Enjoy Fairtrade & Organic Tea at Alowishus Delicious

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At Alowishus, we love to keep things local where we can. And if we can’t get a quality local product, like our organic tea, we want to ensure that our products are ethically sourced and support the local community where they are grown and produced.

Our premium quality organic tea is not only Fairtrade, but organically grown as well. This ensures that the people who work so hard to create this great product and the environment in which it is grown are well looked after.

Organic Tea – Difference you can taste

Most tea leaves go unwashed when they are harvested, dried and processed, and contain chemical residue and pesticides used on the plants. With an organic tea process, it is grown free of chemicals, antibiotics, synthetic hormones or genetic modifications. It is minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation in order to maintain the integrity of the food, preserve ecological harmony and promote biodiversity. Hence, it is health for you as well as for the environment.

Why Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is an organised social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. Our organic tea producer’s workforce is given statutory benefits such as free housing, rationed food, medical services and maternity benefits. In addition the tea gardens have schools for workers’ children and places of worship for various religious communities. By giving many families the security of a regular income, our organic tea producers have helped raise the socio-economic standards of the local population.

Our organic tea is sourced from producers that adhere to an organic method of cultivation that is certified by the IMO Institute for Marketecology. This IMO certification has approval in over 90 countries, including European, American and Japanese standards.

Visit your nearest Alowishus Delicious to enjoy our delicious teas in-store!

Our organic tea is available in the following flavours:

  • Organic English Breakfast Tea
  • Organic Earl Grey Tea
  • Organic Peppermint Tea
  • Organic Jasmine Green Tea
  • Organic Spice Chai Tea
  • Organic Lemongrass & Ginger Tea

You can read more about our organic teas here.

Cafes Bundaberg – 5 Local Cafes Worth Instagramming About

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Cafes Bundaberg

Cafes Bundaberg – A big Thank You to our awesome Social Media Manager Olivia Harvey, due to her efforts, Alowishus Delicious has been voted as one of 5 local cafes worth instagramming about.

Thanks to Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism for the original blog post and for choosing to feature us.  You can read it here:

5 Local Cafes Worth Instagramming About In The Bundaberg North Burnett Region

 

5 Local Cafes Worth Instagramming About In The Bundaberg North Burnett Region

Alowishus hit the list for Bundaberg Cafes worth Instagramming about.  Check us out on Instagram – cafes Bundaberg

1. Nonna’s Gelateria @ The Windmill

Ice-cream for breakfast? Yes, please! Located in Bargara this picturesque café is worth an Instagram post without even going in, however, if you do you will surely be rewarded.  They have delicious baked goods, acai bowls and incredible breakfasts.

A beautiful, sunny day at Nonna's Gelateria @ The Windmill (Credit: Sarahdibbs)
A beautiful, sunny day at Nonna’s Gelateria @ The Windmill (Credit: Sarahdibbs)

2. Nourish Café

If you are looking for something fresh, light and clean you should check out Nourish Café.

Offering delectable meals made from whole foods and local produce, most noteworthy, they have in-house made bread, and cooking workshops.

Nourish Bounty Bowl (Credit: Sisteremma)
Nourish Bounty Bowl (Credit: Sisteremma)

3. Indulge

Brisbane Times Good Food Guide People’s Choice Winners 2016 local café Indulge.  They create their menu around their motto; ‘we know where it came from and how it was made’.

Sourcing fresh, in-season produce daily from local growers and producers making them a second-to-none dining spot for locals and visitors alike.

Delicious Poached Pear Breakfast at 'Indulge' (Credit: Kat_cot)
Delicious Poached Pear Breakfast at ‘Indulge’ (Credit: Kat_cot)

4. Sea Gypsy

Located at Burnett Heads is a small café whose boho vibes can be felt before you even enter the door. If you are in the mood to relax, wear a long floral skirt and sip chai lattes, then this is the place to go.

