1. Local Perspectives -
Melbourne:
Episode proposal:
Coffee Culture

2. Introduction – Why coffee?
Cafés are an integral part of Melbourne’s culture.
For the passionate coffee lover to people who catch up over
coffee, it is more than just beans! It is a ritual and way of life
for many Melbournians.
Melbourne prides itself on its love of coffee, and it is no
wonder that Melbourne is Australia’s coffee capital.

3. Research – Melbourne & Coffee:
• Coffee is a major focus of
Melbourne's culture and has a
long history in the city. With its
initial introduction to Australia
in the First
Fleet, Melbournians warmly
embraced the drink.
• As early as 1830, coffee palaces
were springing up as a
response to the Temperance
movement. Suddenly coffee
was seen as a better option
than the ‘demon
drink’, alcohol.

4. • Between 1850 and 1920
you could find a coffee
stall on every street corner;
busy pit stops for
Melbournians heading to
and from work.
• By 1930 almost half of the
450 cafes registered in
Melbourne were coffee
lounges, and by this time
espresso coffee could be
enjoyed.
Research – Melbourne & Coffee:

5. Melbourne’s rich café culture is attributed to the flood
of European migrants following World War Two.
Italian migrants in particular, populated many inner city
suburbs such as
Carlton, Brunswick, Collingwood, Richmond, Fitzroy
and North Melbourne. As a result they became the
birthplaces of Melbourne’s café scene. Even
today, cafes in these areas are as popular as they were 50
years ago.
Research – Melbourne & Coffee:

6. • Some claim that Melbourne’s love for Italian styled coffee is the
reason international coffee chains, such as Starbucks have not
thrived in the same way as they have overseas.
• 70% of Starbucks’ Australian stores closed down in 2008, one
of which was on Lygon street. Lygon street is known as the
Italian capital, and the café capital of Melbourne. Which
suggests that our coffee culture is deeply embedded in our
society.
Research – Melbourne & Coffee:

7. Research – Melbourne & Coffee:
• Luigi Bezzera is credited with inventing the first
Espresso coffee machine in 1901, and with this
invention, he created something much more
important.
• Modern versions of his machine now sit proudly
in most cafés, over 100 years later. Coffee is as
much a social experience, as a personal
experience. We enjoy gathering ‘over a coffee’.
• Melbourne is proud to say their coffee culture
was not born out of large chain stores, but
rather independent cafes.

8. • In Melbourne today, many
varieties of coffee are available
to enjoy, whether it is a
traditional espresso, or the
Australian invention ‘flat white’.
• A quick look at the hundreds
of places you can get a good
coffee in the city, tells you
coffee is indeed an important
part of Melbournian culture.
Research – Melbourne & Coffee:

9. In early 2009 Robert Doyle, Melbourne’s Lord
Mayor, upset many of Melbourne's coffee lovers. He
implied that the city's love for coffee is overrated. He
said: 'Coffee is coffee; it's not life or death,’ which
caused quite an uproar.
Melbournians are passionate about their
coffee. Arguably coffee one of the main reasons
Melbourne is seen as a great city.
Research – Melbourne & Coffee:

10. Proposed idea for episode:
The main protagonist in our
story will be owner/barista
Diego Iraheta who runs
Acustico, a small coffee shop
in Brunswick.
Diego is an ideal choice for
the story we want to tell as
his personal journey with the
relationship he has with
coffee, the way his business
came to life and the ideas
and choices behind Acustico
stands out.

11. Research:
• Born in El Salvador, Diego’s family fled the country’s civil war and came to
Melbourne when he was one year’s old.
• He became interested in coffee whilst travelling to South America as an
adult. Diego worked in coffee bars in the US and Europe, before moving
back to Melbourne.
• After walking home from a birthday party one night a few years ago, a ‘tipsy’
Diego saw a ‘To Let’ sign on a Brunswick corner building. He postponed his
holiday to Barcelona at the time and instead called the real estate agent, and
well, the rest is history!

