Have you heard about our Pay It Forward program? It’s an easy and affordable way to help the needy and vulnerable in our community with their most essential need – food in their tummies.
It’s Just $4 We have a page on our website where you can buy Pay It Forward vouchers for a sandwich or toastie for $4 each. On your behalf, we will pass the vouchers on to a local community organisation who will ensure they are given to those who need them most. So, it’s that easy. You buy the voucher online and Alowishus and the community organisations will do the rest.
But Surely it Costs More Than $4? Well, yes it does. But we’re happy to chip in that bit extra to make sure it’s easy and affordable for people to contribute.
Who Are the Organisations that Distribute the Pay It Forward Vouchers? Currently, the organisations we work with include:
On any given night in Australia, over 115,000 people are homeless. Bundaberg and the Fraser Coast contribute more to this number than you might think. You may not be able to solve the bigger problem, but if you can spare $4, you can help someone at least have a nutritious meal today and hope for tomorrow.
Watch the video for some background on the Pay It Forward program.
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pay-it-forward-header-850x320.jpg4271133Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-10-10 10:28:472019-10-22 21:23:57Paying It Forward for Our Most Vulnerable
We all hope that we never have to spend time at the children’s ward of a hospital. But if you ever do, it’s reassuring to know that the staff are warm and caring and the facilities are first class so your little one is in good hands.
Here in Bundaberg, anyone who has ever been to the Paediatric Ward at Bundaberg Base Hospital knows that we are ever so lucky to have a facility with amazing staff where kids and their families feel genuinely cared for.
But We Need More Than Great People
The professional caring staff needs up-to-date equipment and resources to support them in caring for sick kids. This is an ongoing cost to replace items and purchase new equipment. To that end, a local organisation helping to make sure that the Paediatric Ward has the best possible equipment is the Bundaberg Health Services Foundation (BHSF).
BHSF is a local charity that essentially funds items required for patient care (right throughout the hospital) that are not provided for in government budgets. They also run community health projects. All money donated to BHSF stays here in Bundaberg and benefits everyone.
How We Like to Help
Here at Alowishus in Bundaberg, we support our local children’s ward through our Babycino program.
We charge $1 for babycinos and all of that dollar goes to the Paediatric Ward at the Bundaberg Base Hospital. We choose to use BHSF to handle the funds as they know best what the ward requires and can pool it with other funds to get the equipment that is most needed.
How You Can Help
When you visit Alowishus to enjoy a grown-up coffee, simply order a babycino for your little one (it’s just frothy milk basically). If you don’t have kids with you but you’d like to give a dollar to a great cause, just let us know.
I remember being around 13 and seeing a World Vision ad on the television. You know one. It features a little African kid with a huge distended belly. Half naked with a face full of snot and flies, looking mournful and lost. Even as a teenager, completely self-indulgent, I remember weeping at the thought of this poor child and the suffering he was enduring.
I’ve always had a heightened sense of altruism. Who has ever done one of those personality tests? Whenever I do one my Altruism is disproportionality off the chart. The rest of my characteristics are quite balanced. My love language is acts of service, and when my husband helps with the dishes (which is rare) my heart sings. It’s the little things for me.
When we opened Alowishus our vision, (I say ‘ours’ but the truth be told it was Michael’s alone), the vision was to create a place for people to come and meet and gather, to grow relationships and influence our community, not just for our customers, but for our team and our suppliers also. Our company name is Tsedaqah Pty Ltd (it has a silent T as in Tsunami). It’s is a Hebrew word that translates loosely into English as Justice/Fairness/Upright Living/Integrity/Relationship.
In the early days
“Alowishus Delicious was established in 2011 as a place to connect with family, friends, clients and the local community. We believe in ‘keeping things local’ and work hard to grow meaningful & lasting relationships with our staff, our suppliers and of course you, our customer. Our goal is, and always will be, to provide you with great value and outstanding service. We look forward to seeing and serving you every day.”