Vege Share Platter at 'Sea Gypsy' (Credit: Imejine)

Vege Share Platter at ‘Sea Gypsy’ (Credit: Imejine)

5. Alowishus Delicious

Besides having the best Instagram game in Bundaberg this alleyway coffee shop is a favourite among locals. Particularly for their coffee, fresh takeaway lunch options and quality catch ups. Don’t be afraid to head down the alley and see their quirky table ‘numbers’!

'Alowishus Delicious' takeaway lunches (Credit: Alowishus)
‘Alowishus Delicious’ takeaway lunches (Credit: Alowishus)

Click here to see our menu featuring loads of local produce

Bundaberg Cafe Alowishus Delicious Visiting Local Farms

The number of cafes Bundaberg has to offer is growing every year and we are proud to be amongst your favourite ones.

 

Bundaberg Coffee where I fell in love with coffee

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Bundaberg Coffee

Bundaberg Coffee. I still remember the first time I fell in love with coffee.

Previously, the sole purpose of my caffeine intake was purely a survival tactic as I found myself faced with gruelling senior-high-school weeks filled with maths exams, gossip to keep up with, and two little brothers who own Nerf guns. But, one fateful spring day, I took my flat white from the barista, stepped into the sunshine, and took a sip.

I don’t really know what happened. But in a single moment, coffee went from being purely an energy source to an experience: an experience that, like so many others, I began to crave daily.

And I still remember the place where I bought that coffee.

Alowishus Delicious. A (at the time) small café nestled into an alleyway in downtown Bundaberg, for whom I soon found myself employed. Over time, as I delivered hundreds of coffees to tables, served vast amounts of choc chunk cake and laughed with many a customer – I had the privilege of watching Alowishus expand from a cute corner to an alleyway of coffee culture. And as the halls filled and the night shifts got busier I only got more and more excited. About what we were creating. How far it could go. How many more unsuspecting civilians we could convert to coffee cravers. (Kidding. Well, mostly)

The secret to our success? The answer must lie in our coffee. (because; let’s admit it, no matter what the question is, ‘coffee’ is usually the answer) And our particular coffee is supplied by Sacred Grounds. 100% Arabica, the beans are sourced from different locations worldwide, including Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and Nicaragua. However, Sacred Grounds will prove different from that of other coffee roasters, as their primary marketing point is that their products are completely organic and Fairtrade. This made Sacred Grounds a perfect counterpart for Alowishus, complementing our passion for social justice; something we ensure is evident to our customers. The final element left for the creation of a perfect coffee? The baristas.

bundaberg coffeeAmy Baldwin presenting her ‘Latte Art’ at Alowishus Delicious

If it takes 2000 hours to craft coffee – from the growing to the grinding, then all that time is dishonoured if the barista makes a bad coffee. So, realising this, our latest focus at Alowishus is keeping our coffees consistent. The level tamp, the balance of silky milk and the right amount of crema – our priority is making sure this is perfect every time, despite the barista. Under the guidance of David Lee-Schneider, Barista Coach and Café Consultant, each barista is working to ensure each beverage is true to its name: cappuccino, latte, flat white. So here is our passion: keeping our coffee consistently excellent for our customers and ourselves. Because, as Lorelai Gilmour puts it “Oh I can’t stop drinking coffee. I stop drinking coffee, I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words-putting-into-sentence doing.”

Hit up Alowishus Delicious the next time you are in Bundaberg. We’ll help you through that words-putting-into-sentence-doing thing in the best way we can.

Romy Field

This blog post first appeared at http://www.baristaguide.com/editorial/specialty-coffee-in-bundaberg/

Read more at Alowishus.com.au/blog

Bundaberg Coffee

Best Coffee Bundaberg – Voted by Bundaberg

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Thank you, Bundaberg for voting our coffee the best in Bundy once again!

