At Nestlé's Gympie plant in Queensland, a team of 10 tasters samples up to 100 cups of coffee a day to ensure every batch meets the company's standards. Quality assurance manager Glenn Jones, who described himself as the "chief taste-taster", said he still drinks coffee outside work hours.
"I need coffee before I come to work in the morning, then I taste it all day, and I'll have coffee on the weekends. I love coffee," Mr Jones said.
The factory, which has produced instant coffee since 1997, makes about 20 million cups a day. The company said the plant reflects an Australian obsession: an estimated three-quarters of Australians consume coffee regularly, and more than 5 million visit a cafe daily.
But Martin Brown, general manager of Nestlé's coffee and dairy business, said sales figures show a shift back to home consumption as households feel the pinch.
"[Australia has] one of the most sophisticated coffee cultures in the world, but we also have a cost-of-living challenge at the moment," Mr Brown said. "A lot of households are having to make choices and find smarter ways to buy things."
He said cappuccino sachets had been the "fastest-growing part of the market" in the past five years, but there was also a move back to traditional soluble instant coffee. A cup of Blend 43 costs 12 to 15 cents.
"It's super convenient and it's value for money and none of that goes out of fashion," he said.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 3 per cent in the 12 months to August, with meals out and takeaway prices up 4.5 per cent.