Having owned and operated a licenced grocery in Blackburn, Victoria to a pub in country NSW, Peter’s passion for wine has been a life long interest and the recent emergency of the craft beer market has also spiked his interest.

Peter started The Wine Marketing Report. A printed publication which was distributed monthly to every winery in Australia.

With such an interest in the wine industry Peter bit the bullet and signed a lease in late 2007. A retail premise to stock and sell great wines at a price point to suit everyone’s budget.

He called the retail outlet Bin 3. He chose Balwyn, Victoria for its location as it was where he and his family lived. A great suburb 25 minutes east of the CDB by car.

“Balwyn is a great area; great for young families. There’s a real sense of community here”.

Bin 3 opened in early 2008. The shop had been empty for four years. Peter started with boxes of wine on the floor.

Twelve months later Peter’s son, Tom returned from a year away living in London.

Previous to this Tom had completed his Private Pilot’s Licence and Commercial Training. Aviation has been a great passion of Tom’s. One he looks forward to pursuing once more when he has the time.

Peter and Tom installed a bench at the back of the shop, along with a sink, fridge and a coffee machine they borrowed from a mate, Dom Torre. Dom owned the renowned North Melbourne eatery, Don Camillos. This place is an institution in Melbourne. The coffee machine came out of this restaurant. It was the V8 Hemi of coffee machines–3 Group La Cimbali. There would not be a member of the ‘original’ cast of Underbelly who hasn’t had a coffee from this machine.

Today, Bin 3 is more than a suburban business. Like the Cimbali it’s a bit of a draw card in the community and a favourite local hangout with an emphasis on giving great customer service.

Many of the locals have become loyal customers and a number of them have become great friends. From school kids calling in for a milkshake after school, young parents grabbing a quick coffee on the way to work, professionals or seniors who love craft beer and small wineries, Bin 3 has become an integral part of the local community.

Over the years various employees have found that they’ve joined a fun and rewarding workplace. “We want our employees to love coming to work. Yeah it can be full on sometimes but we make a point of looking after them. We think it’s a great sign that our ex-employees still pop in and say g’day”.

We are proud to support small Australian businesses in our coffee roaster, our local producers of biscuits etc. and all our wine and beer producers. Some producers of our beer and wine lack a digital footprint and heavily rely upon us to distribute their stock. At the same time, we strongly believe in providing our customers with the best wine we can at a price point they are happy with.

We are constantly evolving as a business and are always listening and growing. Our new website reflects this and allows us to serve not only Balwyn and Melbourne, but Victoria and Australia wide. In the summer, we expect to share our new beer garden which will be a great social venue for our community.