north queensland gold coffee plantation

Well, we missed the sign even though we had been warned and ended up at the "big" plantation two minutes just up the road, which does have rest rooms should you need them :). As we were there we decided to have a look around anyway and have a coffee. We spoke to a lovely lady who told us a little bit about their coffee and plantation but we didn't want to pay $$ for the tour. After a coffee we then headed back down to NQ Gold. We came down a funny little driveway to what looked like somebody's house, looked at each other in puzzlement and then opened the window because we could smell coffee roasting. Following our noses we then met Bruno and Maria, his daughter, who is the roaster extraordinaire. Bruno is absolutely passionate about the coffee growing and processing he undertakes. His tour did take about an hour and was the best $5 each we spent on our whole trip! Of course, we then added in an affogato each, some of the delicious chocolate coated coffee beans and a kilo of roasted two days before coffee beans. THIS was what I wanted to see - a passionate grower and roaster who has not sold out to all the hype....

We decided to visit this coffee plantation on a day trip around the Atherton tablelands it was our first stiop after driving up from Cairns so when we arrived there we need to use the rest rooms We were very surprised when they said they did not have any public rest rooms so unfortunately we did not get to do the tour as it would have been around an hour for the tour and then we wanted to have coffee there so just could not hang on that longWe just felt that anyone visitng here needs to know they have to stop in Mareeba and use the rest rooms there before driving out to the plantation It is a very small family attraction but they really need to have a rest room if you are inviting and charging the public to visit

This is the real coffee experience for real coffee people. Instead of constant pandering to tourists with gift shops over priced food or glossy advertising, this place lets their wealth of experience do the talking. It is a family run business which offers you a chance to tour the plantation with a family that have been doing it most of thier lives. Well worth the visit!

Gold Coffee saved our coffee tour of Mareeba! If you care about coffee, tradition, quality, and want to experience local coffee trade at it's finest, Gold Coffee is the ONLY spot in Mareeba to get it. If you want a gilded experience for the masses, complete with an "exit through the gift shop" sign, follow the buses past this gem.We know our coffee and spent the morning discouraged by the other large, commercial plantations and roasters that are advertised heavily in the region. Frankly, we were very angry at the lack of coffee expertise and souless pandering to tourism that we found at the other big three. In fact, we returned three coffee prepations and walked out of the larger operations in the region.We were very pleased to have discovered Gold Coffee. When we arrived at this small, close-to-home operation, we were happy to have found the well experienced owner, in his weathered roasting shed, hand packaging his beans roasted to perfection in the small batch roaster. The equipment and the process is pleasantly antiquated and produces product that other larger operations can`t match. We received a warm welcome and a private experience, explaining the process from start to finish. The older gentlemen has been following the same process for decades. Open bags of green beens are found next to the roaster. These are hand fed into the roaster, then slowly heated and roasted for a time that is determined only by his experience and small samples that are drawn during the roasting process. These small batches are roasted to light, medium, and dark doness. The scale of doness is not the same as larger producers which are guilty of over roasting their products, resulting in a loss of complexity that only perfectly fresh roasted beans can offer. The nose of the freshly roasted bean conveys floral notes from the intact oils and brews stain the side of procelain cups while offering a mouth feel that is totally lacking with large scale producers; evidence of the perfectly retained oil content only experienced with small batch, fresh roasting operations.We purchased all three roasts, which were taken by scoup from small containers of beans and hand packed, labeled, and sealed by the same hands that owned, operated, and roasted this fine product. A true treat that we will savor long after our beans are consumed. The highlight of our Mareeba excursion.Please note: Don`t judge a book by it's cover when you arrive. This is a home and a small aging operation. There are weathered sheds, chickens, cats, and other quirky things found onsite. This is the real McCoy and not a tourist shop. Be prepared for the real people and process, not the Disney sanctioned tourist stop.The only negative is that this seems to be the only evidence of true dedication to maximum quality of coffee trade in Mareeba. Other operations in the region that you will likely also experience boast about how many kilos they roast in a day, while forgetting the most important part. Exelence is not determined by kilos or profit on tourism goods. Exelence the found in a cup of Gold Coffee and the soulful quality you taste and feel with every sip. Thank you Gold Coffee for your dedication and holding true to tradition.

The elderly Italians here operate the place in the old traditional way. Not a "touristy place" rather unassuming local people

Im August 2012 waren wir in den Athertons und haben auch einen Abstecher zu dieser Kaffeeplantage gemacht und es hat sich wirklich gelohnt. Von der Straße, die Einfahrt zum Anwesen nicht gleich als solche auszumachen und auch das Gebäude, in dem der Kaffee geröstet und weiterverpackt wird sieht auf den ersten Blick nicht danach aus, dass man hier etwas Interessantes zu sehen bekommt. Doch wir wurden äußert freundlich empfangen und bekamen gleich eine "Tour" durch den Betrieb. Von der Pflanze bis zur Ernte und weiter mit der Röstung wurde uns alles ganz genau erklärt. sogar die Tüten wurden selbst gemacht. Wir haben dann noch Kaffee und Heiße Schokolade getrunken und es schmeckte lecker. Auch der Kaffee, den wir für zu Hause mitnahmen, war spitze. Ebenso die Kaffeebohnen im Schokolade, echt lecker. Alles in allem ein wirklicher Geheimtip, wenn man an Ursprünglichkeit und Individualität Spaß hat. Die 100jährige Röstmaschine ist schon wirklich ein Hingucker.