ONA Coffee

ONA Coffee launched in 2008 when founder Sasa Sestic began roasting out of a garage in Canberra — an origin that belies the scale of what followed. Today the operation is one of Australia's most decorated specialty roasters, anchored by Sestic's 2015 World Barista Championship win, which remains one of the most significant results in Australian coffee history. The roaster is also home to Hugh Kelly, head of R&D, who became the first Australian to win back-to-back Australian Barista Championship titles (2016 and 2017) and placed fifth at the World Barista Championship in 2016.

ONA set out with an explicit dual mission: to produce the best and most sustainable coffee. Canberra Business News noted this mandate has shaped the brand's identity from the start rather than arriving later as a marketing layer. From its Fyshwick roastery, ONA has grown into a wholesale supplier to hundreds of cafes across Australia while maintaining a direct-to-consumer retail operation and running its own multi-site café group in Canberra.

The roastery's sourcing reflects its competition roots — a focus on traceable, high-scoring lots with transparency around origin and processing. Sestic's longstanding interest in fermentation techniques, particularly carbonic maceration, has influenced how ONA selects and profiles its coffees, with an emphasis on expressive, process-driven cup character rather than conventional roast profiles. The roasting team's competition schedule keeps quality benchmarks unusually high by commercial standards.