Page 63 - Tropic Magazine Issue 16

LIFESTYLE • COFFEE

Whale of a brand

NEW LOOK
Tropic talks reinvigoration
with coffee scene innovator Ali
Slotemaker and her team at
White Whale Coffee Roasters.

As one of the true trailblazers in the
Cairns coffee culture, Ali Slotemaker
and Steve Lee have been at the forefront
of the local bean scene for almost
a decade. When the couple started
Industry One Coffee Roasters back in
2010, there was only a handful of decent
cafes in town. Fast forward to 2019 and
they have just launched a fresh new
look and brand called White Whale
Coffee Roasters amid expansion plans
and a new partnership with the Reef
Restoration Foundation. Ali reflects on
the journey, and what lies ahead for the Steve Lee and Ali Slotemaker
White Whale team.

Can you take us back to where it
all began?
During a holiday to NZ, we were
inspired by the micro-roasting
movement there. We undertook
roasting training and signed a lease on
a small warehouse in Scott St. The day
we purchased our beloved second-hand
coffee roaster I was on the phone with
the seller and it was pouring so hard I
couldn’t hear a thing. At that point, I
was wondering if coffee roasters really
belonged in the tropics! But we were on
a mission to give Cairns the same high- perfect. It represents something bigger
quality coffee found in capital cities. than us and reminds us we are living in
this beautiful, delicate ecosystem.
Why have you decided to rebrand?
We are super-proud of the Industry What is the future of the Cairns
One brand, however, after spending a coffee scene?
couple of years managing the business It’s great that we now have a city with
away from Cairns and then coming half a dozen or so coffee roasters and I
back, we fell in love with the Far North would love to see the majority of local
all over again and it opened our eyes, I hospitality businesses supporting
guess. We hadn’t evolved much in the them - I feel a ‘Roasted in FNQ’ brand story literally made me cry. I was
4 years since moving our operation to coming on! I also hope that espresso immediately deeply connected to their
Portsmith and all of a sudden it just bars and cafes continue to be places mission to establish ocean-based coral
seemed really obvious that a total re- where humans connect. We are doing nurseries to help regenerate damaged
brand was needed. so much online these days and it’s really coral reefs. We knew very quickly that
important that we foster places of face- White Whale and RRF were a great fit,
What compelled you to choose the to-face connection. so we signed up as an official sponsor. A
name White Whale? percentage of our coffee bean sales now
We were after something that Why and how are you supporting the goes to supporting their work.
represented our business values and Great Barrier Reef?
our region, something iconic but not Late last year, I came across a
corny. The white whale, Migaloo, who newspaper story about the Reef VISIT: White Whale Coffee Roasters
travels to our waters every year, was Restoration Foundation and their at Shed 2, 4/16 Tingira St, Portsmith

63 • tropicnow.com.au