But the notion never left him and five years ago, in his late 40s, that earlier fanciful idea became something of an obsession. Instead, he spent a decade plying his trade as a management consultant.

The idea lodged in the back of his mind that he should start his own. “As an Aussie, I was always thinking, ‘Why can’t I find a good coffee, why can’t I find a good cafe?’” he recalls. Back then, there was barely a flat white to be found.Ĭhris Fone couldn’t find an Aussie-style coffee, or cafe, in Paris. Stereotypically, Parisians stand at the bar knocking back a quick shot of espresso on the way to work, or sit out on the smoke-wreathed terrace over a pale imitation of a “proper” coffee. Paris is all about bistros and brasseries. But there was one familiar taste of home that the Melburnian really missed: a decent coffee in a “proper” cafe. When you move to Paris, as newly-wed Chris Fone did 16 years ago with his French wife, you’re probably looking for novelty and adventure.

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