After relocating from Melbourne, Matt and Gen Jones have opened the doors to a new Clifton Springs cafe, much to the delight of the locals
But the ocean isn’t the only thing the town has going for it. A small suburban shopping strip in Centaurus Ave is on the radar of local foodies.
The street is now home to Mr & Mrs Jones General Store, the brainchild of Matt and Gen Jones. The couple – who officially became Mr and Mr Jones when they got married last April – used to run East Brunswick’s Ten Tables cafe until a lifestyle change brought them and their two whippets to the Bellarine Peninsula.
They closed Ten Tables to have a holiday in Queenscliff – where Matt’s parents have a house – for three weeks in December 2020 and loved the area so much they ended up buying a house in Drysdale.
Having bought Ten Tables on the same day the first Covid case was detected in Australia, they essentially ran it as a Covid cafe – takeaway only amid Melbourne heavy rolling lockdowns – before selling up at the end of 2021.
“We made the move, bit the bullet like a lot of Melburnians did, and made that lifestyle change,” Matt says inside the Clifton Springs cafe amid the hum of the lunch time crowd.
Matthew and Genevieve Jones have opened up a coffee shop in Clifton Springs.Photo: Ginger + Mint
“What we like about it here is it’s not seasonal. Obviously Queenscliff, Lonny, Ocean Grove to a lesser extent and Barwon Heads are quite seasonal, whereas here is quite consistent. Being in a seasonal town and owning a cafe would be very hard. While you would have outstanding months, you would also have very, very, very quiet months. Here we get that consistency all year round.”
The other advantage to being slightly out of the way is that there is no competition. Gen says when they were driving around, they couldn’t believe that a town with as many houses at Clifton Springs didn’t have a cafe. They also looked at the number of Airbnb properties close by and are in the process of teaming up with some hosts.
Although Clifton Springs almost seems like a satellite suburb of Drysdale, according to 2016 Census data there were 7519 residents in Clifton Springs and 4275 people in Drysdale.
Despite its 19th century popularity, Clifton Springs still presents today as very much a new suburb. There is a photo inside Mr & Mrs Jones which shows the building as it was when it opened as a milk bar. It looks to have been plonked in the middle of a subdivision that was waiting to be built.
But they drew inspiration from the popularity of Miss Gina Gelato, which is two doors up.
“We were always a bit apprehensive and then when we saw how well they were doing we realised, if we bring a speciality thing here – and our coffee is a speciality – people will come,” Matt says.
And word about Mr & Mrs Jones is clearly spreading. On the day that gt visited, there was the universal sign of a good coffee – a quality bicycle belonging to a clearly dedicated cyclist – resting up against the shop.
The cafe is being enjoyed by the locals. Photo: Ginger + Mint
Gen says they didn’t want to open another run-of-the-mill cafe, so they have put an emphasis on stocking quality. More than half of the grocery lines for sale are from regional suppliers like Otway Pasta, Bellarine Brownie and The Otway Kitchen.
There is Ket sourdough in the toasties and Ket pastries for sale, as well as housemade banana bread, raspberry and white chocolate muffins and yoghurt cake. “People notice, they can tell the quality,” Gen says.
Matt says they have tried to go premium with everything. As they did when they bought Ten Tables, they are using Small Batch coffee. Mr & Mrs Jones is one of only two cafes in the Geelong region and 20 Victoria-wide to use that brand.
They use the Candyman blend and won’t use beans that are more than a month old. In addition, the coffee machine and grinder are programmed daily and they also offer filter coffee, which sets them apart from most other cafes.
“I don’t want to serve something that I wouldn’t eat or drink myself. There’s been coffees I’ve made that were just short of what I like, so I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to make it again’.” Matt says. “With food, if I go for a toastie I don’t want to get something I could make at home. Everything we’re using is top of the line and it does make a difference.”
Initially the couple thought it would just be the two of them doing everything, but business has grown so quickly that they now have at least one casual staff member on a day as well. And that has helped ensure the other Mr & Mrs Jones signature – service.
“Everyone who comes through the door is greeted warmly,” Matt says. “We make everyone feel welcome here. And above all else, we like to make sure that everyone who comes here has a good experience.”
Mr & Mrs Jones General Store at 37 Centaurus Ave, Clifton Springs, is open from 7am Tuesday-Friday and 8am on the weekends. Follow @mrandmrsjonesgeneralstore on Instagram.