Two decades of Mecca Coffee – a conversation with Paul Geshos

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Paul Geshos, founder of Sydney’s iconic Mecca Coffee.

A former musician turned café owner, Paul Geshos opened Mecca in 2005 after being inspired by the emerging specialty coffee scene in Portland, Oregon. Since then, Mecca has grown to become one of Australia’s most respected specialty coffee roasters, with two locations in Sydney and a reputation for transparent sourcing, quality and innovation.

In this conversation, Paul reflects on Mecca’s early years, including the challenge of introducing US-style specialty coffee culture to Australian customers who weren’t quite sure what to make of it. He also shares how being immersed among the global coffee community played a vital role in his development as a roaster and why Mecca is returning to its direct-to-consumer roots.

Credits music: "Not Mine" by Alessia Piermarini in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show

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