When you mix some of the region’s finest coffee with rich chocolate, wine, music and a dash of festival atmosphere, it’s sure to be a recipe for success.
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Thousands of people passed through the riverside car park in central Maitland on the weekend for this year’s Aroma Coffee and Chocolate Festival.
The event, run by Maitland City Council, featured a variety of barista-made coffee, chocolate, gourmet food and wine in dozens of small stalls that dotted the edge of the Hunter River.
Bliss Coffee Roasters owner Lynn Couchman said the car park had proven to be a better venue for the festival than the High Street shopping precinct, where it had been held until last year.
“It’s been a lovely crowd and we’ve had a lot of customers,” she said.
“We like the car park. It’s more open and there is more space, so as a stallholder it’s a lot easier.
“It’s been very busy, we have been absolutely pummelled today [Sunday].
“It’s good for us as a local business, it’s really good exposure. We get to meet a lot of new customers.”
Council events co-ordinator Adam Franks said about 14,000 people had attended the event across Saturday and Sunday, which was a similar to last year. He said some people were so keen for their caffeine fix that they began to arrive at the festival before the 10am start time on Saturday.
“We’ve had a really great response,” Mr Franks said. “There was a great range of coffee and The Barber Shop has been going great.
“The laneway activations have also been really popular.”
After the event was held at the riverside car park in 2014, council decided to hold this year’s Aroma in the same location, in part, as a point of difference from its other major food festival, Taste.
High Street traders want Aroma back in The Levee
Stallholders may have been happy with the riverside car park as the location for this year’s Maitland Aroma Festival, but some businesses in the old High Street mall would prefer the event to return to the shopping strip in future.
While several central Maitland businesses reported a slight rise in trade during Aroma, it was not as significant as when Maitland City Council held Maitland Taste in The Levee construction zone earlier this year.
Preah Ko owner Tracy Williams said she would prefer Aroma to back into High Street.
“It was great on Saturday because they had the kids’ zone[ in The Levee], but today [Sunday] it’s not there,” she said.
“There has definitely been an increase in trade, but Taste was much, much busier.
“I’d prefer Aroma back in here.”
Staff at The Orange Tree Cafe said the business had been busy, but there was often a spike in customer numbers on a Sunday.
Council had planned and advertised a classic car display for High Street during Aroma, but had to postpone the event last week because of ongoing construction work in The Levee.
The car display was supposed to attract foot traffic through the old mall, past High Street businesses.