Ian and Marion Maclaughlin Biography

Co-directors of Skybury Coffee and The Australian Coffee Centre, Ian and Marion MacLaughlin, share a passion for things Australian and a deep connection to the land.

Since they arrived on the Atherton Tablelands in 1987, the couple have worked extremely hard to establish Skybury Coffee internationally, and set about a new challenge with the opening of their multi-million dollar attraction, the Australian Coffee Centre, in April 2006.

Ian said they were attracted to Australia initially because it seemed the next best thing to their original home, Africa. "We felt it was a place with great opportunities, especially for our children, and we loved the outdoor lifestyle and the interesting people". he says.

South African born Ian was brought up in Zimbabwe and, as a captain in the national army, made the decision to leave the country in 1981 shortly after Mulgabe's presidency commenced. The MacLaughlin's application for Australian residency at the time was unsuccessful, so they detoured to Oman for a time and then on to the UK. Here, Ian and the family became involved in a modern retirement home project in Bath. Another application for Australian residency was successful, and the MacLaughlins moved to Perth, hoping to apply their knowledge of the retirement sector to a project in WA.

"We really loved Australia and wanted to come here. We'd made our first foray into the country after leaving Zimbabwe and we knew that culturally and economically, this is where we wanted to stake our future", says Ian. On the ground however, things proved different in the Australian retirement home industry, and the lure of the Australian continent proved too great. Ian and Marion rode their BMW R80GS motorbike the length of the country - until they found the Tablelands.

"We rode up the Palmerston Highway, and the Tablelands were laid out in front of us. I remember we stopped at the Tolga Scrub (a 250 metre section of rainforest outside the Tolga township) and we just thought "this is where we are going to live".

Ian and Marion bought the Skybury coffee plantation that year. The 360 acre property perched right at the apex of the Great Dividing Range enjoys 360 degree views, and is now diversified into pawpaws (papaya), other exotic fruits and, naturally, there's the coffee.

They were the first people in Australia to produce a commercial crop of coffee, and first to export raw 'green' coffee when they sent it to Japan in 1990. "Around 80% of all coffee grown in Australia comes from the Tablelands. Of that, 70% is produced here at Skybury", says Ian.

In any given year, 30-50% of the 120 tonne crop is exported. A café under the Eiffel Tower in Paris has been selling Skybury coffee for 15 years. In the UK, Sainsbury's stores have stocked the Skybury blend for 10 years and during 2005 it became the coffee of choice in the UK Houses of Parliament. In Berlin, Germany, Skybury is the most expensive coffee sold.
"Currently in Melbourne, Skybury coffee is being sold at around $30 per kilo through wholesalers"m says Ian.

As Chairman of the Australian Coffee Growers Association, Ian has an in-depth knowledge of the Australian coffee producing scene and has played a pivotal role in the development of the Australian coffee industry. "Arabica coffee is grown in New South Wales and Victoria, however nowhere with such suitable conditions as the Tablelands which match the great African coffee producing regions for climate and soil conditions".

Ian has extended his considerable knowledge of coffee production into the engineering field as a consultant manufacturer of coffee harvesters and dryers. His current coffee harvester is the 4th generation of his original design and he sells harvesters to those clients wanting the very best and latest in design technology.

Ian and Marion have taken their love of coffee to new heights - literally - with the launch of their new multi million dollar attraction, the Australian Coffee Centre. The centre, which has the most amazing views across the top of the Great Dividing Range, is a total immersion in the culture of coffee.

"We show the origins of coffee and its production at Skybury in our Coffee Cinema, we conduct tours where people see coffee trees, the wet plant (stage one of the coffee's production process), a coffee harvester, and then end up in the dry processing demonstration area. We brought the plantation to the coffee centre so we can all enjoy the touch and feel of Australia's oldest coffee plantation in a superb colonial setting".

Naturally, there are coffee tasting tours. Visitors can now share the mystique and passion of the back room tastings enjoyed by international coffee buyers and sellers, learning to identify the natural flavours, how to grind, cup and describe the freshly roasted beans. "Its a fun tour unlike anything people have ever experienced. It leaves you with a shared passion for this great Australian-grown, internationally acclaimed coffee," says Ian.

A peek into the busy coffee laboratory at the Australian Coffee Centre confirms the aroma of success which permeates Skybury. The Tablelands hills that once contained the gold which sparked the settlement rush here now yield a new, liquid, burnished gold which is so enjoyable to savor and appreciate.