Industry Beans Lt Collins

The ability to nip out of the office for a cheeky coffee is one of the key skills of the modern professional. Those who partake in the unofficial mini-break within the 3000 postcode get extra points now that a trip up Little Collins Street means you can dive into Industry Beans.  

Actually, it’s Industry Beans version 2: Steve and Trevor Simmons’ original café roastery is still brewing up an aromatic storm in Fitzroy, and while this new CBD café shares the name, it’s a different experience altogether. Where the Fitzroy flagship is spacious, this one’s on the snug side of petite, with space for just a dozen. When you walk in you’ll get a smile from the young staff, who could be hip and aloof but are in fact very personable as they glide smoothly about the timber floors of this all-white, zen-like space. Then you’ll spot the La Marzocco Modbar – a sleek, modular espresso machine that will have coffee connoisseurs and bean boffins nerding out.

For those who don’t nab a pew, a takeaway tipple is the go – there’s the house espresso blend (the smooth Rose Street), batch brews, cold brew and even a bubble cup iced coffee with tapioca balls. The Fitzroy Ice is our summer coffee of choice; a straight-up, 12-hour-brew mixed with milk, a little panela (sugar) and ice. It gives a cooling caffeine nudge that’s all the better for being free of ice cream and cream. If coffee is not your thing, there’s also fresh juices, kombucha and tea.

The innovative, health-focused menu is – like the fitout – minimalist: bagels and bowl food only. The granola is one the most pretty and intriguing cereals you’ll eat. This deconstructed brekky features crunchy granola, cubes of bright-pink compressed watermelon, slices of coconut flesh, a splash of mango-and-orange puree and a cloud of white pineapple foam. Pour over the little jug of almond milk and get scooping into this colourful, playful and ingeniously textured start to the day.

The raw salad is a tangled weave of shredded carrot, beetroot, cabbage and spinach topped with squiggles of creamy cashew dressing. Pepitas and almonds provide crunch, and there’s a choice of raw salmon or poached chicken for protein. Served in a beautiful Donna Hay-blue pottery bowl and strewn with flowers, it’s an invigorating lunch-time option that leaves you feeling sated, not sedated.  

Just a few sweets are available – brownies, bliss balls and a coffee cashew cheesecake. The raw cheesecake is cleverly constructed out of pecans, cashews, dates and goji berries. It’s gorgeous, with a slick of blackberry coulis and dinky baubles of ‘coffee caviar’, but also heavy and rich.  

Industry Beans (2.0) is a charismatic little nook that brings a taste of the original Fitzroy café to the city grid, serving serious coffee and nourishing eats to fugitive office workers and sauntering shoppers who know where to look.