About K Bean Coffee Machines
Welcome from me, Paul, coffee enthusiast and owner of K Bean Coffee Machines, Melbourne. I’m a true enthusiast and I live the dream of running a business that is also my hobby.
My home barista journey started in 2010 when I bought my first coffee machine. I became obsessed by the coffee hobby. I built a coffee roaster, designed and built cold brew towers and played with all sorts of manual brewing toys. I also worked my way through numerous coffee machines and grinders.
I started dreaming about a coffee business and in 2014 I decided to give it a go. I named my business K Bean. The K comes from Kaldi - the Ethiopian goat herder who discovered coffee when he observed the spirited behavior of his bean eating goats.
In the beginning K Bean offered home roasted coffee beans along with manual brewing kits. I visited many homes to show locals how to make great coffee at home. My cool little kids joined in as well for a little fun.
I built a website and shifted my focus to coffee machines. My home barista journey along with many years on coffee forums (3000+ posts) put me in a great position to start a business and to grow it. Energy is the driver of a small business and energy is sky high when your business is also your hobby.
Initially this was a side business, with a day job as an engineering Project Manager at CSIRO. I operated the business from my home, with my double garage setup just like a retail shop. One day I decided to take the plunge and leave the day job. What a great decision. I really am having so much fun, with highlights being coffee trips to Ethiopia, Honduras and India
In 2021 I opened a retail store at 1 Keys Street, Beaumaris and in 2024 K Bean Coffee Machines celebrated its 10th birthday. Wow!!! My son, Quinn, became my first employee back in 2021. Quinn learnt to make coffee at 9 years old and he now makes coffee every day. In 2022 Liam and Isla joined the team for some casual emloyment. They are young and enthusiastic and they are both truly nuts about coffee.
I love tinkering with mechanical things so I now get hands and service machines for my customers. For interstate customers I have established an Australia-wide network of authorised technicians.
Enjoy my website. There’s plenty of information here to help you as you set off on your home barista journey. A great place to start is with my Coffee Machine Buying Guide. And let me give you a pre-emptive “thanks” for choosing K Bean Coffee Machines as you set off on your own home barista journey.