It wasn’t uncommon to develop a foodie hobby during lockdown. For some, it was baking sourdough. For me, it was air fryer recipes. For IT specialist and photographer Adrian Duquilla, it was latte art that got him through those dreary, uncertain days.

“When lockdown first happened, we couldn’t go to our favourite cafe anymore. We were missing out on cafe-quality coffee. I can’t start my morning without coffee, and pods just weren’t the same.” So Duquilla bought his first coffee machine in 2020, and built his own cafe set up at home.

A jack-of-all-trades, the digital creator filmed his latte art adventures and shared them to social media. Over time, The Naked Barista amassed a following of over 50,000 on Instagram, with brands soon sponsoring content.

“I wanted a catchy name,” he admits. “But in terms of meaning, it’s about being real. No gimmicks, full transparency, not hiding anything.” Duquilla built his brand by baring it all from the very beginning, starting with how he recreated barista-style coffee at home.

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It was clear Duquilla wasn’t the only one who missed the barista coffee cafe experience, and he wanted to do something for this market.

“Working from home gave back a lot of time.” Duquilla confesses. He was able to juggle his IT job, his freelance work, and this new coffee pursuit in all his spare time.

Despite his brand’s rapid growth, the idea of a cafe hadn’t even crossed his mind. “If you asked me a year ago, I would’ve said ‘No way!'”. He had a lot of options, which included opening a van, or remaining a coffee influencer.

The decision to turn this hobby into something a little more came after a careful conversation with his wife, who supported this ‘unconventional’ venture. “She told me to take a break to figure things out – that we were okay for the time being financially. She had my back.”

Duquilla took the leap and left his job. After weighing up his options and scouting for locations, The Naked Barista soon found its home across from commuter-heavy Rooty Hill station, a few minutes away from Duquilla’s family home. The lot, which sits in a quaint suburban shop strip, was the perfect blank canvas for Duquilla’s vision, before the store’s opening in May.

“Aesthetic over comfort.” he jokes, but I think he was serious. “I’m a minimalist guy. Arabica and Chris Lin were my inspirations.”

Duquilla also retails his own beans. “I don’t want the home guys to miss out. I want to create the TNB experience both in my cafe and at home.”

To budding home coffee makers, Duquilla recommends “researching where you get your coffee from and speaking to local baristas for the best brew tips. Your machines may be different, but the principles are the same. Follow your roaster’s recipe. They all come from different regions, and those recipes are there for a reason.”

“You don’t need anything fancy. You just needs your basics (i.e. grinders, filters, French presses), and you can build from there.”

Duquilla hopes to expand his humble food offering soon, but for the time being, he’s happy to serve you his finest brew – fully clothed, of course.

TNB
1 Rooty Hill Rd S, Rooty Hill NSW 2766
Daily from 7am to 4pm
@tnb.coffee

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