Our Company Vision
Local Community
We love the local community and truly believe it is the backbone of society. The isolation of individuals which is happening is a major contributor to the degradation of society. We have more smart devices now than ever before and yet we are more disconnected than ever before. Alowishus exists to be a ‘porch’, a place where passersby can stop for a chat and connect with a neighbour, a simple interaction that in today’s society is becoming quickly obsolete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpSnz0745so
Our success to date can be contributed to many things, however, one thing we do that is paramount is giving back. I’m not sure what your beliefs are, I am Christian and believe that whatever we sow we will reap 100 fold. It doesn’t matter what you believe though, it’s a law of the universe that you get back what you give out, some call it karma. We are born on a date, and we die on a date, and those two dates are engraved on our headstones. In between those two dates is a little dash. When I move on from this world I want my dash to represent great things, I want my dash to have impacted lives and made them better.
How do you do it all?
I guess this is my driver to keep on keeping on. I’m often asked ‘how do you do it all?’ Apart from the fact that I have the best team in Bundy and a super supportive family, I know what my ‘why’ is. Therefore I rarely question what I’m doing. Knowing your ‘why’ makes it easy to keep trudging when the way becomes rough. A favourite quote of mine is from Winston Churchill. “When you are going through hell, keep ongoing”. After all, why would you want to stop there?
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Know-your-why.jpg315560Tracey McPheehttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngTracey McPhee2019-09-25 22:24:202022-03-31 19:27:27Do you know your ‘WHY’?
We appreciate that a lot of people say our name when talking about innovative local businesses. But
it’s important to remember that we’ve had a few falls and scraped our knees a few times along the
way while learning about growing a business.
We’ve learned some pretty valuable lessons and no doubt we’ll learn some more in the future.
Developing and growing a business is not easy but it’s a challenge we’d love to see more young
people taking on in the future– whether that be starting their own business or helping someone else
with their fresh ideas. Something that really excites us is sharing what we’ve learned to encourage
them to give it a go and become our future business leaders.
That’s why our owner, Tracey, along with our marketing and social media team have become quite
the regulars on the local school speaking circuit sharing their thoughts and providing helpful advice.
We’d like to give a shout-out and say ‘thank you’ to these schools who have given us the chance to
chat with some of their eager students:
North Bundaberg State High
Bundaberg State High
Bundaberg Christian College
Shalom College
Gin Gin State High
Bundaberg North High students with Tracey McPhee of Alowishus Delicious Bundaberg
Some of the things we find that students are interested in learning about include…
Starting a business – the practical steps and things you need to consider such as costs, licences,
finance and legal issues.
Our brand and how we maintain it – your brand is more than just your logo.
Social responsibility – you need to have a purpose other than making money.
Of course, we also talk to potential jobseekers about what employers are looking for as well. We’ve
developed some pretty good systems that help us recognise who will be a good fit with our team.
Would You Like Us to Visit Your School?
If you’re a teacher and you think Tracey, or one of our marketing team, might be able to offer some
valuable insights to your students, we would love to hear from you. Just email [email protected] to discuss how we can help. If you’re a parent or student interested in becoming a future business leader, please feel free
to recommend us to your school!
On Friday, August 9th 2019 Alowishus in Bundaberg and Maryborough will once again be joining hundreds of cafes and coffee roasters for CaféSmart, a united effort to help homeless people in communities around Australia.
CaféSmart is an initiative of the great people at StreetSmart – Action Against Homelessness
Why We Love Being Part of CaféSmart
On any given night in Australia over 115,000 people are homeless – often through circumstances beyond their control. We believe everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home.
The funds raised through CaféSmart come back to local service providers such as Edon Place Women’s Shelter here in Bundaberg. This is a way to make a real difference in our local community at the grassroots level.
We have been involved for eight years now. Last year we raised $1113.70 between both stores which came back to help people in Bundaberg and Maryborough.
It’s Super Easy to Help Out
Do you like to drink our coffee?
