Sydney’s Inner West and the Wollongong suburb of Thirroul aren’t the most immediate pairings of neighbourhoods, but for owners Angus Nicol and Jessica Hol, it just makes sense for their life. “Angus and I met in Enmore, that’s where we used to live, and that’s why Enmore came to be because we love that area,” Jess recalls.
The couple opened their first Black Market Coffee in their beloved Inner West suburb of Enmore, but after having kids, the family moved to Thirroul, the location of their second Black Market Coffee (which they sold after two years but eventually bought back). “We love having one foot in Thirroul and one foot in the city,” says Jess.
Showcasing the best of coffee
Roasting wasn’t always on the cards for the pair, but when the opportunity came up in the form of a secondhand roaster that a friend had, it all kicked off. We’ve always been really passionate about flavour and finding unique flavours,” says Jess.
When it comes to roasting, we’re just trying to showcase the best of the coffee, so to not put too much of our own flavour onto it.”
Jessica Hol → Co-owner
Roasting for their own venues soon turned into roasting for wholesale, which led them to their Marrickville warehouse. Their larger roastery launched three years ago, complete with a much bigger roaster, a space dedicated to teaching the art of coffee making, and plenty of seats for people to enjoy their coffee and food. “We love shop design and creating the space for people to come and hang out in,” Jess explains. “We did really specific things like intentionally put tables really close together so that people were forced to talk to each other and would meet their next door neighbours.”
“I guess we’ve just become more and more passionate about it as we’ve been doing it, but it’s a bit of a natural transition for us going from cafes to roasting and then to training,” says Jess.
Crafting community through coffee training
Recognising the challenges faced by the hospitality industry, especially post-COVID, Jess and Angus have focused on encouraging young Australians to explore careers in hospitality. “It’s been a real tough gig for a lot of people out there, so that’s where training comes into it,” Jess shares. “We’re really passionate about helping cafe owners, helping make their lives a little bit easier.”
Aside from working with high schools in their training, Black Market Coffee also has a partnership with Youth Off The Streets to upskill young people who are at risk of being homeless. “If they show an interest in hospitality, we get them in initially just for a one-day course, but then they have an opportunity to stay for the pro course, which is a one-week course,” Jess notes. This initiative not only supports at-risk youth but also addresses the industry’s demand for skilled baristas.
The role of Square in streamlining operations
As Black Market Coffee expanded, so did the complexity of their operations. Enter Square—a solution that offered simplicity, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. “We’ve used anything that was possibly available in our journey, and then Square came along and we were like, ‘Oh, this is awesome. It’s so simple, it doesn’t cost us a fortune,'” Jess says. “It just integrated really easily with our existing printers.”
In their retail locations, orders are placed at the counter using Square Stand, an iPad powered point of sale. Once a customer pays, the order is split between the kitchen and the counter with just the items each station needs to make. “It’s all been great, our experience with it,” says Jess. “It’s all been really great.”
For any purchases in the training room or away from the front counter, Square Reader facilitates mobile transactions. “We can have multiple units floating around, and we also take that into the training room to upsell retail items to people at the end of courses,” Jess explains.
Square’s reporting features have also become indispensable for decision-making.
We run reports a lot to check on what our most popular items are. We monitor things like average spend and number of customers on the regular.”
Jessica Hol → Co-owner
Brewing a Positive Future
Looking ahead, Black Market Coffee has ambitious plans to expand their training facilities, establishing community hubs that combine espresso bars with training centres. “We’re really looking to open up several more sites over the next couple of years,” Jess shares.
Their roasting arm continues to grow, with a focus on partnering with like-minded cafes across Australia. “We’re dealers of positivity,” Jess says with a smile. “Our goal is to support cafe owners in serving their communities.”
Proudest Moments and Future Aspirations
Reflecting on their journey, Jess highlights the move to their Marrickville warehouse as a proud milestone. “Bringing all of the different aspects of the business under one roof made it feel like it was our home,” she says.
At its core, Black Market Coffee is more than just a business – it’s a community-centric endeavour that blends exceptional coffee with a commitment to making a difference. Black Market Coffee’s story is a testament to the power of passion, innovation, and community engagement. By leveraging Square’s technology, they’ve streamlined their operations, allowing them to focus on what truly matters—delivering exceptional coffee and creating opportunities for those around them. As they look to the future, their vision remains clear: to inspire, uplift, and connect through the universal language of coffee.