Built on Experience. Driven by Better Coffee.
From our first Sunshine Coast café in 2005 to precision roasting today, we’ve always believed great coffee, genuine service and strong relationships are built on solid foundations.
It Started Behind the Coffee Machine.
We’re John and Maree Ratcliffe, the husband-and-wife team behind Solid Ground Roasters. Our coffee journey began in 2005 when we opened a coffee franchise in Buderim, followed by a second in Caloundra just six months later.
After nearly a decade learning the realities of hospitality, we sold those businesses in 2014 to create our own independent cafés and espresso bars. One of our first was built inside a former ATM bunker just 2.7 metres wide and 2.5 metres deep. We went on to develop more café businesses, and still operate one of our much-loved healthy eating cafés today.
Those years taught us something important: café owners need more than good coffee. They need dependable people, practical advice and solutions that work when the pressure is on.
Why Solid Ground?
We established Solid Ground Roasters in 2020 to share what we’d learned and bring better coffee and better support to other businesses and home coffee lovers. The name reflects what we believe: great results start with strong foundations. There are no shortcuts to quality, good training or lasting relationships. We bring that thinking to every coffee we roast and every customer we work with.
Always Looking for a Better Way.
In 2026 we opened our headquarters in Birtinya — a place where customers can enjoy our coffee, buy freshly roasted beans, explore equipment and access our dedicated barista training academy. It’s also home to our Bellwether electric roaster, producing our Hero and Bella blends in precision-controlled small batches, with a second roaster planned as we grow. We’re constantly learning from industry specialists and testing new ideas, including a faster espresso preparation method that has helped four partner cafés reduce coffee usage by more than 10%.
We also created Brew Bear Cold Brew to give cafés and coffee lovers a consistently delicious cold brew without the time and complexity of brewing it themselves.
Real People. Hands-On Support.
Maree brings a background in product development; John brings experience in finance and people management, along with an electrical qualification that enables him to service and repair coffee equipment within his licensed scope.
Our HQ is managed by Louise, whose experience in café businesses in the UK and Australia brings invaluable knowledge to our training and customer support. Together with a network of trusted industry experts, we’re here to share practical experience — not just sell bags of coffee.
And when a café needs help, we understand it often can’t wait until Monday. Our wholesale support operates seven days a week, with enquiries going directly to John.
Proudly Local. Proud to Give Back.
We live in Buderim, and the Sunshine Coast is home. We love that the businesses we build, the people we employ and the money we spend contribute to the community around us.
For every kilogram of Hero Blend sold, we contribute $1 to SunnyKids. Maree also prepares meals each week for families staying at a SunnyKids refuge, giving mums one less thing to worry about.
We’re proud to work with Endeavour Foundation too. We roast a dedicated Endeavour coffee blend, while members of their team weigh, bag and pack the coffee.
The Next Chapter.
We’ve come a long way since our first café in 2005, but what drives us hasn’t changed: beautiful coffee, value for money, thoughtful innovation and service that makes a real difference.
Whether you’re making your morning coffee at home or running a busy café, we’d love you to be part of the Solid Ground story.