Sun, Rain and Robe: How We Power Mahalia Coffee

Since we switched on our solar system, the power has gone out five or six times. Four of those times, we stayed open.

That still makes me smile. In a small coastal town, an outage usually means locking the door and waiting it out. Now the lights stay on, the machines keep running, and the coffee keeps going out.

What we installed

We installed solar panels and battery storage in late May 2025. Over the first full year, the system generated around 90% of the electricity for our roastery and the Robe Store.

To be clear about what that covers: our Diedrich roaster burns gas for heat. But almost everything else runs on Robe sunshine. That includes the drum motor, the fans, the controls, the grinders, the packing and the lights.

Why we did it

The system cost us around $100,000. That's a serious investment for a small family business. Once it's paid off, in a few years, one of our bigger running costs will drop sharply.

But the savings weren't the main reason. What matters more is reliability. When the grid wobbles, we don't. For a business that ships coffee across the country and supplies cafés, keeping the lights on is worth more than any power bill.

And the rain

Power is only half of it. Through winter, when the rain rolls in off the Southern Ocean, we run the business on rainwater. It's collected, filtered and used right here instead of drawing on mains supply.

None of this shows up in the cup. You won't taste the solar panels in your morning coffee. It's not a certification or a badge. It's just how we've chosen to run a small business in Robe: quietly, and with as light a footprint as we can manage.