It’s always good to hear from someone that has started a small business and is successful. Tee & Coffee sells Tea and Coffee, yes that is correct and was started up about 19 months ago by Tiarne or T for short. Working in the hospitality industry is tough to say the least but when Covid hit it becomes lot tougher. T used to work for the Coffee Club and had to travel frequently over weekends and work long hours during the week. It had its challenges and working in the corporate world was no easy task. It meant a lot of sacrifice or her personal life.
Her story comes when she went to buy a cup of coffee and got thinking that this might be something that she could do. After all, she was always travelling and speaking to clients and is hardworking. Why not work for herself.
After speaking to some friends and her partner and having little in her bank account, she sold her car and bought a coffee van off Gum Tree. Everyone told her that it was going to be tough and that she could not make it, but with a determined spirit and passion and drive she started Tee & Coffee. Just to prove everyone wrong. But more so to prove to herself that she could do it. After purchasing the van, she had to get the it ready for business, which involved painting the van with a logo and ensuring that she had all the equipment to sell her first cup of coffee. She chose the colour pink as she always like that colour and had the Volkswagen van painted, engine checked and fitted out. She was now ready to sell her first cup of coffee and cakes.
But who would want to buy coffee from her? After thinking and searching for ways to make the business work on Google, she found a Sunflower farm in Ballarat that had a ‘Pick your Sunflower’ day. She called the owner to see if she could come and serve coffee. The owner said yes, and that day she sold her very first cup of coffee amongst the Sunflowers and although did not make much that day was elated to get the business going. The Sunflower has since become a theme for her business and now the van and cups all display that logo on them.
As the business grew, she bought a second van to cater for the demand and has travelled all over Melbourne and regional Victoria. But due to Corvid restrictions she had to sell first van. She now needed something more to make it truly work. Again, her friends came to her rescue and suggested, why not deliver food parcels or wellness packages during the lockdown, contactless of course, for occasions like birthdays, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and so on. If Uber could do it why not her. That idea made the business grow and that was how our very own Pauline first came to know about T. A friend had T deliver a parcel to her doorstep. That was how Tiarne or T, ended speaking at our last meeting. Hard work and a willingness to never give up are what T stands for. She is a bubbly, always smiling, young entrepreneur and ready to serve you a cuppa.
So, if you want a great cup of coffee or even just to put a smile on your family or friends face, Send them a food parcel for any occasion from Tee & Coffee. She can be contacted on Instagram via Tee & Coffee (@teeandcoffeevan) • Instagram photos and videos or on Facebook as (19) Tee & Coffee | Facebook. Get your cuppa today and show a little kindness to the ones you love and care about.