Long Time On Lygon Street

October 1998

When Giancarlo Giusti first opened Grinders Coffee House in Lygon Street, Carlton in October 1962, selling coffee beans was not big business but the task was easier.

"People just came in and asked for 'coffee'," explained Giusti, "now they are much more knowledgeable and are very particular about what they want."

Since then, Grinders business has expanded so much that Giusti opened a factory in January where the four tons of beans needed weekly for his wholesale customers can be roasted, packed and sent all round Australia.

There is a showroom at the front of the Fitzroy buildng for the most modern of coffee making equipment, " you just push buttons now," and a big factory at the back for the roasting. However the beans for the Lygon Street shop are still roasted on site, about 600 kilos a week, for the loyal customers who have been coming to Lygon Street over the years.

In Melbourne Giusti has many fans, people who first came to his shop when they were university students and now, thirty years later, spread far and wide over Melbourne, they return to Carlton each week for their coffee.

And Grinders' fame is spreading around Australia, Giusti supplies a lot of Sydney cafes and also sends beans to Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide and even to Perth.

It seems that Australians can't get enough coffee and with the opening of more and more new cafes all round the country, the demands on his bean business will soon fill the large new premises.

When Giusti first started 36 years ago he was selling beans to individual coffee lovers for their small home percolaters. In 1974 he started to supply coffee to Mietta's in Brunswick Street, later to Marios up the road and then to Caffe e Cucina. Gradually the word spread and the emphasis of the business changed to wholesale. But surprisingly, there are not many Lygon Street restaurants which use his beans. Giusti is philosphical about this, quoting an Italian proverb "nessuno e profeta nella sua patria", loosely translated as meaning that you have to go beyond your local turf to do well.

However it was he and other local businessmen who were behind the start of the Lygon Street Festa twenty years ago. It's an event which brings big crowds to Carlton. Even in its first year, the organisers were surprised by the huge turnout, some 600,000 people came, and it just keeps growing. It's considered to be Australia's oldest and largest street festival, around a kilometre of Lygon Street is closed to traffic. The Festa is on this weekend and it's theme is "Celebrating the Renaissance." But still there will be the much loved traditional competitions -- the Waiters Race, La Cuccagna, the 'Greasy Pole' and Fencing tournaments. Then there'll be the inaugural Flying Pizza Competition which shouldn't be as dangerous as it sounds, it's to see how high the chefs can throw their pizzas. There'll be dancing in the streets with music from the modern to the Renaissance. For more information call 1900 931 575.

Festa coffee lovers can visit Grinders at 277 Lygon Street on Saturday morning, the shop opens Monday-Friday 9am-6pm and on Saturdays from 9am-1pm.

More about Grinders and Melbourne's cafes can be found on City Cafes. Also of interest is Sam Lipski's piece on the Carlton he grew up in.