Since she was young, Julie van der Matt has wanted to own a café.
In the beginning, the idea stemmed from wanting to bake all day, but the dream developed into something bigger when she finished her A-Levels, moved to Melbourne and absolutely fell in love with speciality coffee. Julie decided to study business and hospitality and ran a coffee roastery in Germany for a time.
Now, Julie works as the General Manager and Head Barista at Scroggin.
Scroggin Wānaka, was sparked from the notion that every adventure begins with a bag of scroggin. Full of the sweet, the savoury and the salty, Scroggin is a mix of all things good. In Wānaka, one is never far from adventure - the mountains, bush, valleys, lakes and rivers are a constant source of flavour and inspiration. Scroggin is a café, an escape, and a space to enjoy the best bits in life.
With a Scandinavian-inspired fit-out, the modern space features light wood finishes and polished concrete floors - a welcoming spot in all seasons.
At Scroggin, Julie has seen a huge increase in customers bringing in reusable cups. More and more people are saying no to single-use coffee cups, and Wānaka is trying hard to become Aotearoa’s first single-use cup-free town.
Scroggin serves Flight Coffee. Julie’s all-time favourite coffee is a natural Kenyan blend with notes of blueberries and to the barista, a great cup of coffee starts right back at its origin.
“A great Ethiopian roast should draw out the naturally sweet and vibrant notes, whereas a great coffee from Brazil might have a heavier body and notes of chocolate or roasted nuts.”
If there is a single origin pour-over on the menu, Julie will always go for it, but otherwise really enjoys drinking oat flat whites. Scroggin customers agree, and the barista has found the plant-based alternative just as popular among the café’s customers as blue top milk.
The diverse options available in all aspects of coffee are what Julie finds most rewarding.
“There are so many possibilities. It never gets boring.”
When not working behind the coffee machine, Julie makes the most of her location’s potential by getting out to tramp, kayak, and do yoga. Though she is not yet behind the helm of her own café, the barista keeps her baking passion alight, sharing baked goods and cooking for friends.
scrogginwanaka.co.nz
