OUR HOME TOWN: Coffee van opens shop in town centre
Subscriber only
Tony Faint was one of the many people who lost his job in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality sector.
Mr Faint used this opportunity to take a chance and start his own business with wife Bev.
Come June his coffee van business Deja Brew Coffee To Go had taken off with a regular spot at the Harley Davidson store.
Six months later, Mr Faint has taken the next step and opened up a shop front inside the Mindcare building on Goondoon St.
“This gives us an opportunity to give back to the community with the links to Mindcare,” Mr Faint said.
“It gives them a neutral ground where they can have a chat.”
Although Mr Faint has almost 20 years experience in hospitality, this is his first time running a business.
So far he said it was going well.
“What’s more worthwhile is the smiles you get when you give them a coffee,” Mr Faint said.
“There’s this mantra I work with ‘a thousand small gifts are more beneficial than one large gift because you get a thousand smiles as opposed to one smile’.”
The business has used the jobmaker scheme and has hired three staff and taken on one student.
On sale is a range of cafe drinks along with a cabinet of food supplied by Family Crust.
Mr Faint has also used the coffee as a chance to link up with charities supporting events including the Suicide Awareness Ride, the Ride for Karen Gilliland and the MACE toy ride.
“For a community to grow you have to give back, you don’t just take,” Mr Faint said.
Deja Brew Coffee to Go
Location: 147 Goondoon St, Gladstone Central (inside the Mindcare building)
Open: Monday – Friday 7.30am – 3pm
Phone: 0482 930 259
