Returns Policy
Please promptly return any authorized returns to our address.
Coffee is a fresh food, and it's essential to understand the consequences of freshness over time.
Most people believe that if a pack of roasted coffee is still sealed or unopened, it is identical in quality or condition to when we originally made it.
Unfortunately, this is certainly not the case.
Fresh coffee degrades quickly, even inside sealed packaging. As coffee stales, the inherent value diminishes, as does the enjoyment factor and ability for a product to be resold.
Nothing can retard or halt the oxidization process of coffee - all freshly roasted coffees are volatile and emit vast levels of carbon dioxide or off-gassing.
It is why freshly roasted coffees are packaged in unique materials consisting of a 3-layer metal-film bag, heat sealed with a 1-way valve to exhaust the CO2.
Freshly roasted coffees are not the same as other food ingredients.
Freshly roasted coffee contains volatile compounds that degrade over time.
The volatile compounds provide the essence (or magic) that makes brewed coffee attractive. The volatile compounds in freshly roasted coffees include intense aroma, body, crema, sweetness, flavour, and acidity.
For these reasons, time is critical when dealing with an incident.
When we issue a Return Authority, we require the approved return item to be shipped to us within 30 days.
Suppose a returned item arrives after 30 days from issuing a Return Authority. In that case, we reserve the right to cancel any claims as the returned item will be scrapped - no longer fit for purpose as a saleable item.
How to Contact Us
If you need to reach us or clarify any details about your purchase, please use the Contact Us page as the preferred initial method.
We monitor and track every message, and we may take a working day to respond.
If you call us and we cannot answer, please ensure you leave a clear message with the reason for contacting us.
Please also understand like most businesses, we receive far too many calls and messages from people trying to sell us stuff we don't want, e.g. unsolicited calls.
If you don't leave a brief message explaining the reason for the callback, we may not return your call.
After contacting us, we will endeavour to understand the nature of an issue, and we may ask you questions to gain a thorough understanding of the incident.
We may also request photos from you. Whilst it may seem strange to ask for photos, it's an entirely reasonable and necessary step to assist our experts in quickly identifying the cause of an incident.
Viewing images helps guide or influence the types of options that are available to resolve.
Our primary objective is always to manage a quality support experience rather than wasting your or our valuable time.
We must know how an incident occurred to try to prevent or avoid another incident in the future.
Sometimes, an incident may be complex and require several steps.
Return Authority Process
The first step is to establish communication with us about an incident.
Whether that is a mistake you made or an error we have caused by accident.
Sending an order back to us without first attempting communication will result in no refund or may result in a partial refund if we have incurred costs.
For products sold in bundles or quantities, e.g. packs of 15x or 30x are sold as a single unit. If you return an opened package with less than the original quantity, we cannot resell this item, and no refund is available, even when the remaining contents might be OK.
If you open a sealed product, that opened product can only be returned if we grant permission beforehand. Standard food safety management protocols apply at all times.
The cost of returning an order will depend upon the conditions or reasons relating to an incident.
If we make a mistake, we will most certainly cover the cost of return shipping or provide appropriate compensation as negotiated with you at the time.
If the incident involves a reason, such as a customer changing their mind or a customer mistake, the default action will include a customer paying for the return shipping.
Freight damage.
As noted on other policies in our store, ALL parcels ship without insurance on the Australia Post parcel network.
We take extra steps to ensure your products are packed and sent safely, including the use of brand-new, heavy-duty cartons for all orders and wrapping delicate items in additional protection.
No orders will be sent in satchels due to high risks of damage in transit.
If you are concerned about loss or damage in transit, please get in touch with us before your parcel is shipped so we can arrange insurance coverage. Extra fees apply for insurance.
We cannot add insurance after the parcel has been lodged (shipped).
We are not responsible or liable for damage in transit where items are not insured beforehand.
What items can be returned?
Our mistake:-
If we made an error with your order - we apologize.
This could include sending you the wrong coffee, an insufficient quantity, or not grinding the coffee when you selected a grind option on the coffee product.
Don't hesitate to contact us; we will offer options to resolve this at our cost.
