“It just didn't feel like a regular hospitality business, it was something more special.” A final farewell to our beloved Ignite café

“It just didn’t feel like a regular hospitality business, it was something more special.”

This was the sentiment echoed by employees and customers alike as we recently farewelled our social enterprise Ignite café program in Camberwell, Victoria. Ignite café supported people facing barriers to work or training to build both skills and meaningful connections, helping around 50 participants each year to gain valuable work experience and find pathways into the hospitality industry.

The café provided accredited, hands-on barista training and served as a community hub, bringing together members from across the Camberwell community and beyond. Unfortunately, due to changes in external funding, the café closed at the end of June.

At the farewell event, Thea, manager of Ignite, reflected upon the web of relationships and interactions she created since starting with the café back in 2021. Beyond the numerous benefits it has offered to its employees, the café served as a cornerstone of the Camberwell community, linking people together through both caffeine and earnest conversation.

“Every fortnight, we had our ‘Chatty Cafe’ group come in where people could just sit at the tables and talk to one another. Many older people who are quite disengaged in the community would come in and just have a chat. Sometimes it would be their only time away from their house or aged care centre,” she noted.

“Having a place to come to where we knew all of their names and they knew ours…it made a real difference.”

After moving to Melbourne from South Africa back in 2021, Thea said she struggled to find work despite having over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry.

“The pandemic meant that work wasn’t readily available. I wasn’t sure how to navigate it all.”

After connecting with Jesuit Social Services, she was referred to work for the Ignite café and more than three years later, she’s still deeply embedded in the café and its community.

“It’s an extremely supportive environment that strips away a lot of the pressures of the normal hospitality industry. For example, we have a huge community here of second-language speakers. Lots of people don’t feel comfortable going to other cafés because people can be quite rushed and don’t have the time to engage with them. We’ve always made sure that even if takes an extra five minutes for your coffee, we’re definitely going to have a conversation with you.”

Regular customer Lola felt the impact of this principle. After immigrating to Australia in 2019 from China, she found that visiting the Camberwell library and the Ignite café gave her a sense of belonging.

“It made me less stressed, and I felt a connection with my new community. As a second-language speaker, I feel like my words cannot express my thankfulness to all of you. I can’t believe we have to say goodbye.”

“When I heard the sad news that Ignite was closing, I could not stop the tears from dropping.”

Ignite is exemplary of the ethos made by community, for community. At the farewell event, the café’s walls were adorned with quotes, drawings and written snippets of experiences from over the past 10 years. A girl no older than nine penned the words “a place full of dreams” with six hearts next to it.

Another customer wrote: “friendly, patient, kind, compassionate, respectful. I have been here often with my mother and special needs daughter and these lovely people live out these values every minute of every day. I love the opportunities Ignite provided to skill people up for working in our community – and not just by teaching work skills, but by giving them that precious gift of self-belief.”

As the event went on, the stack of pages of written notes and memories grew thicker and thicker. The day marked a significant change for everyone who has loved, worked at or been involved with the Ignite café in any capacity.

As Thea importantly remarked, “I think all of us are just so grateful that we had the opportunity to work here at all. Thank you to our amazing staff and volunteers who lived out the ethos set out by Ignite café every day. Jade, Osi, Oli, Lizzy, Dorian, Phoenix and Willow, just to name a few, thank you.”