Mark Pearce, Owner, Cleanskin Coffee Co.
Don't just dream it; make it a reality ...
A roastery, retail space and espresso bar of purist proportions, Cleanskin Coffee Co. at Brendale is coffee geek heaven. Owners Mark and Miriam started Cleanskin Coffee Co. in 2008, after having run Caffeine Espresso at Teneriffe for two years. When they couldn’t source the types of blends they wanted, they decided to start roasting their own, moving the Cleanskin lab to Brendale at the start of 2012. The brand’s main trade is roasting beans for other companies, while also producing their own blends, including a house blend and two single origins for their own espresso bar and other cafes each week. Each year, the Cleanskin team will travel to the coffee plantations in Brazil, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Sumatra or Ethiopia to meet the farmers in person, taste the next season’s crop and buy beans directly from the farms. Soon Cleanskin will be heading to Melbourne for the World Barista Championships, where the team will be making coffee for La Marzocco, and the brand’s cold-pressed, amber-bottled coffee will soon be going national as they ramp up production. The Weekend Edition caught up with Mark to chat weekend essentials.
How do you like to start your weekend?
I love to get up before dawn and head out with my camera gear to capture the sun rising over the ocean.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
On the way home from taking those oh-so-amazing sunrise pictures, I call into Cleanskin Coffee Co. and grab a coffee before getting home, cranking up the Weber and smashing out bacon and eggs for the family.
How do you like to unwind?
After a hectic-paced day at work, I love jumping on my mountain bike for the ten-kilometre ride home through the bush. It’s good for my head and helps keep me fit.
What are your essentials for a well-spent weekend?
Loading up the 4×4, hooking up our off-road caravan and heading bush – you just can’t beat a roast in the camp oven.
What’s something you’ve been meaning to do on the weekend but haven’t got around to yet?
Cleaning the gutters on the house – the downside of living amongst the trees.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Sunday evening?
Getting the kids into bed early, relaxing in front of the TV and getting ready for another busy week.
What are you looking forward to next weekend?
Going away camping with the family somewhere in the great southeast.
What are you reading at the moment?
Sax: The Life and Times of Dave Saxton by Dave Drangsholt.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by beautiful landscapes, which I enjoy photographing as my hobby.
What was your childhood dream?
To be a helicopter pilot.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Completing my commercial helicopter pilot licence in 1998 and fulfilling that childhood dream.
What is success to you?
Finding a good work/life balance and being able to enjoy the simple things in life.
What are your words of wisdom?
Don’t just dream it; make it a reality.
Only a local would know … Brisbane is one of the best cities to live in.
FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up … Ltd espresso + brew bar, Fortitude Valley.
Relax … camping at Stinson Memorial Park.
Dine … Workshop Co., Redcliffe.
Indulge … with chocolate self-saucing pudding cooked in the camp oven.
Shop … online – don’t even have to leave the house.
Catch-up … Queenstown, New Zealand.
Be inspired … Great Ocean Road, Victoria.
