Roslyn Mitchell is trying to change the world – or at least the Riverina – one coffee at a time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When Ms Mitchell started Lake Albert’s Mock Orange Cafe, she asked herself what would get her out of bed each day.
The answer? Giving back. The cafe allows customers to choose from four campaigns to support, which Ms Mitchell then donates money and time to.
The initiative supports four causes – equality, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, indigenous pride and the general Lake Albert community.
While the concept has been seen before, with burger store Grill’d having supported community causes with a token system for several years, the campaign is the first for an independent cafe in Wagga.
But that’s not all the cafe does, covering the costs of anyone undergoing chemotherapy.
Cancer in particular is a cause which is close to Ms Mitchell’s heart, having personally fought breast cancer and come out the other side.
“It started from personal experience and from being in the business industry for a long time,” Ms Mitchell said.
“I’d had a few years off and I thought what will get me out of bed?
“A give back business.”
With 1.9 per cent of the overall profit donated to the cause for each token, Ms Mitchell has big dreams for the future.
“Every cafe we open, which might only be one but we dream big, will have a campaign,” she said.
“When I had cancer I really felt for those people who didn’t have enough sick leave to keep them going so I thought why not, in my cafe they can eat and drink for free.”
Having been raised by two gay mums, Ms Mitchell said the equality jar especially was helping spark the conversations that matter.
“My greatest love is watching people decide where to put each token, especially when people explain the causes to kids,” she said.
“Everyone seems to really welcome it.”
Ms Mitchell believes all businesses should give a percentage of their profits back to the community but knows it’s not always a possibility.
“I can’t ask people starting out to do that but to me it’s the end of my career,” she said.
“This is the last throw of the dice.”