Single O

Overview

Single O was founded in 2003 in Surry Hills by husband-and-wife Emma and Dion Cohen, who left corporate jobs to open a single-origin-focused cafe at a time when most Sydney coffee was dark, stale and Italian-blended. The original name was Single Origin Roasters, later shortened to Single O; their first roaster, a refurbished machine they nicknamed Big Boris, sat in the back of the Reservoir Street cafe before all production moved to a dedicated roastworks in Botany.

Known for

• Pioneer of Sydney's third-wave specialty coffee scene from 2003
• Sydney's first self-serve batch brew bar, opened April 2019, with four taps inspired by craft beer pours
• Co-founder of The Juggler milk-tap system, credited with eliminating millions of two-litre plastic milk bottles from cafes
• Tokyo roastery and tasting bar in Hatchobori since 2014 — the first overseas outpost
• B Corp certified; long-running 'No Death To Coffee' climate-resilient varietal program

Why it matters

Single O is one of three Sydney roasters, alongside Mecca and Reuben Hills, credited with seeding Australian third-wave specialty coffee. Two decades on, the Surry Hills cafe still operates on its original Reservoir Street corner, and the company's sustainability work — solar offsets, the Juggler, climate-resilient varietals, the 'Giving A Puck' grounds-recycling program — has set the bar for what an established roaster's environmental program can look like.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

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color sorting

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roaster machine

120kg production roaster at the Botany Roastworks

filter equipment

Self-serve Freepour batch brew taps (four-tap system)

cupping frequency

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roastery location

Botany, Sydney (Roastworks)

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

60-64 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (flagship); Carriageworks Farmers Market Saturday stall (since March 2016); 18 Skyring Terrace, Newstead QLD 4006 (Brisbane, opened September 2023); Tokyo (Hatchobori)

Recognitions

• B Corp certified
• 1% for the Planet member (since January 2021)
• Co-founder of The Juggler (sustainable milk-tap system)

Sources

• https://singleo.com.au/pages/about-us
• https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/surry-hills/cafes/single-origin-roasters-cafe-and-sideshow
• https://every.coffee/roaster/single-o
• https://www.agfg.com.au/article/single-o-coffees-past-present-and-christmas
• https://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/looking-back-at-20-years-of-single-o/
• https://www.brian-coffee-spot.com/2023/08/15/single-o-surry-hills/