The Story
Single O was founded by Emma and Dion Cohen in 2003 in Surry Hills, Sydney , as a café and roaster in the back streets of Sydney’s Surry Hills by a couple of single-origin lovers escaping the corporate world . The timing was crucial— back then, it was a sea of stale Italian packet coffee, and it seemed fresh quality beans were hard to come by, so by necessity and sheer will, Single O led the charge on showcasing single-origin coffees, along with third-wave roasting and brewing in Sydney .
The founders’ commitment to quality and innovation is evident in their original equipment choice. In Sydney, 2003, when roasting was a dark art and sourcing green beans was a mission, Single O founders threw caution to the wind and bought a roaster, which they named Big Boris . This decision gave them total control of coffee quality, flavour, freshness, and a journey into specialty coffee . Over two decades the company has grown into an international operation with cafés in Sydney, Brisbane and Tokyo , expanding to Japan in 2014 and opening their first interstate Australian location in Brisbane in 2023.
Sourcing & Relationships
Single O’s approach to sourcing centers on crop-to-cup transparency, championing sustainable single-origin coffees . Their philosophy was shaped early by first taste of single origins—a chocolatey Mexico Chiapas and an Ethiopia Sidamo strikingly like oranges , which led them to become taken by terroir, variety, process and rewarding producers for the type of quality that enables such exquisite flavours and characteristics .
The roaster has embraced comprehensive sustainability commitments, becoming 1% for the Planet members in January 2021 and earning B Corp certification. Their environmental initiatives are extensive: banning hundreds of thousands of single-use cups from landfill through a ban on branded single-use cups since the brand’s inception in 2003, and installing 92 solar panels at their roastworks—a move which currently offsets 30% of electricity production . Single O was the first roaster to introduce climate-resilient coffees to customers as part of its No Death To Coffee campaign, giving Aussies a world-exclusive taste of the future of coffee .
Their current sourcing spans key regions including Kenya, Tanzania, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, with exact farms rotating with harvest cycles, but Single O focuses on long-term sourcing relationships and transparency . This approach ensures both quality consistency and meaningful support for farming communities facing climate challenges.
Roasting Philosophy
Single O’s roasting philosophy emphasizes lighter roasts that highlight each bean’s terroir, roasting lighter to showcase the distinct flavours . This approach distinguishes them from the darker roasting traditions that dominated Australian coffee when they began. Their method allows championing crop-to-cup transparency by preserving the unique characteristics that express each coffee’s origin.
The roaster operates from their Botany Roast Works, having moved production from their original Surry Hills location. The cafe may no longer have an on-site roaster (that’s all taking place at the Botany Roast Works), but the coffee has only gotten better . Their commitment to innovation extends beyond roasting to brewing systems— in April 2019 it debuted Sydney’s first self-serve batch brew bar , featuring taps that look a bit like what you’d see at a craft beer brewery .
Single O’s roasting style serves their broader mission of educating Sydneysiders about flavour profiles, brewing methods and growing regions . The focus remains on single origins, espresso and meticulously crafted blends , with each roast designed to showcase rather than mask the coffee’s inherent qualities.
What to Try
Reservoir embodies their love of well-structured coffees and has been the pride of the Single O café on reservoir street since 2003 . This flagship espresso blend delivers ripe stone fruits, vibrant acidity and structured finish and is built for balance and consistency, which is why it has become one of the most respected espresso blends in the country . Currently featuring origins from Guatemala Santa Rosa and Tanzania Korongo , it performs beautifully in milk drinks while maintaining complexity as a straight espresso.
For seasonal offerings, look for their festival releases like Sugarplum Festival Reserve Blend, ‘Fanfare’ , celebrating their milestone anniversaries. The roaster also features standout picks like “Sweet Nectar” (honey, tropical fruit), “Balanced Like a Monk” (ripe berry, spice, chocolate), and the annual Sugarplum Festival Reserve Blend . Their Japanese locations showcase unique seasonal blends like Firecracker, inspired by Tokyo’s Sumida Fireworks Festival, celebrating the energy of Japanese summer with a bright, fruity profile designed to suit any brew method .
Single O’s innovation extends to convenience formats— single serves of coffee in home compostable drip coffee bags called Parachutes offer their quality in a portable format. The café features six free-pour taps with the ability to serve 18 people every 30 seconds, providing a mix of rotating single origins, blends, oat lattes, and matcha on tap , making high-quality coffee accessible at speed while maintaining their commitment to showcasing terroir-driven flavors.