From Farm to Family to Farmhouse

For Amanda Scott and her family, home is where the café is – and the legacy they are leaving on Brisbane’s hospitality industry spans generations. The farm-to-table ethos runs rich in Amanda’s family tree, from early days on her parents’ property in Missouri, to restaurant menus driven by seasonal ingredients, to the reimagining of Farmer Joe’s into the brunch and coffee destination that is Farmhouse Kedron. 

Amanda says that Farmhouse came together from a beautiful marriage of old and new, city and country.

“My father grew up on property, and my husband is from the country. We found this beautiful old shed and when we found out that Farmer Joe’s used to house this business, it all came together. We wanted something that paid homage to all the families who came from farms, which is sort of disappearing now, and to try to buy as many products as possible from farms in the local area and Scenic Rim." she said.

Perfectly complimenting locally sourced produce is locally roasted coffee from Merlo. For Amanda it was an easy decision to collaborate and grow alongside each other.

“We’re a Brisbane family company. It’s a Brisbane family company. When you spend so much of your life in your business, you want your relationships to feel authentic. Merlo really does feel like part of the family.”

That relationship began in 2009, with Milk Bar Ashgrove, and has continued since. Milk Bar is just one in the long line of businesses Amanda and her family have begun, including The Continental Café (1998-2007), Gertie’s (2004-2005), Phat Greens (2022) and Miss Sophia’s Gelateria (2019-2023), many of which are still serving today, under new owners. In addition to the 2017-born Farmhouse, Oh Boy, Bok Choy! (2021), the southeast Asian kitchen and bar in nearby Stafford, keeps Amanda busy and engaged. 

“I need the excitement all the time – the adrenaline,” she says. “Which does mean sometimes it doesn’t work. But if you worry about whether something is going to fail, you’ll never do anything. I like new challenges.” she said.

Early experiences drive resilience 

The self-confessed adrenaline junkie’s first introduction into the world of coffee and hospitality began with a ‘typical immigrant story,’ driven by her family’s arrival onto Australian soil from America, with young children to support. 

“My father started his own business because it was hard to get a job, and he got into something completely new to him. So, we ended up in small business because that's what immigrants do,” she says.

That business was an ice-cream shop, and it was watching her mother and father run it that gave Amanda her tenacious nature, drive and love for small business.

“My father started the business, but my mother was much better at running it and it got bigger and bigger… I think women almost have a genetic memory of how to run a small business because that’s what running a household is. I have my father’s idealism, but my mother’s drive and resilience.” A lethal combination – and a foundation for the Scott family success.

Amanda says that having a small business family makes for a lively childhood, which in turn makes for a resilient hospitality business owner. 

“I think you need to draw on past challenges, and most people I meet in my industry have had some sort of challenges as children or teenagers and that builds resilience. If you haven't had that, good luck.”

Consistency is key to café success

Amanda says that consistency is the key that has driven longevity for the Scott-family businesses throughout the years. 

“People keep coming for the consistency,” she says. “We still run into some of the customers that we knew from 27 years ago at Continental Café. People coming to order their coffees at Farmhouse last Saturday were here the first month we opened – eight years, and they’re still coming – and coffee is the reason they’re coming.

“It's the way people start their day. Maybe it's the way they reward themselves. Maybe it's the break from working from home. Coffee is the reason. But what grows around that are the relationships, and that's what I love about it.” She said.

A fruitful partnership with Merlo

Consistency continues with the partnership and growth alongside Merlo, a relationship that began in 1994 with a walk from Queensland Performing Arts Centre to the very first Bar Merlo in Brisbane’s CBD.

“There Dean Merlo was, dressed a bit like a lawyer, making coffee. It felt like I was in Europe, and I was so excited. I'd walk all the way across, get my coffee and Caesar salad, and walk all the way back."

"So, when we opened Milk Bar, that's when we went ‘Merlo’s the one.’ It was always so consistent. They’re not a supplier, they’re a partner. It’s a completely authentic relationship. “That's what I really like about it. And that's why every time somebody knocks on my door with a different coffee company, I'm just like, oh, no, no, no, we've got this consistency."

“We've got these relationships. We've got this partnership. Why would we risk any of that? It’s about the consistency, but as well, it's about not wanting to disrupt what's working, and working well.”

For a delicious brunch or lunch, you can find Farmhouse Kedron on Brisbane's northside, just off Gympie Road at 9 Somerset Road, Kedron.

For southeast Asian cuisine, Oh Boy, Bok Choy! is at 264 Stafford Rd, Stafford.