The duo behind Hey Juj and Hey MooMoos now blend their own coffee
Following the success of McLaren Vale and Henley Beach cafes, Elliott Brown has launched a third at Aberfoyle Park – and a personal brand of coffee is now on the menu.
Hey Moo Moo’s is the third cafe Elliott has opened in under a year, starting with McLaren Vale’s Hey Juj in November 2023 and then Henley Beach’s Hey ZoZo’s in March.
“Like all my other venues, I like to keep it within the family,” Elliott says.
“I named Hey MooMoo after my best friend and co-owner Mitchell Ward’s childhood nickname, Mitchy Moo.”
Since opening Hey MooMoo’s in August, Elliott and Mitchell have always thought good coffee is the key to success.
“Mitchell and I value really good coffee, and I believe that despite the economic crisis in the hospitality industry that has led to the high cost of coffee and other products, if you make really good coffee, you will be busy,” Elliott says.
Enter Hey Beans, their own blend of 70 per cent Colombian and 30 per cent Brazilian coffee that you’ll taste across all three venues and can buy in 500g or 1kg bags.
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“It’s a really nice and light creamy kind of blend with the notes of salted caramel,” Elliott says.
Hey Beans launched last week, and Elliot says he’s already seeing a difference in sales due to how easy the new blend is to drink.
“I often find drinking a small but a double shot, it doesn’t taste too overpowering, or anything like that,” he says.
“You feel like you want another coffee, so I’ve definitely noticed within the first week that our coffee sales have gone up quite a lot.
“People have been getting that second coffee rather than just the first now, which is really good to see.
“It’s beautiful with a double ristretto as well, like for the long blacks or piccolos, you know, getting a double ristretto shot in that it tastes really beautiful so, yeah, it’s a super versatile kind of blend.”
Elliott told CityMag the rising costs of coffee contributed to the move into roasting their own beans.
“Coffee doesn’t have a huge profit margin in it and I guess when we were kind of looking at the costs in the venues and things like that, we decided that this would be a bit of a little niche market that we could get into,” he says.
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“We have been very lucky with our previous coffee supplier, and they’ve been so good to us, but we really wanted to do our own thing.”
For now, they’ve got just one house blend as well as their decaf option, but they plan to expand and introduce a darker roast down the track.
“A bit of a darker blend for someone who really enjoys their coffee, or, you know, likes cold drip and stuff like that, that’s definitely a plan for us,” Elliott says.
Hey MooMoo’s is the latest venture from Elliott and the first that Mitchell has come on board with.
Hey MooMoo’s offers a simple takeaway menu with grab-and-go coffees, pastries, cold-pressed juices and fruit salads in the Park Shopping Centre.
“With Elliott’s success in the hospitality industry and his drive for creating tasty coffee, an opportunity to work with him was not going to be turned down,” Mitchell says.
“It’s really nice to actually have a business partner, you find, I think, the stress of owning a business on your own is so different when you have someone there to support you,” Elliott says.
“We’re always looking for the opportunity to do new things while we’re young, I’d rather do it now than wait 10 years.”
With now three venues under his belt at only 23 years old, Elliott feels like he’s on the right track, with no plans to slow down.
“I think sometimes my parents are like, ‘oh my God, what’s he doing’ but at the same time, you know, so proud,” he says.
“It’s so good being able to go out to the different venues and meet all the regulars that the team have managed to get in the venues. One thing that makes me so proud, is to see how much our staff care about businesses as if it’s their own, it makes such a difference.”
Hey MooMoo’s is located at Shop 4a/5 Canberra Drive, Aberfoyle Park and is open Monday – Saturday 7:30am ‘til 1:30pm.
Hey Beans is the house blend at Hey Juj, Hey ZoZo’s and Hey MooMoo’s and is available to purchase from any of their cafes for now, with plans to expand wholesales in future.