Ecre: how a Sydney coffee co-roasting space gets paid by card and earns Qantas Points

The story

Short answer: Ecre shares its roasting machinery and know-how so other businesses and individuals can roast their own coffee. Since 2020 it has used B2Bpay to add a ‘Pay with B2Bpay’ link to its Xero invoices. Receiving card payments now costs Ecre nothing, and it earns Qantas Points when customers pay.

• Business: Ecre
• What it does: collective coffee roasting space and learning academy
• Location: Alexandria, Sydney
• Founded: 2016
• Using B2Bpay since: 2020, to accept card payments on invoices
• Accounting software: Xero
• Spoke to us: Nawar Adra, founder

A lifelong love of coffee

Nawar Adra moved to Sydney from Lebanon in 2005 and brought his love of coffee with him.

“I have been drinking coffee since I was five years old. I love that it is a drink that transcends every culture and brings people together.”

Nawar Adra, founder of Ecre

Nawar started his career as a barista and tried to break into roasting. But getting a roasting business off the ground was hard: good advice was difficult to come by, and setting up a roastery was a six-figure investment.

Sharing the roastery

In 2016 he founded Ecre, a collective roasting space where other businesses and individuals roast their own coffee, either for themselves or under their own brand.

“It is very expensive and requires a lot of investment to get the machinery required to roast your own coffee. Not to mention the knowledge required that is very hard to access.”

Nawar Adra

Nawar believes others should save that money and focus on “creating a quality and ethical product instead”. By sharing its machinery, resources, knowledge and love of coffee, Ecre makes the industry far more accessible. Today 45 to 50 individuals and businesses roast at its Alexandria premises every week.

“Ecre is all about creating a coffee community, focused on delivering the tools to help the industry become more environmentally, socially and monetarily sustainable.”

Nawar Adra

Travel is part of the business

Travel has been a big part of Ecre’s success. In 2016, its first year, Ecre held 55 events for the coffee industry all around Australia. They were integral to getting the word out, and included flying in well-known speakers from around the world. Nawar was also a member of the Australian team at the World Coffee Roasting Championships in Taiwan.

“Australia is very well known around the world for producing exceptional speciality coffee.”

Nawar Adra

Getting paid with B2Bpay

Nawar signed up to B2Bpay in 2020 to accept card payments on his invoices, and has not looked back. Ecre uses Xero for its accounting, and adding a ‘Pay with B2Bpay’ link to its invoices was simple.

• Customers pay by card straight from the Ecre invoice.
• It costs Ecre nothing to receive card payments.
• Ecre earns Qantas Points when its customers pay.

Where the Qantas Points will go

Nawar plans to use his Qantas Points to travel again: around Australia to promote good coffee manufacturing, and around the world, “visiting more farms where the beans are grown. And bringing back those stories and knowledge to Australia.”

“Collectively, we have the power to make an impact on the livelihoods of families who produce what we love to drink. That is where my Qantas Points will be used.”

Nawar Adra

A smarter, more secure way to manage payments

B2Bpay gives your business a secure, reliable way to manage payments, all in one place. Add a payment link to your invoices, get paid by card, and earn Qantas Points when customers pay.

Want to know more about receiving payments? See how to accept card payments online, or speak to our Sydney-based team on 1300 205 575.