Xtraction Espresso picks up traction in The Levee

But the move has been in the pipeline for a while.

Xtraction Espresso co-owner Kenn Blackman said the Maitland community had embraced he and business partner Matt Collett since the new cafe opened in High Street, near Bulwer Street, about a fortnight ago.

Mr Blackman has been at the helm of the well-known Xtraction Espresso in Bolton Street, Newcastle, for the past three years.

“We decided to make a move here, not just because of the growing coffee culture [in Maitland], but I live in the area and I’d actually looked at this position over the last four years,” Mr Blackman said.

“It finally became available so we decided to make a bit of a run for it. [The Levee] has gown and you can see the demographic is changing.

“It’s great to see fresh faces in here. We’re happy we’ve been able to make a move here now and establish ourselves.”

Mr Blackman said many people from the Maitland area frequented the Newcastle city coffee house, and it wasn’t long before those patrons showed their faces in the Maitland shopfront.

“It was time to branch out somewhere,” he said. 

“There was no better place than Maitland. We’ve been embraced by the locals, which is really good.”

Maitland City Council promoted the newcomers on its The Levee Facebook page last week, noting “the team pride themselves on offering a quality and consistent coffee every time”.