I’ll drink a coffee to that.”
Anne McEvoy, Kyabram District Health Service chief executive
The health chief’s preferred coffee drinking venue is the internal option only a short stroll from her office, and externally, the KDHS courtyard cafe.
She is known to prefer a skinny latte — as soon as she is spotted in the distance by one of the well-prepared staff, it is half ready on her arrival.
Courtyard café staff members Pauline Shortis, Emma Davey and Simone Guinan are across the coffee preferences of most staff at KDHS.
For Anne, a coffee needs to be hot and not bitter. She remains amazed at some of the more interesting coffee orders of KDHS staff — everything from soy dirty chai to other unusual concoctions to raise the eyebrows.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the KDHS courtyard café was required to do online and delivery only, which meant staff members were scurrying around the hospital to fill orders of staff across various departments.
When facilitating the COVID-19 testing site at the Northern Oval, the KDHS organised coffee deliveries often from an Allan St coffee venue to staff manning the clinic. Staff also received very generous deliveries from Kyabram coffee providers, which was a great gesture.
Dee Stagg, Kyabram Chamber of Commerce/Wickedly Deevine
Dee has been in the coffee-making business for 14 years and certainly understands what makes a good coffee.
“Good training, attention to detail and consistency is the focus of our baristas,” she said.
Ben Eliason, Kirstie Shaw and Lucindah Stagg, along with Dee and Wayne, ere the key players in this space.
“We train our own baristas, but there are courses available,” Dee said.
Dee said coffees at Wickedly Deevine were mostly enjoyed on a social basis and it was normal for the business to go through 40kg to 50kg of coffee a month.
As for the favourite order, she said it was a toss-up between a cappuccino and a latte.
“Customers like to stick to their particular orders, with regular coffee still at the top of the tree, but now followed by the likes of skinny, soy, oat, almond and lactose-free milk-based products,” she said.
She said weather often influenced coffee drinking and after a series of hot days, a cooler day brought out the regulars.
Liz Spicer, Kyabram P-12 College chaplain
“I love a coffee. I think going to a coffee shop is more than drinking coffee, it can be for many different reasons,” Liz declared.
“I listen to people’s stories, counsel people, cheer those who are down, have meetings and have fun there.
“I especially love when the coffee people remember your order.
“One coffee shop writes my name in their coffee and I showed a group of people I was with one day when that happened and they were hassling the coffee maker to put a message in their coffee, too.
“Coffee shop owners can you make you feel a sense of belonging when you attend their shops regularly. They remember your order and it makes you feel special.
“I like a jumbo coffee, strong, good quality and hot and I like it in a takeaway cup, so if I get a phone call to leave, I can.
“Also, I have for many years now brought in coffee vans to school for the Year 12 students — also for staff, too — as a little blessing to them, as they are on the way to finishing their school years and a free coffee, hot chocolate or something is a reminder they are thought of and we are wishing them the best.”
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