The Somage Story

Somage Fine Foods grew out of a common passion and appreciation by the founders (Nathan Wakeford and Ben Kelly) for the finer things in life - food, wine, culture and art. Both have a strong grounding in hospitality, with Ben having been engaged as a sommelier and waiter in some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants, Nathan being more comfortable in the kitchen or behind an espresso machine.

The name ‘Somage’ came from Ben’s experience working in the prestigious Connaught restaurant in Mayfair, London. The literal translation of Somage is ‘to check’, a term used by waiting staff when requesting the attention of the chef to commence preparation of a meal. The movement into premium beverages came in part out of exasperation; in their time working in hotels and cafes they became increasingly dissatisfied with the poor quality beverages being served – they simply felt that ‘we could do better’. In fact, Nathan’s obsession for coffee has led him to compete and judge in numerous Barista competitions nationally and to assume the role of Victorian Chair of the Australasian Speciality Coffee Association for the past two years.

With this growing understanding and appreciation of specialty coffee, Nathan and Ben decided to search for  ‘a decent hot chocolate’ – one that actually tasted like chocolate! Fruitless from their endeavours, they saw an opportunity…

Nathan and Ben embarked on a mission to create the best premium quality drinking chocolate. With well developed palates and a close knowledge of the needs of cafes, they sought to create a product that they would be proud to serve. ‘I still remember the tingle of excitement with the creation of our first bag of Kali Premium Drinking Chocolate’, recalls Nathan, ‘we had created it by hand after spending months trying scores of premium cocoas’. In a market full of generics, Nathan and Ben strived to be different, creating a product that quickly captured the interest of discerning drinkers, and media and industry professionals, including artisan coffee roasters, gourmet food distributors and iconic cafes Australia-wide.

Since embarking on their mission, Somage Fine Foods has grown their product range under guidance from a strong set of values to include Premium high-grown organic tea, Vanilla and Spiced Chai, Chocolate coated coffee beans and couverture. Somage Fine Foods also constantly seek to improve their offering, taking pride in all that they apply themselves to.