Sometimes, the wrong label has been applied to a pack of roasted coffee.
All our coffees are packed without labels as the labels interfere with our machinery and the suction cups holding the bags during the various packaging stages.
Labels are applied to bags when your order is picked and placed into a carton.
While rare, mistakes can happen with the human task of using labels. We know the coffee will be correct due to the scan codes on our containers, as every pack of coffee must be scanned before it is placed into a shipping carton.
Damaged Items:-
If a product has been damaged in transit, this type of incident is outside our control.
As noted in our Delivery Policy, all consignments are shipped without insurance unless you arrange insurance with us before we send your parcel.
Damage due to excessive pressure or force applied during transit may not be immediately apparent when inspecting the shipping carton.
Cartons can absorb significant physical pressure or temporary damage yet show few signs of the force.
Sometimes, a carton can revert to its similar shape after absorbing an impact.
Examples are when freight companies throw cartons or stack heavy items on top of each other that, cause the seal on a bag to "blow" or rupture, spilling contents.
Australia Post uses mechanical sorting in their hubs - tipping large metal cages with up to 500kg of parcels inside. It's the other parcels in the freight networks that typically cause damage - car parts and tools.
We respectfully ask our customers to understand this critical point - the seals on the bags are in perfect condition when your parcel is picked up and packed in our warehouse.
We can't place a busted coffee bag leaking coffee beans or ground into a carton - common sense always prevails.
Some chai and drinking chocolate packs are highly delicate and can pop during transit. We wrap these in extra layers of protection to prevent damage.
Ordering the wrong products
We pride ourselves on only shipping fresh roasted coffee.
But, it is critical that our business ship fresh coffee. Anything old is worthless to us and scrapped.
A fresh product was roasted this morning or yesterday (or the previous business day).
A product that is two weeks old is not fresh. That will be outside of our quality policy. Customers will likely complain if they receive a pack of many weeks-old coffee.
We can't put a product older than a few days back into stock for re-sending out to another customer - it's not fair on that receiving customer as the peak or optimal window for enjoyment may have passed, or it may occur when the product is in transit - which can take up to 2 weeks.
Please also remember that freight is a costly and costly service.
If you have placed an order and need to correct a mistake, please get in touch with us to discuss options.
Taste
Our products are sealed in special packaging within 1hr of roasting.
It's done this way to preserve quality and freshness.
If a product has been opened and tasted, it cannot be returned due to the potential exposure to oxygen and contaminants.
Taste is a highly subjective perception, and it varies among individuals.
We have extensive Quality Assurance in place - each batch of coffee is precision roasted by an industrial computerized system. It's impossible to over-roast or burn the coffee.
What one person may enjoy, another may not and so on.
The taste of coffee also comes down to how it is extracted or brewed. These sorts of variances do not mean the product is defective.
Coffee taste is also highly dependent upon how it is handled and brewed. Please adjust or clean the equipment. Incorrect brew temperatures and many other factors may contribute to a poor taste experience.
During the heat of summer, coffee stored in vehicles during the day may slowly "bake", which could reduce the quality of the coffee product.
Where to send it back?
The first step is to reach out via the Contact Us page or call our office - ensure you leave a message, and if you are still waiting for a response, please get in touch with us via the website.
After we have assessed an incident, we will decide whether to issue a Return Authority.
How are items returned?
A valid Return Authority is the only way items can be returned to us.
We ask that you contact us in the first instance when a matter or incident needs to be resolved.
If an approved Return Authority has been issued by us, please ensure the item is packed well in a carton so as to ensure it can arrive back to us in reasonable condition.
Satchels are not allowed. We will not accept a returned item shipped in satchels due to the risks of the contents being damaged.
Credits for returns
Depending upon the circumstances, we may discuss options for either a replacement or a refund.
In some cases, it's far more efficient to process a store credit that can be used for any future purchase, or in some instances, and we may process a full or partial refund against your original purchase transaction, e.g. we enter the refund amount against your credit card or PayPal transaction.
Payment or credits will be applied within seven days of our written commitment for entitlement of any such credit or refund.