How Australasia cracked the coffee market

People who have never visited Australasia are more likely to think of surfers, sun and beaches than coffee when thinking about the culture of the continent.

However, a stroll around Sydney or Perth reveals a plethora of coffee houses and cafes, and after chatting to some locals you may find that their day revolves around the warm, tasty beverage.

In fact, Australians cottoned on to the wonder of coffee before the rest of the world.

Starbucks hasn't taken off in the country as much as it has in the rest of the world, and many people believe this is because the country already had such a strong coffee culture in place.

Indeed, its cities and towns are full of coffee chains, but the origins of Australia's vibrant culture surrounding the hot drink is thought to be born out of the cafes of the early Greek and Italian immigrants.

Coffee culture in the US and Western Europe may have burst onto the scene in the nineties, thanks largely to hit sitcom ‘Friends’ making sitting around in a cafe with your pals look extremely hip.

However, coffee houses were dominating Australian high streets long before Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey burst onto the scene.

The roast with the most

Indeed, it is thought that freshly roasted coffee was introduced to Australia by three Andronicus brothers who had packed up their life and left their home in Greece in the late 1800s, emigrating to build a new life in Australia.

In 1910 they set up one of the country's first coffee roasting businesses, importing the first espresso and enabling Australians to enjoy coffee in the European tradition for the first time.

By the 1930s, Greek cafes were the focal point for eating, drinking and socialising in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

It was in these traditional European-style establishments that Australian coffee culture was born, as people stopped off for an espresso on their lunch.

Decades on, other coffees such as the cappuccino, the flat white and cafe latte are the most popular, with 29 per cent, 28 per cent and 20 per cent of the share of total coffees ordered respectively, according to research by Barista Basics. Just one per cent of this share goes to the traditional espresso.

New cafes, new roasts, New Zealand

Australia's neighbour New Zealand has a flourishing coffee culture of its own, which has seen new cafes and coffee roasting outlets springing up all over the country.

Indeed, it is an integral part of capital Wellington's identity - people will find they can't even turn a corner in the city without coming across an outlet.

It is believed that they were born out of the milk bars that emerged during the prohibition era in America.

American troops were stationed in the area during the Second World War, and the milk bars took off during this time.

These were closely followed by coffee houses in the 1950s, but during the 1960s and 1970s the coffee outlets saw something of a decline.

However, over the past two decades the city's cafe scene has sky rocketed, with people heading to these establishments for refreshment and rejuvenation once again.