12. Research:
• Diego’s environmentally friendly
approach to the design of
Acustico sets him out apart from
many coffee shops. The wooden
sleepers in Acustico are made out
of recycled railway sleepers and
shipping crates. Loyalty cards in
Acustico are printed on old cereal
boxes.
• Ultimately, Diego wants to
import coffee specifically from El
Salvador and would like to use
the money he makes from
Acustico to help build schools in
El Salvador.

13. Research:
• Fair trade coffee is used in the café, with Diego
choosing Espresso Syndicate, a Richmond based
company that roasts twice a week to minimise power
usage.
• Diego’s South American background hugely
influences Acustico, with latin music playing in the
background, and a variety of South American cakes
on offer.

14. Coffee, Diego & Melbourne:
How Diego’s story links to Melbourne
• Acustico is just one of many cafes which is located in Melbourne.
• As a small business owner, how Diego sets his business different to other
cafes contributes to how Melbournian’s quest on their love of coffee.
• Diego’s South American background influencing Acustico displays
Melbourne’s multiculturalism, which is a vital aspect of our city.
• Acustico prides itself on being environmentally friendly, taking steps to
care for our city.

15. Style & Editing:
• Style:
Simple, clean, black and white shots, minimal, not chaotic.
• Camera angles/ types of shots:
We intend to set up 2 cameras for the main interview with Diego Iraheta. We
want to stress the importance of his story, its significance to coffee and their
relationship with Melbourne coffee culture. By filming him from 2 angles
(front on and side) the focus is centered around him. The audience will be
made aware that he’s the main protagonist.
We also intend to have general footage of people at café’s, people drinking
coffee and barista’s making/ serving coffee.

16. Style & Editing:
• Settings/Location:
Diego’s café is located in Brunswick therefore the majority of filming will
take place there. General footage will also be shot on Degraves Street and
in the Melbourne CBD area.
• Colour:
The interview with Diego will be converted to a black and white colour
scheme. We have deliberately decided to do this as it sets this section of
the episode aside from the rest of the general footage which will be in
colour. Again, it homes in on the importance of his personal story while
evoking a sense of nostalgia.

17. Style & Editing
• Music:
Latin American music may be used in some sections of the
episode, keeping in touch with Diego’s cultural roots. The final
decision however will be made throughout the editing process.
Ideally, we would like Diego’s story to narrate the episode, without
the aid of too much music.
Other parts of the episode may be more interesting and
compelling with the aid of music, therefore we are open to its use.

18. Approximate timeline of how the
episode will run:
0min 5min
Intro:
Brief narration of
Melb history
coffee culture.
General footage.
People drinking
coffee.
Link European
influences to
Melbourne &
introduce Diego.
General footage.
Interview with
Diego will take the
predominate
amount of time.
Black & White.
General footage of
Diego interacting
with customers etc.
interview narration
will underscore this
footage.
Other people’s
perspectives on
Melb coffee culture.
Diego ending with a
quote in regards to
Melb coffee culture.
Fade to black.
2-3min30secs 20secs 10secs
20secs
10secs
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19. Demographic:
• The target audience for this
episode are primarily
Melbournians as the web series
as a whole is focused on local
perspectives, while this episode
homes in on the significance of
coffee to this city. Both male
and females from their teenage
years and above would fit the
demographic for this episode.
• Coffee enthusiasts would also
be interested in this episode.

20. Social Media:
• We intend on using social networking sites to promote the web
series and our episode. Twitter & Facebook will be the main
forums for advertising however coffee forums and discussion
groups online will also provide a great platform for the
promotion of our episode.

21. We’ve committed to undertaking each step of the
process together.
We will all be attending the interview with Diego, which
is scheduled for 3:30pm on May 4th.
In regards to editing the footage, Catherine is the most
skilled, so she will take the lead and help us.
Sharing roles: