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South Melbourne · Australia

ST. ALi

Since 2005 · Mark Dundon

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Overview

ST. ALi opened in 2005 in a converted South Melbourne warehouse by Mark Dundon — who later founded Seven Seeds — and was acquired in 2008 by Salvatore Malatesta, who scaled it into what the company now claims is Australia's largest independent specialty roaster. Beans are sourced via direct trade and small-batch roasted on Brambati machines; the brand has expanded through ST. ALi North (2012), the Sensory Lab cafes in the Melbourne CBD and at Melbourne Airport, a sister cafe in Jakarta (2015), and ST. ALi & The Queen at Queen Victoria Market.

Known for

  • South Melbourne warehouse roastery — third-wave Melbourne touchstone since 2005
  • Mark Dundon founding lineage (later Seven Seeds, Reuben Hills connections)
  • Brambati roasters and direct-trade green sourcing
  • Cans, capsules, and cold brew concentrate pouches alongside the wholesale roastery
  • Sensory Lab CBD/airport brand and Mercedes-Benz 'Mercedes Me' Collins Street partnership

Why it matters

ST. ALi is one of the foundational names in Melbourne's third-wave coffee story and a primary export of the city's cafe culture — its founders' lineage runs through Seven Seeds, Reuben Hills, and the Paramount Coffee Project in Los Angeles. Under Malatesta the company has pushed format experiments (capsules, RTD pouches, late-night cocktail venues) that most Australian specialty roasters have not attempted.

Production

roaster machine
Brambati (small-batch in-house)
roastery location
South Melbourne warehouse, 12-18 Yarra Place

Café

12-18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne VIC 3205

Recognitions

  • Best Food Cafe in Melbourne — The Age Good Cafe Guide (2013)
  • Credited as third-wave Melbourne contributor (Wikipedia, multiple trade press)

Sources

More roasters