Collingwood · Australia
Proud Mary Coffee
Proud Mary Coffee roasts in Collingwood, Victoria.
Since 2009 · Nolan Hirte, Shari Hirte
Overview
Proud Mary was founded in 2009 in Collingwood, Melbourne by husband-and-wife Nolan and Shari Hirte; Nolan was an early Australian advocate for filter coffee and painstakingly brewed pour-overs in a country that was then almost exclusively espresso-drinking, and attended his first Cup of Excellence — Brazil's first natural-process program — in 2011. The Portland, Oregon flagship on NE Alberta Street opened in September 2017 as Proud Mary's first U.S. outpost, followed by a 2,500-square-foot Austin, Texas cafe in the Zilker neighborhood in 2022; the Collingwood operation also runs Aunty Peg's brew bar and the Collingwood Coffee College.
Known for
- Three-country presence: Collingwood (Melbourne), NE Alberta St (Portland), Zilker (Austin)
- All-day brunch-meets-specialty cafe model
- Cup of Excellence advocacy from 2011 onward, with sustained Brazilian natural-process focus
- Aunty Peg's Brew Bar and Kitchen (Collingwood)
- Collingwood Coffee College training program
Why it matters
Proud Mary helped reframe the Melbourne specialty cafe as a destination where coffee, all-day food, and direct-trade producer storytelling carried equal weight — a model that translated unusually well to Portland and Austin. The Hirtes were among the first Australian operators to open a wholly Australian-style cafe in the U.S. coffee market, predating the Pour Boy / Bluestone Lane wave.
Production
- head roaster
- Nolan Hirte
- roastery location
- Collingwood, Melbourne (HQ); separate Portland, Oregon roasting operation
Café
This roaster operates a café.
Recognitions
- Lonely Planet — described as serving 'stellar' coffee
- Notable for $150-per-cup specialty offerings at Portland and Austin locations
- Pioneering Australian operator in U.S. specialty coffee market (Portland 2017)