We are going to assume that’s a ‘Yes’. So, all you need to do is buy a coffee (or any other hot drink) on August 9 th and we will give $1 to CaféSmart.
Can you afford an extra dollar?
You don’t have to, but we will be asking customers if they’d like to match our dollar with one of their own.
It’s that easy.
What Else Are We Doing?
The theme colour for CaféSmart is yellow, so to help raise awareness we will be dressing in yellow.
But we won’t stop there… we will have yellow cupcakes for sale with $1 from each of them also going to CaféSmart also.
Finally, Post Your Pics on Social Media
On the day, you can help let others know about this important cause by posting your coffee and cupcakes with the hashtag #helpyourhood
Let’s do something together to help the vulnerable in our community. We’d love to see you for coffee, a cupcake, or both on Friday, August 9th 2019.
Follow us on Facebook!
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Alowishus-Blog-Featured-Image-Template.jpg320850Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-07-30 14:17:052019-07-30 15:19:46We’re Going Yellow to Help Our Homeless
A cool takeaway coffee cup is a must for any cafe and a big part of a great marketing strategy. After all, people will see where you got your coffee when you walk down the street, when you’re waiting at the traffic lights, and when you get back to the office.
For you, our customers, when you carry our brand with you, you’re saying that not only do you love a good coffee, but you chose Alowishus Delicious.
We totally respect that.
That’s why we pay attention to detail and why we have made sure that even the branding of our takeaway cups is a true reflection of our brand values.
Alowishus Coffee Cup Design 2019
So, what’s our latest cup design all about?
Here are 4 things you’ll notice about our latest takeaway cups
First things first…
1. The ‘A’ logo
The ‘A’ has become recognisable and hasn’t changed over the years.
2. Green & Black Leaves
Look carefully and you will see that the leaves are the same as the tiny ones in our curly ‘A’. The colours are associated with our brand but they also signify freshness and being environmentally responsible. Green is also associated with fair-trade products which we embrace and support where we can.
3. It’s a good day!
We wanted our slogan to be a positive message for you to take with you, so you feel good (about yourself and us). It’s a reminder that you can find something good in each and every day.
4. Social Bits
A few subtle reminders to check us out on social media, hashtag us in your coffee posts, and claim your free coffee by subscribing to the Alowishus Good News Family.
5. Enviro-Friendly
Something that hasn’t changed for about four years. We use 100% biodegradable and compostable cups that are PLA lined instead of oil lined. PLA stands for polylactic acid, a plant-based product that will disappear completely when composted.
The Alowishus Coffee Cup Evolution
You could really say that the design of our cups has been a reflection of the lessons we have learned in business over the years. Our early cups didn’t say too much about us. One of them was even just a plain brown cup with our ‘A’ logo on it.
Subsequent cups have featured our logo and brand colours. Our previous design had all the same info as the new design but looking back, didn’t quite capture what it means to be ‘Alowishus’.
Alowishus Coffee Cup Design 2017
Cup design before our updated branding
We think the latest design that David, our marketing guy, helped us bring to life, really encapsulates our brand values: Fun, fast & friendly.
That’s a big job for a coffee cup but we think it does it pretty well. What are your thoughts? Do you like the latest cup design? Let us know in the comments below!
So, the next time you get your takeaway coffee at Alowishus, know that we really appreciate you helping us share our passion for great coffee and doing good in the world.
And always remember… It’s a good day!
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/alowishus-coffee-cup-design-2019.jpg10001400Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-07-02 12:35:442022-03-31 19:08:05The Evolution of Alowishus in Coffee Cups
In the past several months, Alowishus has further increased its efforts in the recycling arena. We have been trying extra hard to always sing to the tune of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” and have further reduced waste to landfills by two whole industrial bins per week.
That’s a whopping 156 cubic metres a year, NOT going into landfills.
With a saving in waste collection dollars of over $3000, this is great for the Environment AND Alowishus, but not so great for the Waste Collection Company.
