INTERVIEW

We were just recovering from one of our worst months since opening – we had been shut for most of the Christmas and New Year period, had staffing issues, and had bills to pay including suppliers and wages.

Kopi that!

Setting up a new business is hard enough without the threat of a global pandemic. Former EastLife journalist, NATALIE BRITTAN tells us, a year on, how her UK coffee shop, Carbon Kopi, has faced the challenges of Covid-19.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. It all happened so quickly — the order on March 23, 2020 to shut down all essential retail and the decision to give away all our food, milk and other perishable items. We quickly rang our best customer, John, who volunteers for a homeless shelter to come and pick it all up which he did in a heartbeat.

As Covid-19 hit, we were just recovering from one of our worst months since opening – we had been shut for most of Christmas and

New Year, had staffing issues, and had bills to pay including suppliers and wages.

We scraped together whatever little we had, borrowed some money from family and managed to pay off everything we owed.

Thankfully, at the time we both had full-time jobs to rely on – Chris had his I.T. job and I had my marketing job.

There wasn’t much time to mull over our decision – it was a

Opposite:NatalieandChrisBrittanwithdaughters,Leah(6)andEllie (threeandahalf);Above:CafeManagerHiroHamashita(thirdfromleft) withgratefulparamedics;Right:Nataliewithoneofherpopularbrews.

painful one for sure, but we had other things on our minds including stressful full-time jobs and homeschooling our little ones, then aged two and a half and five years.

As the weeks went on, and after pouring over government guidance, we decided to reopen in April (2020) for takeaways only and were guided by the community.

We set up a one-way system, re-arranged all the furniture, bought masks and hand sanitiser and waited. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait very long at all. The customers came back in droves; it was as if we’d never left.

In fact, many others discovered us during the lockdown period, on their daily excursions whether cycling or on foot. With everything closed, we stood out like a sore thumb.

We found still more customers “living around the corner”. Yes, being located close to a major West London hospital, we had our fair share of medical staff passing through. of the many doctors who visited our shop so, we set up a scheme to enable members of the community to donate coffees to the NHS.

When the coffees gradually ran out and the initiative lost momentum, we turned it into a permanent £2 discount on all coffees. As a result, we have always had a queue of ambulances out on the street, now the norm for Carbon Kopi, and from time to time, we still see people paying for paramedics’ coffees when they are in the shop.

As the months went on, and the lockdowns continued, we learned to adapt, turning dine-in space into retail for Kiwi and Australian snacks including chocolate fish, Moro bars, L&P, Milo, Pic’s Peanut Butter, Tim Tams and pineapple lumps to name just a few.

One of our baristas had an idea for hanging screens and so we designed several hanging ‘sneeze’ screens which were attached from the ceiling to the counter.

We applied for a range of loans available to us and used them to grow the business — we had always toyed with the idea of doing a simple brunch menu – fix up the courtyard, and install a commercial kitchen which had initially been used for outside storage.

Recently, we hired a chef and began planning to launch a food offering to coincide with the reopening of outdoor dining which took place on April 12 as per the Government roadmap.

We also successfully applied for an alcohol licence and curated a wine list along with a few beers and hard seltzers.

April 12 rolled around and we had a freezing start to outdoor dining with a light sprinkling of snow on the first day! However, we managed a soft launch of brunch and our alcoholic drinks — a grand total of three cocktails — alongside the wines and beers.

All have been well-received and we hope to promote our expanded offering to coincide with warmer weather (we hope!) in the weeks to come. Fortunately, overall trade, despite the cold, has been steady.

And, while it has been all systems ‘go’ for us over these past months, we realise how fortunate we have been to be in a suburban location which we initially doubted as being ‘too quiet’.

A strong business strategy combined with a lot of luck has meant we have ridden out the pandemic unscathed. However, it’s hard to ignore some of our favourite coffee institutions which are struggling and doing badly, largely through no fault of their own but because of location.

In addition, we’ve had a number of Kiwi and Australian customers who have been trapped in the UK, because they couldn’t get back home. Hearing about their visa extension dilemmas and postBrexit visa problems has made us realise, even more, how lucky we have been.

Through it all, there has been a great need to remain positive — after all coffee is meant to have an uplifting effect on people! What’s more, we have so much to look forward to.

We are longing for the day we again connect with people without masks and screens but we’re happy that Carbon Kopi is still ticking along despite the best efforts of Covid-19 to bring it down!

ENCOURAGING LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

Rockabye Early Learning Centre takes the care and education of young children seriously. Here, centre owner CARYN MAWKES talks about the importance of early language skills.