Hitz FM and Newsmail have both run competitions over the past couple of years and the readers and people of Bundaberg voted Alowishus to make the absolute best coffee in Bundaberg.I strongly believe that to make excellent coffee, you need an excellent barista. A great barista can make a good coffee on a rubbish machine with

“I strongly believe that to make excellent coffee, you need an excellent barista. A great barista can make a good coffee on an average machine, even with mediocre beans. Likewise, if you have a bad barista, you can give them the best beans and a state-of-the-art machine and you won’t be able to drink more then a sip.” ~ Tracey McPhee, founder of Alowishus Delicious

This is why we put all our baristas through extensive training; we call this Barista Bootcamp. From here, they are then dubbed a Coffee Samurai.  This title represents the passion, speed and precision we expect from all the baristas here at Alowishus.

Best Coffee Bundaberg

The Alowishus Team are passionate about great coffee and superb service.  We have a culture of excellence and every one of our wonderful team strives for quality and consistency each and every shift.  We love our jobs and we love coming to work.  Sure, it gets stressful at times, but we love a challenge and always rise to the occasion.

Our team could write a book about the interesting and sometimes disturbing coffee orders we get. Everything, from one shot of normal coffee plus one shot of decaf on almond milk with an equal, right through to 1/4 strength vanilla lattes with 5 sugars. Cappuccinos with no chocolate powder and lattes with cinnamon, long blacks half full of milk and skinny soy hot chocolates with extra chocolate, lots of sugar and marshmallows. But they must be on the side. It’s all in a day’s work and we love it!

Want to read more?  Visit www.alowishus.com.au

Did you try our Nutella hot chocolate last winter?  Should we bring it back? Let us know in the comments below!

Libbys love affair with ice cream

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Ice Cream

Not sure how old I was when I had my first ice cream?   ……. I’m not talking about the sort that came out of the freezer at home if and when I had eaten all my vegetables  ……. The real stuff.  The colourful substance in those tall tins in the cold cabinet at the Great Australian Ice Creamery.  Where you could press your nose hard against the cold glass aice cream gelato icecream ice-cream s you tried to make a decision.

In our house, an ice cream was always “the perfect treat”.  As a kid, when Dad said “let’s go for an ice cream” I knew it was a “happy day!!”   Whether it was a reward, a chance for my sisters and I to ride our bikes to the corner store, a soft serve, the neighbour’s mango ice-blocks, Mr Whippy, or a holiday treat on a hot summer’s day, it diice cream gelato icecream ice-cream dn’t matter.  That was until on a holiday to our usual spot, Caloundra, we discovered … Gelato!!

There was just something indulgent about that smooth, delicate, creamy texture.  Not icey – and so many flavours, fruity or creamy, in a crunchy waffle cone or a cup.   Decisions, decisions – they gave us cute little spoons to sample it before we made our choice.  This only made the decision even harder.  I’d never been anywhere else where you could sample the food before you bought it!   So every visit to Caloundra after that demanded several must-do trips to Milanos.

And so ….. my love of ice cream came from pretty ordinary beginnings but many happy childhood memories were formed in those days. It was just one of those special things my Dad and I used to do.

Starting out in the Ice Cream business ………

When Tracey approached me to become involved in the Gelato making at Alowishus something really excited me.  It ignited a passion for Gelato making which continues to flourish. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Gelato journey and still pinch myself that Tracey and Mike have given me the opportunity to experiment and craft this awesome product.

ice cream gelato icecream ice-cream I love matching the flavours with Bundaberg’s extensive fresh local produce to create delicious cups of “awesomeness”.  I’ve discovered the combination of flavours is endless and I get really excited about the wide range we have on offer. It has been a real buzz and I somehow think my heart was meant for Alowishus.

I have made it my mission to sample Gelato wherever I go with the aim of serving the freshest, creamiest and best-tasting Gelato around.  This ensures Alowishus Gelato is an all- round pleasurable, once-is-not-enough experience.

