Five Minutes with Brent Deller

Where did the name “First Batch” come from?

I came up with name in general conversation with my wife after a long day at work. We were living in Brisbane, and she asked how my day was. All excited I replied, “Amazing, I roasted my first batch of coffee today”. We looked at each other, jumped online and registered First Batch Coffee Roasters. This was 8 years ago now, but that was when the dream to start my own coffee roastery began.

Why did you start First Batch Coffee Roasters?

Coming from a training and development background in espresso coffee and also owning The Coffee Training Co., I noticed a gap in the market where I saw more and more cafés and restaurants booking in coffee training for their baristas.

Initially when I launched The Coffee Training Co. I didn’t expect to see this, I thought that training and support would be something their supplier should be helping them with. This was a big reason for me to launch First Batch Coffee Roasters and to this day our brand is based around training and support.

Why Noosa for First Batch?

Why not? Haha

My wife and I have always loved Noosa, and coming from Brisbane it was pretty much every second weekend for us. But what got us over the line to kick off First Batch here was the fact that the existing speciality coffee culture here was and still is amazing. Not only did Noosa have a number of amazing coffee roasters, but a local customer base that appreciates quality coffee and the hard work that goes into the perfect cup. It was a no brainer for me.

Tell us about your roaster and why you did not down the path of a traditional roasting system?

There are two main reasons I invested in a Chinook Fluid Bed Air Roasting System. Firstly, consistency. From my experience, I found too many variables in other traditional roasting systems and at the end of the day a café owner wants to know their coffee is being roasted consistently batch after batch and roast after roast. This system does that. 

Secondly, I love the cleaner, crisper taste profile that air roasting produces. It’s a great point of difference from our competitors and it gives the cafes and restaurants we supply that same point of difference.

Finally, what’s your favourite coffee?

I keep it simple, a good, balanced espresso. No need to over complicate things.

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