The husband and wife owners of recently opened Market Street business the Olive Branch are not afraid to try their hands at something new.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Josh and Katlyn Stone already had experience in interior design, wedding styling and electrical work when they decided to buy a cafe, turn part of it into a florist and take up baking.
“I had been working out of a studio at home, and was constantly having to go out to have consultations with brides,” MsStone said.
“So i just wanted a place where I could meet them, have a cup of coffee, having something to eat and put the two together.”
Earlier this year, the pair bought City West Cafe on Market Street; they reopened three weeks ago under their new name after renovations.
An electrician by trade, Mr Stone turned his hand to carpentry to do the fit-out, and has recently taken up baking with a view to making the cafe an outlet for sourdough loaves.
He said the cafe has been designed to have communal tables to promote the feeling of a meeting place.
“The reason we wanted to have this community style is that we want to run classes of all different kinds, so flower crowns, cake decorating, sourdough baking…” he said.
They also plan to run Christmas gingerbread house workshops for mothers’ groups which frequent the cafe.
Another focus has been sustainability, which they have embraced by serving roasted-to-order coffee beans and making condiments and baked goods from scratch.
They’ve also signed up to be plastic free and promote reusable cups, and feed their scraps to friend’s chickens.
“Both floristry and cafes can have a major impact on the environment, so we’re just trying to be really conscious,” Ms Stone said.
“So I’m trying to get my growers not to wrap the flowers in plastic, for example.”
Aged 28 and 30, the couple are among a number of young people in Wollongong moving into the food and beverage industry. Recently released census data showed 2,229 people were working in cafes and restaurants in the Wollongong LGA.