Meet DrDazz - the behind the Coffee

I've always thought having "Dr" before my name would be cool. I was right.

At age ten, I set my sights on a PhD. Fast forward through 7,198 cups of coffee (yes, I counted) and a thesis spanning 73,000 words, Flinders University finally agreed I'd earned the title. Now I'm Dr Darryl Sellwood, but my friends call me Dazz, and you can call me Dr Dazz.

Coffee has fuelled every milestone in my journey. There was that one misguided year when I gave it up for Lent (the sacrifice accidentally stretched to 12 months). I've since repented and returned to my daily ritual, albeit in moderation. Some lessons require a full thesis to learn, others just a missed morning brew.

The DrDazz Coffee idea percolated during those strange COVID-19 lockdown days when the world slowed down enough for wild ideas to take root. My first blend, created with Soltura Specialty Coffee in late 2020, needed to reflect my character: determined, bold, and luscious. The experiment succeeded brilliantly, perhaps too well, as we quickly sold out.

When supply chain issues made those original beans unavailable, I took it as a sign to evolve.

In 2021, I partnered with Adelaide-based master roaster Ben Laakmann (of b3 Coffee fame) to create new blends using beans ethically sourced from growers in Brazil, Timor Leste and Colombia. All DrDazz Coffee beans are now roasted locally at Settlement, a collaborative roasting space in Somerton Park. The flavours may have changed, but the character remains: determined, bold, and luscious. Just what the doctor ordered!

 

Who profits from all this?

Everybody. That's not marketing speak, it's my genuine philosophy.

Ethical supply chains matter deeply to me. The people who grow our coffee deserve fair compensation for their work and opportunities for their families to thrive. You, the coffee drinker, benefit from premium coffee at an affordable price. And those beautiful flavour notes taste even better knowing they're supporting real people.

As for me? Throughout my life, others have provided me with opportunities I couldn't have accessed otherwise. Equipment donations as a child. Assistance to attend conferences.

Support through university. Now that I have some financial stability, I've been quietly paying it forward, helping others participate in conferences and educational opportunities. I'm never going to be Bill Gates, but I have big dreams!

DrDazz Coffee is a genuine business, not a charity project. It forms part of my strategy, alongside my academic work, to become fully self-sufficient and independent from pension support. But I want it to benefit others alongside me. The more successful DrDazz Coffee becomes, the closer I get to complete independence, and