How we did this
We have changed many things within our business and in the ways, we work with our local suppliers. Furthermore, we partnered with some great other local businesses to further reduce our waste.
We’ve partnered with Splitters Farm to collect our food waste. They have provided us with branded, coloured wheelie bins and collect the scraps daily. Be sure to follow them on insta @splittersfarm
The team at the Endeavour Foundation are collecting our used coffee grounds for their worm farm and apparently, the worms are LOVING the caffeine
JJ Richards recycling collects our cardboard for processing twice a week – and BOY! Do we get a lot of cardboard, literally, truckloads of it
Our daughter Ally collects all the 10c eligible containers that are left at Alowishus (a budding entrepreneur). She did cash flow projections and with compounding interest factored in, she has calculated she can save $20K by the time she’s 18. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes!
We recycle our Honey Pales back to our local supplier, Hummock Honey and he passes them back onto groups for non-food use
All food pales that come in are given away to people who reuse them for various things, from crafts to water bowls for their animals.
Our egg trays (and there are loads of them) are taken for all sorts of reasons, from people who have chickens, to kindy classes and musicians attempting to soundproof their studios.
Our 20-litre drums are also given away for repurposing as they are emptied.
Doing all of this has reduced the number of garbage bags we use from around 500 a month, down to 300! And we are still working on reducing further.
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
Unfortunately the $3000 a year we have saved on waste management will be taken from us by the State Government come the first of July 2019. The Labor Government are introducing a controversial Waste Management ‘levy’ of $75 per tonne and this is set to increase annually by $5. This ‘levy’, which in reality is a TAX, is predicted to generate $1.3 billion in revenue, of which a mere $150 million will go into developing Qld’s recycling industries or into helping our environment.
Where is the other $1,150,000,000 ($1.15B) going? That is the same question I’m asking?
Believe me, I’m all for:
helping the environment
recycling
and improving our waste management
I just don’t think that this so called ‘waste levy’ will be effective in helping the environment, not when less than 10% of it is actually going to the environment.
That’s just my opinion ………
What are your thoughts on the matter?
2018 Cafe of the Year Winners below – To vote for Alowishus Delicious in 2019 click here
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blog-2.png315560Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-04-13 10:46:382022-03-31 19:10:07Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Alowishus Making A Difference In The World Of Waste
What our 2018 CW Café of the Year winner had to say about winning!
Mar 13, 2019
Last year the CW Café of the Year 2018 title went to Alowishus Delicious of Bundaberg, Queensland. We recently caught up with the owner, Tracey McPhee to ask her about her experience last year and what taking out the title and $25,000 top prize meant to her and her team.
Tracey said, “the whole team at Alowishus Delicious were engaged and proactive during the promotion and it created a great sense of camaraderie. It really brought the team together”.
Cafés registered this year should make sure they get their customers involved and use social media to get lots of exposure just like Alowishus Delicious did in 2018. When the winner was announced Tracey explained “it was just thrilling, everyone was so excited, my heart was racing. We had a great response from the community too who had followed our journey and were wanting to congratulate us”.
With the winnings, Alowishus Delicious hosted a big post-Christmas party and has also purchased a much-anticipated cake fridge. What would your café do if they were to win the $25,000 prize in 2019? Register today at www.cwcafeoftheyear.com.au/cafe/register
Vote for us for 2019. If Alowishus wins this year we are donating $5,000 each to these two local charities:
A little bit about Angels Community Group: Angels Community Group, a registered charity & community-based organisation, was formed in April 2015 when founding members Kerri Savidge and Sue Tasker realised the power that comes from giving people a purpose. This has been accomplished by creating a supportive environment where people experiencing a sense of loss (the loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship or even the loss of identity or life direction) are able to achieve or regain the confidence and skills necessary to lead meaningful social and economic lives through personal growth, a sense of worth, friendship and social networks, career development, productive employment and long-term financial stability.
