Today marks the start of the 2013 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, a vibrant celebration of Melbourne and Victoria’s love of food and wine featuring more than 200 events held over 17 days from 1-17 March.

The highlight of this year’s event is The Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar, a world-first installation designed by renowned design practice HASSELL which reinterprets a terraced coffee farm in the centre of the bustling Melbourne city centre. 

Featuring 120 coffee plants growing over an undulating hill built using timber pallets, packing crates, and containers from Melbourne's own port, the installation celebrates Melbourne’s famed love affair with the coffee bean.

Given that over $109 million worth of coffee was unloaded from container ships at the Port of Melbourne last year (that’s 580 twenty-foot containers worth), port manager Port of Melbourne Corporation thought it only fitting to supply the containers for the build.

Ben Bicknell from 5 Senses Coffee is the coffee consultant for the Urban Farm and Brew Bar. In a guest post on the Festival website, Ben says that he is especially excited to be setting up three different tasting flights representing three key steps in the production of coffee at origin.

According to Ben, “You’ll be able to select from Variety, Region or Processing and taste explorations on each of these stages. We’ve hooked up some great gear for the Brew Bar with baristas wielding the Marco Uber Boiler and Uber Grinder to brew up some tasty Clever Coffee Drippers.”

As well as experiencing the urban coffee jungle, cisitors to the installation will also have the opportunity to taste some of the best coffee in Australia as the nation’s top baristas take turns at the café’s own brew bar.  For a fleeting time only, City of Melbourne's own Queensbridge Square will be the place to taste some of the best coffee in Australia - as the nation’s top baristas take turns crafting milk and black coffee espresso options featuring single estate/single farm Guatemalan deliciousness.

The Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar is at Queensbridge Square from 1 - 17 March

Discover the inspiration behind The Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar in the video below