A tribute to the man who helped shape Melbourne’s coffee culture, one meaningful pour at a time.
On a warm evening in March 2025, as the sun went down and lights came on across Melbourne, something special happened behind the scenes at MICE (Melbourne International Coffee Expo).
Among the crowds and activity of Australia’s biggest coffee event, a quiet moment of recognition took place.
Wells Trenfield, co-founder of Jasper Coffee, was honoured with the MICE Legacy Award—a posthumous recognition of his immense contribution to the Australian coffee industry, sustainability, and global coffee-growing communities.
It wasn’t a competitive category. There was no shortlist. Just reverence.
The award came less than a year after Wells passed in May 2024, and it was accepted on his behalf by his life partner and co-founder Merilyn Parker, in front of a room filled with peers, pioneers, and friends who had walked parts of this coffee journey with him.
“Wells would be deeply moved to read the testimonials people wrote in his honour for this award,” said Merilyn on the night.
“He was very committed to sustainability. He had a biodynamic vegetable garden in 1974. He lived to improve the lives of people and the planet. He was a leader, not a follower.”
And if you’ve ever had a cup of Jasper Coffee—whether it was on Brunswick Street or in a compostable capsule at home—you’ve been a part of that legacy. It's in the way we source, roast, speak, and serve. It’s in every bean and every story behind it. Every sip in your cup.
Let us tell you about the man behind so much of what we do, who influenced the Australian Coffee industry in some very big ways.
🎨 From Artist to Activist, Through Coffee
Wells started his working life not in business, but in art. He was a trained artist and educator, which is probably why he had such a gift for storytelling, for design, for sensing layers—in flavour, in culture, in people.
But it was coffee that became his lifelong canvas.
He co-founded Jasper Coffee in 1989 alongside Merilyn, with a bold idea: that coffee wasn’t just a caffeine hit, it could taste good—it could do good.
This was well before single origin was cool. Before "traceability" was an industry buzzword. Before compostable cups were a thing.
Back then, Wells was already dreaming of:
- A roasting company that traded fairly, paid growers properly, and cared about origin as more than a label.
- A business that respected the earth, refused harmful practices, and left a lighter footprint.
- A brand that made conscious consumption easy for everyday Australians—not just baristas and experts.
- A human centred supply chain that put people first.
Alongside Merilyn, he led Jasper Coffee to become:
- Australia’s first licensed Fairtrade roaster in 2003
- One of the first carbon-neutral coffee brands in 2009
- The first to offer a 100% plastic-free takeaway cup and lid in Australia in 2024
- And in 2016, a Certified B Corp, holding business to the highest social and environmental standards
This wasn’t corporate positioning. This was personal.
Wells believed that a cup of coffee could be a force for positive change.
🌏 Global Impact, One Relationship at a Time
Wells was never content with just paperwork certifications or abstract ideals. He believed in showing up.
He travelled—constantly. To remote coffee farms in Peru, Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras, Cuba, PNG, Timor Leste and more. Not just to source beans, but to meet the people, learn the stories, and walk the land where their coffee grew.
He believed that human connection was the foundation of ethical trade.
Some highlights from his three-decade journey:
- He helped bring Fairtrade to Australia, working closely with FTAANZ to register the system in 2002. Launching the first Fairtrade coffees into the Australian market.
- He helped partner with Café Femenino in Peru, supporting women farmers to gain financial independence, land ownership, and leadership roles.
- He built long-standing relationships with ANEI, an Indigenous growers' cooperative in Colombia. In fact, one of our capsules was named “Aurora”—after ANEI’s founder, Aurora Izquierdo.
- He helped fund education, dental work, infrastructure repairs, and even brought international growers to Australia so they could experience the full life cycle of their coffee.
- He went out of his way to do right by coffee growers, helping fund education, infrastructure, health care, disaster relief and so much more for individuals and communities around the world.
- Worked with World Vision Australia on their first commercial partnership to help bring a group of growers in Ethiopia out of poverty.
In the words of Juan Pablo Campos of Colombia’s Lohas Beans:
“For us, Wells was inspiration, warmth, genuine care, friendship and support. We will always carry his legacy.”
🍽️ Flavour First – Coffee is a Treat for the Senses
Wells cared deeply about ethics and sustainability—but he also believed coffee should be delicious, not just responsible. He treated it like fine food or wine, always aiming to showcase each origin’s natural character, not cover it up.
He’d say coffee shouldn’t be complicated—but it should be interesting. Think citrus in Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, brown sugar in Guatemalan Huehuetenango, spice in Sumatran Mandheling.
Wells championed origin stories not as hype, but as invitations to taste. He worked with chefs like Stephanie Alexander to pair coffee with outstanding food—long before it was trendy.
At festivals, you'd find him at the front, pouring brews and chatting flavour—blood orange cake with a fruity Kenyan, brunch beside a mellow Nicaraguan.
His goal?
Make great coffee accessible. Make it memorable.
⛰️ A Local Legacy With Global Intent
Wells didn’t only look outward. He looked inward—to Australia, to the communities that weren’t being heard or empowered.
Through his partnership with Outback Academy Australia, Wells helped co-create the Heal Country Coffee Range—coffees that blend stories, land, and purpose.
He supported:
- Red Dust Heelers, a program for Aboriginal athletes with disabilities spreading messages of ability, inclusion, and hope
- Helping in the creation of a First Nations regenerative farmer alliance under a Fairtrade-style model called Outback Academy Australia.
- The development of special blends—Red Dust, Land, and River—designed to raise awareness, build community enterprise, and heal Country, generating funds that go towards helping indigenous led businesses.
This wasn’t just a side project. Wells walked with these communities. He cupped their beans. He brewed alongside them. He took their stories across the country, helping to build a blueprint for ethical, Indigenous-led agri-business in Australia.
In the words of the Outback Academy:
“He stayed with us from the outset. His legacy is imprinted into every Heal Country blend we carry across the nation.”
🔥 Passion in the Roast, Purpose in the Process
Anyone who worked with Wells will tell you: he had a legendary palate.
He could remember cupping notes from 20 years ago. He knew the scent of origin before he even sipped the coffee. But what made him special wasn’t just his skill—it was the way he used it to uplift others.
He mentored young baristas and roasters. He helped growers to refine their processes, sharing knowledge learned from traveling the world. He inspired artists, educators, and CEOs alike. For Wells, coffee was never exclusive. It was always inclusive. A bridge between worlds. It was about human connections.
In one tribute, Aurora María Izquierdo of ANEI Cooperative in Colombia writes:
“Today, as we honour his life and legacy, I want to express my deepest gratitude. His work reminded us that coffee is much more than a beverage—it is a bond that unites cultures, a vehicle for change, and an opportunity to build a more just world. Wells will always live on in every cup we share, in every conversation we inspire, and in every dream that, like his, transcends borders and generations.”
That says it all.
🏆 A Legacy Worth Sipping On
Wells Trenfield didn’t just contribute to Australia’s coffee culture. He helped shape it.
He pushed the boundaries on sourcing, roasting, packaging, and social responsibility. He didn’t do it for headlines. He did it because it was right.
This MICE Legacy Award is more than a title. It’s a reminder that values matter. That quiet leadership can spark revolutions. That coffee—when done with care—can change lives.
So, what happens next?
We keep brewing. Keep sourcing. Keep caring.
We continue his mission. We deepen our roots. And we pour his legacy into every cup we serve.
Because that’s what Wells would want: not to be remembered in words, but in action.
With deep love and respect,
Jasper Parker Trenfield