A passionate organisation dedicated to giving back to the community, we are committed to extending our range of social enterprises and charitable projects into the future. This spirit of giving is championed by our Board, staff and volunteers and in addition to transforming lives (our own included), we wholeheartedly believe in new beginnings, broadened horizons, seizing opportunities and smashing stigmas. We also live by our motto that you help yourself by helping others!
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Winner-News.jpg5001200Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-04-08 14:03:102022-03-31 19:31:28Cafe of the Year Alowishus Delicious 2018
Upon passing through the regional town of Maryborough, I couldn’t help but notice groups of stalls lined up within the town centre. Needing a break, I pulled the car over and decided to check out what the small town had to offer and look for a good little Maryborough cafe.
The Maryborough Markets
While small, the Maryborough markets had an eclectic mix of stalls, friendly people and community atmosphere. I was in the middle of inspecting some of the local produce when out the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a man who looked like he was from the 1850’s. “I must be delusional” I thought, “I need coffee”.
The smell of cooking food filled the air and my stomach started to grumble. Turning around and picking up my pace, I stumbled across a buzzing, charming little café called ‘Alowishus Delicious’.
Taking a seat, it didn’t take long before my coffee and meal were placed in front of me. I looked at the corn fritters like a creature about to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. BANG!! The sound of a gun goes off and my heart leaps out of my chest. Turning my head, I realised I was in fact, not delusional and two people in 1850’s costumes were standing beside a freshly fired cannon.
After I was fed and much more alert, I decided to do some investigating. I approached the couple full to the brim with curiosity – why was it that a CANNON was just fired?! Right here, in the middle of Maryborough?
Firing of Maryborough’s Time Cannon
The woman, Carmel Murdoch, explained that the time cannon was originally discovered, buried in sand on the Torres Strait island of Mobiag Island by the Premier of Queensland, John Douglas in 1877.
Being a ‘port of entry’, Maryborough had many people that came from all over the world that were used to different time zones. Firing a cannon, at the traditional time of 1pm, would notify the workers in the fields that it was time for lunch, allow the ship’s captains to reset their chronometers before they sailed out to sea, and the rest of the township could reset their clocks.
The cannon was fired up until 1898 when there was a depression and due to the lack of funds to pay for someone to fire and to pay for the shot itself, they ceased to do it every day and only reserved it for official occasions.
In 1988, when the World Expo was coming to Brisbane, it was thought to fire the cannon at a pavilion called “communities of Australia” for tourism purposes. It was then that it was discovered that the original cannon was cast in the 1750’s by the Dutch East India Company and so a few replicas were quickly made before the original cannon was placed in the Bond Store Museum in Wharf Street where it is still to this day.
Today, a replica of the cannon is fired to pay homage to the history and heritage of Maryborough.
I slowly made my way back to the car to continue my journey and thinking about all the new discoveries I had made. A good feed for a reasonable price and a viewing of the past: now that’s what I call a bang for your buck!
When you’re in Maryborough next, make sure to visit Alowishus Delicious (Maryborough’s best-rated cafe)! If you’re fast, you can even grab a free coffee on their website here: https://alowishus.com.au/free/
NEXT: Explore the Maryborough Markets
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/b881193802z1_20180125163006_000gihv0vr02-0-qyreznqq3idu399tnp2_ct677x380.jpg380677Olivia Harveyhttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngOlivia Harvey2019-04-01 17:55:592019-04-01 20:22:32Shots Fired Outside of Local Maryborough Cafe
I had so many people ask for the next instalment of my ‘Why We Started Alowishus‘ blog post. To be very honest, I didn’t think too many people would be interested in reading something I’d blogged. I have never been more wrong in my life (except for when I thought we’d be quiet in that first week of opening).
The first time the original blog post went out on social media, we had a record number of hits on our website.
More recently, we posted the story again and I have since received many requests to continue telling the story of how we got started and also where the name ‘Alowishus’ came from.
I’ve been asked to speak on many occasions to fellow business owners, peers and students on various topics. It doesn’t matter what I’ve been called to speak about, in the Q&A sessions at the end, I’m always asked without exception, “How did you come up with the name, Alowishus Delicious?”.
