Ka-fey Cafe

It’s a stress free zone; go to work then come here and we’ll de-stress you.

It’s not news that many local small businesses are struggling due to the amount of construction work going on around the city, but for one small business, Ka-fey Cafe, it’s been a blessing in disguise.

“We don’t know any different! A new business is a new business.”

Julian and Lucy decided it was the right time to get into the cafe business, amidst local concerns and following the decision to move away from ‘working for someone else’ said Lucy. The pair joked about renting the space when Julien said:

“Yep, let’s do it!”

Those four words were the start of what is now Ka-fey Cafe, with their doors being open four months now, the pair remain quite confident about their cafe and what they can bring to the Newcastle cafe scene.

Working as a chef since the age of 15, Julien wanted to incorporate natural, light and wholesome meals along with the classics to their new cafe.

“We are doing a healthier way of eating incorporated with a normal lifestyle…we have a lot of fermented foods and we make our own yoghurt and we make our own milk kefir; which is a lactose free alternative to a yoghurt and [we make our own] kombucha.”

A cafe for the people, Ka-fey Cafe plans on being a community-based cafe that molds itself to the community’s needs. Whether this be staying open later to get that last-minute coffee out after 5pm, ensuring families have a safe, fun and kid-friendly area as well as allowing the public (kids included) to bring in their own designs to be added to their feature wall.

Excited to be bringing some love and attention to the Hunter Street Mall area, Lucy and Julian tell me their favourite things about their space,

“Definitely the customers. When you see someone that looks like they might be having a bad day, and you start having a bit of a chat, and the next thing they’re happier. You’ve made their day just that little bit better.”