Come and check out our Gelato cabinet.  It’s a celebration of our “love affair” with Gelato. I know you’ll love it too.

And the most asked question… ”which one???”

Choose your favourite flavour here:   www.alowishusgelato.com.au

Watch more of Libby’s gelato journey here:

One fine day at Tinaberries Strawberry Farm in Bundaberg

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Video by FlySocial

Tinaberries

Our passion for fresh, local produce has led us to work with some amazing local farmers, just like Tinaberries, right here in the Bundaberg Region.

During the Bundy season, we source all our strawberries from their local farm for use in our delicious sorbet and gelato.

At Alowishus, we believe that buying local produce doesn’t only help our community grow but it tastes better, too. This is because it can be picked at peak ripeness to ensure the absolute best quality and flavour.

We like to know where our food comes from and love to share the stories of the people who grow it with our customers.

We are truly blessed for having so much amazing produce available right here in Bundy. The Bundaberg Region accounts for around 25% of all of Australia’s produce.

Thank you, Bundaberg! Thank you, Tinaberries!

Tip: Head over to Tinaberries website for some delicious strawberry recipes.

Tinaberries Strawberries - Picked at peak ripeness Tinaberries Strawberry Punnets Tinnaberries - Hand-picked Strawberries in Bundaberg

Some berry tips just for you:

To maximise flavour strawberries should be served at room temperature.
Take them out of the fridge one hour before serving.

Too much water will damage the soft fruit and encourage breakdown.
Only wash berries immediately prior to use.

How to hull strawberries
The hull or calyx is the green leafy top of the strawberry, which is generally removed before cooking or serving. Angle a small sharp knife and cut, in a circular motion, around the green leafy top of the strawberry and into the pale flesh directly underneath.Remove the hull and discard. Wash strawberries under cold running water before using.

Have you joined the Good News yet?  You should, as you get freebies, straight into your inbox every month. Start now with 2 free coffees.  Click the link below for your FREE stuff

www.alowishus.com.au

You might also like: Chai Me – Find Your Own Inner Spice

The Alowishus Wrap – A musical production

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The Alowishus Wrap

In the weeks leading up to our first Christmas party in 2012 the team had been sneaking around behind my back. I didn’t know at the time but they were working on a project called the The Alowishus Wrap.  At the Christmas Party they presented me with a framed copy of The Wrap and they also performed it live for Michael and I.

It’s been hanging in the cafe by the stairs ever since.  I took it down the other day to clean it and I read it once more and thought I should share it with everyone again.  So here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Alowishus Wrap

At Alowishus you should come on down

Our friendly staff won’t make you frown

Our coffee’s is golden and brown

That gives us the best coffee in town!

Our boss’ name is T to the Racey

Her numerous long emails don’t phase me.

Her husband’s name is Phil to the Dumphey

I don’t recall seeing that man grumpy

Ally wakes up, get out of bread

Comes downstairs for some banana bread

Hey Ally, whatcha got there?

It’s my injured pet turtle and my teddy bear

Awe Ally, why so sad?

“I’ve lost my Wi-Fi connection on the iPad”

Nina’s out back making our secret dressing

Her corned meat is delicious she’s a blessing

Hollie comes in early prepping all the salad,

She does it so well so it tastes good on your pallet

Out the front, servin’ all them customers,

They can’t serve themselves,

We don’t got self-serve

THIS AIN’T WOOLWORTHS!

Aunty Helen’s in early, making all the wraps

How ‘bout Stuart?  Yeah he’s a nice chap

Amy and Imejine are busy working in their store

Nezza’s sweet cakes can’t be ignored

The barefoot bandit, yeah that guy’s pretty neat

He’d be a lot cooler if he ate a little meat!

You’ll find everyone at Alowishus, at shop 4 on Earl’s Court

And you’ll be blown away by our Choc Pear Torte!

