THE popular tourist stopover of Ross has a real buzz about it – and it might just be a coffee buzz. As the year draws to an end, one Ross business is thanking its lucky stars the locals enjoy a coffee and have helped keep it on its feet through the most difficult of times.
In October 2019, just three months shy of the COVID-19 pandemic, then vintage bike hire and tea shop, Dinki, opened its doors, adding to the town’s tourism offerings. Soon after, nationwide border closures forced the business to adapt.
“Our customer base went from international tourists to local traffic, overnight, owner Brett Harris said. “At that point it became crucial to offer something to a broader market — one that included locals.”
With this in mind, owners Brett and his partner Jess Eldridge stepped humbly into the world of single-origin, hand-poured coffee to complement their organic tea offerings. It was a bold choice for a micro business in a regional location – bolder still, given the economic climate at the time. “We knew it was a risk,” Jess said. “Particularly because hand-poured coffee is still gaining a following and we deliberately chose not to offer espresso, but we felt confident that people would come if the quality was there.”
Fortunately, the brew bar has had plenty of encouragement from the local area, with numerous early post-lockdown days spent serving a cohort of Ross residents, keen to lend their support.
“Small businesses have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because they are more likely to be in industries that have been harder hit by restrictions on movement, such as cafes, restaurants, arts and recreation,” Brett said.
With Ross residents fast becoming the best served coffee connoisseurs in the state, Dinki Brew Bar is open five days a week and its customer base has grown to include some of Tasmania’s food industry elite.
Photo by Lydia Peacock – Lydia Peacock Photography