Meet Rachel, Our Roast Master: From Backyard Roasts to StarTrail Coffee

If you’ve ever wondered who is behind the flavour in your StarTrail brew... meet Rachel, our roast master.

Rachel’s not the “I woke up and became a coffee expert” type.

Her story is the real deal: years behind the machine, a deep curiosity about where coffee comes from, and a backyard roasting setup that turned into a full-blown obsession.

This is her story  and a behind-the-scenes look at how StarTrail blends are built for the outdoors.

Rachel’s coffee story started early(and never really stopped)

Rachel started as a barista at the age of 15, learning the basics like latte art, single origin vs blend, and all the little details that pull you deeper into coffee. 

But what pushed it from “job” to “craft” was curiosity, every brew methods, flavour, origins, and eventually the bigger question:

Where does coffee actually come from?

During COVID, she went down the rabbit hole researching farms, processes, and sourcing  and that’s where roasting became the next natural step.

Why  organic coffee farming? 

One thing that really aligned with Rachel was organic coffee not as a buzzword or trying to be fancy, but for what it can mean at ground level.

"I've got a big heart for nature, the earth and the environment. But organic coffee farms are something else entirely as well.  There's no toxic runoff into water systems that these communities are drinking from - that's hugely important for a lot of farms to obtain their organic certification -  there can't be children working on the farms ! The bags, 90% of the time, are smaller and lighter as well"

"So, you know, like they're not necessarily breaking their backs, just those little things really aligned with me"

That “big heart for nature and the environment” is an incredible important  part of StarTrail’s DNA,  because if we’re building a coffee brand for the outdoors, caring about the nature can’t just be talk.

The backyard roaster era (where the magic started)

"And then I bought myself a little coffee roaster, a little at-home coffee roaster with my tax refund money... I had it up on like two milk crates and I was roasting in my backyard!"

That’s the part we love, because it’s so StarTrail: start where you are, learn by doing, and keep pushing until it’s real.

From there, she reached out to a local roaster and offered to work for free just to learn. A month later, they hired her and she trained up to head roaster.

How a StarTrail blend is actually made (it’s more science than people think)

Here’s the part most people don’t realise:

When you roast coffee, you don’t instantly know what it’ll taste like at its best, coffee needs time to degas and for flavours to settle — usually 6 to 10 days — before you properly judge it and if it's not good, you'll start again, and again, and again...

Blend-building isn’t “mix stuff and hope.”

It’s:

- roast

- record time/temp notes

- wait days

- taste

- adjust

- repeat (a lot)

The blend-building moment that changed everything

Rachel shared a great example of how a blend comes together.

"specifically with, with our Basecamp Blend that is Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia. I started with just Colombia and Ethiopia knowing that like Ethiopia is a lot fruitier of a coffee. Colombia is a lot more caramel. So I was like, okay, cool... this is sweet, this is caramel, should be really good... when I kept trying it, I realised it doesn't have a lot of power."

But something was missing!

" I knew that Brazil has that like toasted nuttiness that gives a little bit more strength to a cup. So it's a lot of play and trial and experience trying one day after the othe..."

And this is the part that sounds crazy until you taste it:

"Sometimes adding a small percentage, like 10%,  of one component can take a blend from “meh” to “wow” instantly. "

That’s roasting in real life: tiny changes, huge outcomes.

 

What this means for your next brew outdoors

If you’re brewing at camp, on a 4WD trip, or at a windy lookout, consistency matters.

You don’t want “sometimes good, sometimes weird.” You want a coffee that shows up the same way every time, because you’ve got enough variables outdoors already.

Rachel’s process is a big part of why StarTrail brews are built to be:

- dependable in simple setups

- enjoyable black or with milk (depending on your pick)

- easy to come back to 

Where to start if you’re new to StarTrail

If you’re not sure what your go-to is yet, start with Trail Mix (it’s the easiest way to find your favourite without guessing).

If you already know your vibe:

- grab your usual daily driver

- keep a box in the camp kit / glovebox

- and you’re sorted for the next trip

A message from Rachel to the StarTrail crew

Rachel’s words to the community are simple:

“Keep adventuring, get out there in nature… and drink more StarTrail coffee."

We’ll back that.

If you brew StarTrail out in the wild, tag @StarTrailCoffee and use #StarTrailCommunity, we're building a feed of real Aussie adventures and we can't wait for you to join us !

Your brew. Your trail.