So anyway, Tracey you’re the best,

Our thanks to you must be expressed

If you leave, we’d all be depressed

To have you as a boss we are truly blessed!

WRITTEN BY THE ALOWISHUS CREW

 

WHERE OUR BEATS ARE FRESHER THAN OUR WRAPS

AND

OUR RYHMES ARE PHATTER THAN OUR SAUSAGE ROLLS

Did you ever have our Nutella Hot Chocolate?

 

www.alowishus.com.au

www.alowishusgelato.com.au

Meet our Gelato Mestro’s

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I love checking out the cabinet at the end of gelato making days.

It always looks so fresh and fun, it’s a joy to behold.  My other favourite thing to do is taste the new flavours straight from the batch processor, the product is just so creamy.  A few weeks back I took some time to watch all the processes again …………….. ok, and maybe to sample some of the product as well.  After all, someone has to do quality control!  It may as well be me :-)

Afterwards I chatted with our amazing team who bring you all the wonderful flavours in the cabinet each week. I asked them a few of their favourite things about gelato. Here’s what they said

What is your favourite thing, or what do you love about making gelato?

Libby:gelato, icecream, ice-cream, ice cream
I love being able to use the fresh local produce that Bundaberg has to offer in my gelato and sorbet. I like inventing exciting and unique flavours creating a fun experience for our customers.
Georgia:
Everything about it! It’s great fun, I never not want to be on a gelato day! The new flavours are always exciting and gelato or sorbet straight out of the batch processor is soooooo delicious
Nerilyn:
I love the versatility of making new gelato flavours

What is your Favourite Flavour?

Nerilyn:  Top Deck or Macadamia gelato, icecream, ice-cream, ice cream
Libby:  My favourite would have to be the passionfruit, white chocolate and lime curd gelato. It uses Tina Berries passionfruit and Bundy Limes which we then make into a yummy curd that we swirl throughout the gelato.
Georgia:  I love Chocolate Sorbet and Malteser, but most of them are pretty good!

 

 

Gelato or Sorbet?

Georgia:
Not playing favourites, I like both, but can’t eat much gelato.
Nerilyn:
Definitely Gelato!
Libby:
Depends what day you have me on. In summer, sorbets are always a hit and very refreshing but gelato would have to be the winner.

What’s Your Worst Injury?

gelato, icecream, ice-cream, ice creamLibby:
No battle scars as of yet.
Georgia:
Squished my finger good and proper once when I was putting the door on the machine
Nerilyn:
Got stitches after busting my finger open while cleaning the machine

Did you know ……

you can purchase take home packs of our yummy ice-cream.  One litre and 500 ml packs are available on demand.  If you are a true die hard fan of ours, you can also pre-order a 5 litre take home pack in advance.  Just see the team at the counter and they can hook you up.

We also have our cute vintage style cart available for hire.  It features in the video below and you can find out more about it by clicking the link just above the video.  We supply all the cups, spoons and a team member to serve for you.  We clean up and leave you to enjoy your event.  All you need to do is pick your favourite flavours!  We have loads of dairy and gluten free options.

Alowishus Delicious make all their products with lots of love.  Try something today.  What’s your favourite flavour?  You can choose here:

www.alowishusgelato.com.au

Do you know the difference between ice cream and gelato?  Watch out for our next blog post and we will let you know.

Yours in all things sweet

Tracey McPhee – owner of Alowishus and eater of all things yummy :-)

 

Paying it Forward in Bundaberg

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Bundaberg people truly have put their money where their mouth is with their support behind a local Pay It Forward initiative. More than 530 sandwich vouchers have been purchased and handed out to people who are homeless or struggling between pay cheques each week.

In November 2015 Alowishus Delicious and IMPACT’s Street Outreach Service teamed up to help those in need. Owners of Alowishus, Tracey and Michael McPhee, promote a strong ethos of community support and so the Pay It Forward voucher ingenuity was inevitable.

