three flamingos cafe

Meet Brad, Susan, Max and Cooper…

136 Terry Street, Albion Park

How did Three Flamingos come about?
We moved to the area in 2016 and we were both commuting to Sydney for work. I had worked in hospitality throughout university but had been working in Sports Marketing for seven years. I still had a real passion for the industry and an entrepreneurial itch and being new to the area, the need for a specialty coffee venue was obvious. I drove past a vacant building around the corner from our house on my two-hour commute to Sydney every morning for six months before we decided it was time to take the leap to fill that void in our growing suburb. We expanded into the adjacent building in 2021 and our small hole in the wall coffee idea is certainly a much bigger beast these days.

How long have you been operating?
April this year we celebrated five years.

What is the best thing about your location?
We are very fortunate to be in a block of eight shops with ample parking and importantly on the right side of the road in the morning which really helped our takeaway sales from day one. Albion Park is such wonderful family friendly community and the growth in the region has been phenomenal in the past five years.

Tell us about your delicious menu - how do you create it?
We have a team of four in the kitchen and serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week. We are famous for our breakfast in particular - our brekky wraps and acai bowls are a local favourite! In addition, we pop up once a month for a bottomless style night and have a growing corporate catering business delivering across the Illawarra.

What brand of coffee do you serve, and why?
We serve Toby's Estate. Before opening I contacted a number of major suppliers who all do great coffee. Toby's support and service was second to none and they really wanted to understand our vision and help us achieve that which they still do to this day.

What's the secret to a perfect brew?
Nailing your recipe and never compromising on that. We are a high-volume cafe and do 60kg+ coffee per week, but every cup is weighed, and the shot timed to ensure that we hit our recipe. Consistency and ensuring that your morning brew is enjoyable is everything to us.

If you buy coffee from another spot in the Illawarra, where do you go?
Bean Roasted Shellharbour, I used to drive there to get coffee before opening which was also a driver to open our cafe in Albion Park. The team are friendly and the brews are always good.