“Travel is key to our expansion”
Brisbane-based Merlo Coffee is brewing a delicious future with help from Qantas Business Rewards partner NAB.
It was only natural that Dean Merlo would leave his mark on Brisbane’s hospitality scene, having honed his coffee-brewing expertise at his dad’s Café Milano. In 1992, he founded Merlo Coffee with a pioneering concept: CBD espresso bars for office workers. “Our store really hit the spot,” says Merlo, who quickly expanded into roasting. Today, Merlo has 17 cafés, a thriving coffee-bean business and more than 1,500 wholesalers, with director James Wilkinson leading the wholesale operation. And as a Qantas Business Rewards member with NAB’s Qantas Business Signature Card, it’s reaching even more coffee-lovers.
“We use our Qantas Points to reward staff with gifts such as Apple AirPods and gift cards. It’s very easy to shop for products on Qantas Marketplace.”
James Wilkinson, Merlo Coffee
The Take-Off
“As we were opening our second store, I thought, ‘If we roast our own coffee, we can control the quality of it.’ That’s when we started the wholesale business,” says Merlo. “Our sales team fly around the country to sell coffee. They each have a NAB Qantas Business Signature Card linked to our account to pay for flights, hotels, car hire and expenses. Because we earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1.50 spent on business purchases, it helps cover their travel, which is terrific.”
Learn more about the NAB Qantas Business Signature Card*, take your business further, and earn 200,000 bonus Qantas Points with a new NAB Qantas Business Signature Card when you spend $4,000 on your everyday business expenses in the first 60 days. This high-flying offer ends 31 March 2025. T&Cs, fees, charges & eligibility criteria apply.
The Turning Point
“Interest-free periods helped our online business soar”. “When our ecommerce site took off, we had to adapt quickly, upgrading our website, production lines and packaging,” says Wilkinson. “To help manage cash flow, we made the most of the NAB Qantas Business Signature Card’s 44 interest-free days on business payments**. In fact, packaging is one of our largest expenses. When we locked in pricing with our supplier, it required an upfront payment so we used our NAB Qantas Business Signature Card to manage that expense while earning Qantas Points for our everyday spend.”
The Future
“We are always flying and, through Qantas Business Rewards, we save up to 10 per cent on selected flights,” says Wilkinson. “We’re looking at expanding Merlo interstate at the moment. We have wholesalers in both Sydney and Melbourne but, as we grow our wholesale operations in other states, we’ll need a flagship store in those locations, too. We also try to do at least one coffee-related overseas trip every year. We just sent our GM to South America to look at coffee plantations. He had a great time and learnt a lot so it was beneficial for our business."
Get card-savvy: “Find out all the features of the card so you can make the most of it,” says Wilkinson. “Our CFO looked into it so we could take advantage of the benefits, including earning Qantas Points on eligible government payments.”
More for your business
Qantas Points for your business spend
With the NAB Qantas Business Signature Card, you’ll earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1.50 spent on everyday business purchases, including eligible government payments.^ Qantas Points are capped at $50,000 per card per statement period.
Manage your cards
Attach multiple cards to one facility, set individual credit limits and get detailed monthly statements.
Interest free days
Manage your cash flow with up to 44 days interest free on business purchases with your NAB Qantas Business Signature Card.**
Important information
Approval and credit limit is subject to NAB's credit assessment criteria. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Fees and charges apply. All information is correct as at 29 October 2024 and is subject to change. This offer is only available to those who reside in Australia. Cards are offered, issued and administered by National Bank Australia Limited ABN 12 004 044 937 AFSL and Australian Credit License 230686.
A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn Qantas Points for the business. Qantas Points are offered under the applicable partner's terms and conditions and earning thresholds may apply. Membership of Qantas Business Rewards and the earning of Qantas Points as a business are subject to the Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions.
The credit card and products referred to in this webpage are not Qantas products and not offered or issued by Qantas but by the relevant credit licensees. The information about the credit products has been provided by the relevant credit licensees and not Qantas. Qantas does not hold an Australian Credit Licence and is not a licensee in relation to the credit activity being engaged in by the relevant credit licensees.
The information in this webpage is factual and of a general nature only and does not consider your personal objectives, financial situation or particular needs.
Qantas is not recommending the products described in this webpage. We recommend that you obtain independent advice before you apply for any product which is described in this webpage. Qantas does not accept liability for any loss arising from the use of, or reliance, on the information provided in this webpage.
Points are offered by the relevant program card partner and partner reward program and can only be earned on eligible purchases. Bonus points amounts offered are different for each credit card. Minimum spend criteria and conditions apply.
*Offer commenced on 1 July 2024. To be eligible for the 200,000 bonus Qantas Points offer, you must apply for and be issued a new NAB Qantas Business Signature Card before the offer is withdrawn on 31 March 2025 and spend $4,000 on everyday business purchases within 60 days of account opening. Offers available until withdrawn. NAB may vary or end these offers at any time without notice. Special offers apply to approved applicants only. Any bonus points offer not available in conjunction with any other new business credit card offer, or where you currently hold or have closed any NAB business credit card, which included a special offer, within the previous twelve months. Offers are not available when closing / transferring from another NAB business credit card account or in conjunction with any other NAB offer. NAB is not responsible for any delays in assessing your application or the card being issued. Everyday business purchases are purchases made in accordance with the NAB Qantas Commercial Card Rewards Conditions (PDF, 183KB). These terms describe the purchases not eligible to earn points including, but not limited to, transactions NAB decides are wholly or partly for gambling or gaming purposes. Bonus points will be credited to the qualifying member's account within three months of meeting the spend criteria.
^ All Qantas Points earned using the card(s) will be credited to the Qantas Business Rewards account of the business. To earn points using your NAB Qantas Business Signature Card, you must be a Qantas Business Rewards member. A one-off joining fee of $89.50 usually applies but will be waived for the business taking a new NAB Qantas Business Signature Card, when you join by visiting qantas.com/nabqbr or calling 13 74 78. You will need to register your same ABN as per your NAB Qantas Business Signature account. This offer may be withdrawn at any time. Qantas Business Rewards membership and Qantas Points are subject to the Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions opens . Refer to the NAB Qantas Commercial Card Rewards Conditions (PDF, 183KB) for details of eligible business spending. Points are capped at $50,000 spend per card per statement period.
** Interest-free days on everyday business purchases, if you pay your closing balance on your monthly statement in full by the due date each month. Excludes cash advances (including bills paid over the counter at a bank, financial institution or post office, purchases of travellers’ cheques and transactions for gambling or gaming-related purposes).
Qantas would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the local lands and waterways on which we live, work and fly. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.