“At Alowishus, we believe if we want to see change, we have to be that change. That’s why giving back is a big part of what we do, and helping on a local level means we get to witness that change,” said Tracey. “For the support we put forward though, it is our customers who are the ones that make it happen, we just put it out there. I love that Alowishus is a vehicle that enables the entire community to give back. Mostly, people want to help, but they’re unsure how to do it, I think we’ve made it easy and affordable for people to contribute.”

Alowishus suggest just a $4 donation, which equates to one sandwich or toastie voucher, they subsidise the remaining cost of any sandwich. The vouchers are then handed out to people that the Street Outreach volunteers meet. From the 539 vouchers already paid forward, 388 have been bought in store, 27 have been purchased online, 84 came via donations from Moncrieff Entertainment Centre’s fundraising efforts and Alowishus have put forward a further 40 after the national CafeSmart event in August.

IMPACT Street Outreach coordinator Cristel Simmonds says it is so much more than just a sandwich to the people who receive them. “Yes, it is a meal, often the only one for some people, but it means a lot more to them than just food in the long run. They have a chance to connect and feel part of their community, they get to attend a popular café, they get to communicate with staff where they are not judged, where they are accepted.

Pay it Forward

Many people who use these vouchers are lonely and socially isolated, they benefit greatly from that basic interaction. Something as simple as a sandwich can mean so much more to people who have less than most.” Recipients of the vouchers can order straight off the menu and are welcome to dine in or take away, which ever they are most comfortable with.

The Outreach Van is a vital community service that offers people a safe and trusted contact and gateway to other services and advocacy advice. Volunteers help deliver the service twice a week in Bundaberg with the aim of connection, conversation, and compassion. The van carries Street Swags, blankets, warm drinks, vouchers and essential items such as toiletries and sanitary items that can all make someone more comfortable, especially if they’re sleeping rough.

This article was originally published on the IMPACT Community Services Website on 16 Sep 2016: https://www.impact.org.au/paying-it-forward

Our Journey to Gelato

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The journey to Gelato, with Alowishus was exactly like so many other things we’ve experienced since opening 5 years ago.  We didn’t decide “Let’s make Gelato”, we hadn’t even contemplated it.

However, 4 keys things happened in a very short space of time:

  1. Mike visited the Fine Food Festival in Sydney, and meet Gimmy. Gimmy sold Gelato making equipment and happened to be an expert in all things Gelato.  Gimmy also happened to be Italian
  2. One of our team members who we had hired much earlier to make coffee, happened to make the product at her old job. Not even kidding!  We had no idea at the time.
  3. The tenant in the two shops on the other side of the arcade moved out overnight, which made a space available – At this stage Mike was 100% convinced we needed to DO GELATO.  I, however still wasn’t.  It all sounded like a lot of work and I was about to have a baby.
  4. THE DEAL SEALER for me. We went on an impromptu weekend away, our last little escape before Gabe came along.  I booked us into a motel at Coolum I had seen on a day trip a few weekends before.  Mike pulled up out front and I ran inside to check in (don’t laugh, pregnant women can still run).  After giving me the key, explaining the carpark, lifts and amenities, and almost as an afterthought the manager handed me a voucher and said ‘Oh there’s a gelateria just out the front, here’s a free voucher!’

You seriously could have knocked me over with a feather.  If this wasn’t the final kick up the bum, get started, and DO GELATO, I wasn’t sure what would be.  And that my friends, was how we started.

Alowishus was now in the ice-cream business (actually the Gelato business but I need to add the word icecream to my blog post for better SEO ;-)

Much later we purchased a mobile cart and you wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but it was the people who owned that Gelato Bar in Coolum.  They had moved on from the business and now wanted to sell their cart.  We were connected with them by a random mutual associate.

We even had a website designed, dedicated to our gelato! Check it out when you have some time:

www.alowishusgelato.com.au

Thanks for reading

Blessings Tracey