Early language and communication skills are crucial for children’s success at school and beyond. These skills include the ability to understand others and express oneself using words, gestures, or facial expressions.

We know that language development begins from birth and babies communicate from day one by using gestures, sounds and expressions to share feelings and needs such as hunger, sleepiness, or joy. Even before their first words they will develop their own unique ways of communicating with you.

The interactions that infants and toddlers have in the first three years of life include literacy from books, music and interactions. Adults need to play a crucial part in increasing children’s language. Here is a list of eight activities which will help increase your child’s language and communication skills: • Read, read and read – a lovely activity to put into your child’s daily routine is to read to them every night just as they are going to bed. • Make music – singing and dancing will bring out the creative side of communicating. • Tell stories – this is a fun activity. Show family photos

and talk about what is in the photo and who are in them. • Lots of laughs – teach your child riddles and jokes and teach them simple word games using rhyming words or even making words up. • Follow your child’s lead – if he/she seems particularly interested in a topic keep talking about it. If they are babbling, babble back to them. • Dress up – pretend play gives children a chance to be more expressive. • Puppet play – children can learn to express their feelings and interact socially while doing so. • Floor play – get down to your child’s level and maintain eye contact; don’t be afraid to act silly.

• Talk to babies in their language

– high pitched tones, simple sentences and stretched out vowels.

• Make it a conversation and

not a one-way street – be sure to pause when talking with your little one and give them a chance to respond. Try not to jump in and finish their sentences.

Just remember, good communication involves listening and talking in ways which make children feel important and valued.

7.30am-5.30pm | Full & part time Children aged 0-5 years Top 5% rated by Education Review Office Growing resilient, resourceful & responsible children for 15 years

We always put your family first

122 Aviemore Dr, Highland Park T: 09 533 0218 caryn@rockabye.school.nz | rockabye.school.nz

THE LETTER K

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

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CAN YOU FIND?

KIDS BOOKS

NORTH & SOUTH – A TALE OF TWO HEMISPHERES

From the right side up to the upside down, award-winning New Zealand author/illustrator Sandra Morris covers the similarities and differences between the wildlife of the Northern and Southern in this delightful picture book. Underpinned by an important environmental message, North & South is sure to appeal to young minds keen to learn more about the world around them and its inhabitants.

Sandra Morris: North & South –a Tale of Two Hemispheres | RRP $29.99 | Walker Books

ROWLEY JEFFERSON’S AWESOME FRIENDLY SPOOKY STORIES

Rowley Jefferson’s idea of a scary story might be more inclined to raise a laugh from young readers (best suited to children aged 7-10 years) than a shriek. Featuring all the usual spooky suspects – including zombies, vampires and ghosts – this book sees one of the most beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters take centre stage.

Jeff Kinny: Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories | RRP $17.99 | Puffin

KATE IN WAITING

As a certain former ‘Heartbreaker’ used to assert, sometimes waiting really is the hardest part. Heartbreak could be on the horizon for Kate as a love triangle threatens to derail a friendship in the latest book by rom-com queen, Becky Albertalli. Suited to readers aged 12 and up, Kate inWaiting promises to shine a spotlight on the importance of stepping out of the shadows in all things from life and love to theatre. FleurBeale:TheCalling|RRP$19.99|Penguin

MY CAT CAN SEE GHOSTS

When she was five, Emily Joe’s favourite animal was a leopard; it still is. However, her housecats were the inspiration for this book. Boasting a sixth sense of which M. Night Shyamalan would be amazed, her quirky felines are not only attuned to paranormal activities, they respond in some most unusual ways too. Can Emily’s kitties keep ghosts at bay? There’s only one way to find out, unless we’re psychic, in which case, well never mind.

Emily Joe: My Cat Can See Ghosts | RRP $30 | Beatnik Publishing

HOUSE OF HOLLOW

Billed as a ‘haunting modern fairytale’ (intended for readers aged 12 and up) House of Hollow takes readers to some strange depths. An unusual character, Iris Hollow disappeared from a suburban street, along with her sisters, returning a month later with no memory of what transpired. Ten years later, when one of her sisters goes missing again, Iris is about to discover the reasons behind her curiousness as a fantastical, supernatural adventure begins.

Krystal Sutherland: House of Hollow | RRP $24 | Penguin

THE CALLING

Nineteenth century New Zealand was not exactly a time and place renowned for options, especially for young women. Her mother’s dying wish was for Molly to become a nun; her Methodist father, however, expects her to marry. In seeking the remarkable Mother Mary Joseph Aubert, Molly might just discover a calling all her own as this novel (for young readers aged 12 and up) unfolds.