The Story
Market Lane was founded in 2009 by Fleur Studd and Jason Scheltus.
It’s hard to fathom now, but at that time, finding fresh, in-season, traceable, high quality coffee in Melbourne (or Australia) was practically impossible. We wanted to help address that and, in doing so, ignite positive change in the industry by redefining what coffee was and could be, and to build a market for, and appreciation of, high quality specialty coffee. Studd brought experience from London’s Monmouth Coffee Company, while Scheltus shared her background at the same pioneering roastery.
We built our first shop and roastery in the wonderful, bustling Prahran Market. We fell in love with this location for many reasons, the most important being that it allows us to engage with a community of shoppers who are seeking out quality produce, and who care about seasonality and provenance. This market-centric positioning proved prescient, aligning Market Lane with Melbourne’s established food culture rather than simply following coffee trends.
Today, Market Lane is still independently owned by Fleur and Jason, along with Jenni Bryant, who joined the business in 2010 and became a co-owner in 2019.
Over the last decade and a half we have slowly grown to nine shops, each located in very special neighbourhoods in Melbourne – from Carlton to the Queen Victoria Market, South Melbourne to the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street. The expansion has been organic, driven by word-of-mouth from customers who discovered something distinctive in their carefully sourced and roasted coffees.
Sourcing & Relationships
Market Lane’s sourcing philosophy centers on direct relationships and transparent practices. Our goal in every country we work in is to build longstanding, equitable, transparent and sustainable supply relationships. We invest a great deal of time and care into establishing and developing these relationships – whether that be with an exporter who connects us with talented producers, or directly with a single producer or a cooperative.
Since we opened our doors in 2009, we have been lucky enough to work with many of the same coffee growers year after year. This includes people like Ricardo Zelaya, Rony Asensio, and Wicho Valdes in Guatemala, Sam and Epiphanie Muhirwa in Rwanda, the Rodriguez and Mamani families in Bolivia, and Silvio Leite and Fabiano Borre in Brazil.
For instance, they’ve worked with Guatemala’s Ricardo Zelaya since 2008 and continue to support producers like Reinaldo Parra in Colombia.
Their approach goes beyond transactional relationships. These prices are well above the amount paid for commercial coffee and the Fair Trade price for coffee, and they remain fairly stable year to year, or they increase. Buying coffee in this way is much more sustainable for producers, as they are not exposed to the volatility of the commodity market, which can fluctuate and too often falls below the cost of production and/or to an unsustainable level.
Over the years our initiatives have included raising money for a women’s community room and dairy at Dukunde Kawa Cooperative in Rwanda, contributing to a kindergarten at Buf Coffee in Rwanda and, since 2011 supporting the Santa Clara Scholarship Fund in Guatemala.
Roasting Philosophy
Market Lane’s roasting philosophy emphasizes balance and clarity, bringing out the inherent qualities of each coffee without imposing a heavy roast signature. Their approach respects the work done at origin, using roast profiles that highlight rather than mask the unique characteristics of each bean.
Market Lane’s roasting team works from their Brunswick East headquarters, where they roast on a 45kg Probat. Every batch is treated with care, highlighting the unique characteristics of each coffee while maintaining consistency and balance.
We have always taken an uncompromising approach to quality. This starts with sourcing the most delicious coffees we can find from producers who share our values and are also committed to quality. We then do everything we can do to preserve that quality by roasting each coffee carefully on our 45kg Probat, and tasting it to ensure we’re bringing out the most exquisite characteristics in each lot.
Their roasting is thoughtful and restrained to honour origin character, and their approach centres on transparency, education, and respect - for growers, customers, and the wider coffee community. From sourcing to roasting to sharing knowledge, they aim to make each step considered, ethical, and responsible. The team emphasizes seasonal sourcing, with Market Lane only sources fresh crop coffee, ensuring that every batch tastes as vibrant and flavourful as possible. They work seasonally, meaning their offerings are always in sync with harvest times.
What to Try
Their seasonal blends are crafted for versatility and consistency, designed to shine whether served as a morning flat white or an afternoon long black. These blends change throughout the year, reflecting the seasonal nature of coffee harvesting while maintaining the approachable, balanced profiles that work beautifully with milk or stand alone as espresso.
This year’s blend features beans from three exceptional origins: Ethiopia, Brazil, and Honduras, each contributing unique characteristics that create a harmonious and complex cup profile. For this winter blend, we sought to create a coffee that would shine both as espresso and in milk-based drinks, offering enough brightness to be interesting but with enough body and sweetness to feel comforting.
For single origins, their offerings showcase specific regions and processing methods. Las Piñas is an exceptional single-origin filter coffee with vibrant stone fruit notes, a medjool date sweetness, and a honey-like richness.
“Santa Isabel makes the most incredible pour over - floral and fruity with amazing clarity. Market Lane never disappoints.” Their Santa Isabel from Guatemala offers almond, dried apricot, caramel finish characteristics.
The single-origin offerings provide a deeper dive into specific regions and processing methods. From the bright, floral coffees of Ethiopia to the rich, chocolatey profiles of Colombia, Market Lane’s selection allows coffee enthusiasts to explore the world of specialty coffee through carefully roasted examples of each region’s best. The roaster’s commitment to seasonal sourcing means their menu evolves throughout the year, with each coffee representing peak harvest quality from their producer partners.