So, where did the name come from?
I really truly wish I had an amazing story to tell you about discovering the name. And I really truly wish I could tell you it was my idea…
However, it wasn’t.
My strengths don’t come in the form of amazing ideas or creativity. My strengths come in my ability to push through, work hard, compartmentalise my life and systemise the back-end of things.
Sometime in early June 2011, Mike came home from work and told me he had a name for the sandwich bar (that’s what we used to call it before we opened).
He explained a few points to me:
It had to be a better name than McPhee’s Cafe
It needed to start with the letter A, so it came at the top in directories and lists of similar businesses
He wanted something that was quirky and catchy
Something that said it was a café or food business without using the words coffee or café
No coffee bean puns or play on words involving tea or coffee were allowed either
“Ok, so what is it”, I asked?
“ALOWISHUS DELICIOUS” (we didn’t have the spelling at that stage).
I immediately loved it!
I said to Mike, “We rarely agree on things, so why don’t we we just run with it?”
So, for the next several days we mucked around with the spelling. ‘ALOWISHIOUS’ was on the cards, but then we settled on ‘ALOWISHUS DELICIOUS’ and on the 23rd June 2011, I officially registered the business name. This was six long months before we even opened our doors.
Next, we needed a logo. I suggested green, with red as the secondary colour, along with a leafy flourish and the two words, one on top of the other. I shared my idea with Mike and he said that was basically what he had in mind. (Possibly, he was just trying to bolster my confidence to come up with good ideas.)
BUT again we agreed and we just ran with it.
We then enlisted the help of a good friend, Roxanne, who now runs her own graphic design company – 44 Creative. We explained our concept and she got to work and came up with a few designs. We liked them, but they didn’t immediately grab us.
We had actually already decided on the one we would go with, when Rox said she just wanted to make a couple more little changes.
You even helped us choose, when we asked for your opinion on Facebook in September 2011. Here’s the original post.
What she sent through is still in use today and WE LOVE IT! We’ve ditched the red and changed the green a little. And these days the Alowishus ‘A’ (as it is now known) has become widely recognised in Bundy and Maryborough. In more recent branding & marketing activities, like our updated website design, we have simplified it even further and been using black and white versions of our logos.
Alowishus JOCO Cups to help reduce waste.
The Alowishus ‘A’ is also featured on our reusable coffee cups which we recently introduced to help reduce waste. We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our footprint and do everything we can to contribute to a cleaner environment. You can read more about it in our post about War On Waste – 10 Things Alowishus Delicious Is Doing For The Environment.
We opened with a team of five, plus Mike’s brother, who helped us set up the coffee machine and was baristaring for us in the very first week. Two of those team members are still with us seven years on. Another one has gone on to open his own café in Bargara (many of you will know Matt from The Journey) and the fourth completed her uni degree a couple of years ago and became a school teacher (she’s currently expecting her first bub).
So much has happened over the years and our team has grown from 5 to over 60 (including our Maryborough Store and Bert’s, our most recent venture). It’s mind blowing in so many ways. I really wish I had kept a diary of all the amazing ‘God’ moments that have happened throughout the Alowishus journey, as there have really been so so many.
Mike cutting a door between the two shops.
Our baristas hard at work.
Writing this post, I’ve been going through old photos of our progress, and of our team members past and present. It’s been a fun afternoon reminiscing. Stay tuned for the next instalment (but don’t hold your breath, it could take me another year to write it).
Thank you so much for your support and for being a part of our success.
Blessings,
Tracey
Watch What The Alowishus Team Prepared For Tracey On Her Birthday!
https://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/alowishus-name-logo-branding.jpg4721030Alowishus Delicioushttps://alowishus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/alowishus-web-black-300x118.pngAlowishus Delicious2019-01-23 12:20:552019-11-25 23:31:52Why We Started Alowishus – The 2nd Instalment
