Ep.1
Darling Discussions
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Welcome to episode one of Darling discussions, a place where we find out more of the who behind the business..
I find peoples stories in business fascinating + inspiring.
As we move forwards we will uncover what drives these passionate people, whats inspired them + what lessons they’ve learnt along the way.
Grab a cuppa, get comfy + lets dive more into the world of these amazing souls I have had the honour of creating with.. starting with, the inspiringly enthused owner of Newcastle’s much loved Xtraction espresso..
jayson
Brakel
What inspired you to start your business?
I have always loved working in cafes and in customer facing roles. I love making people smile and by giving them a cup of coffee (Especially a good cup) seeing smiles made my day. It then progressed into developing an emotional connection with amazing people who come in to see you everyday, all with their unique days and stories. I then grew to a position with an amazing amount of help from a very good friend and mentor from Sherwood Coffee Danny. With that growth I was able to get a taste of ownership and creating your very own culture and experience from the foundations up which was an amazing and intoxicating challenge for me. By challenging myself each day to become better than I was yesterday I have found myself in some very favourable opportunities. Because of my desire to learn and grow, I always took that challenge on. Starting a business is just another example for me of what can happen if you are seriously driven and always want to take on the next challenge!
How would you describe your business in a nutshell?
My business would be nothing without my team. Our business is people, getting to know people, their journey and their lives thereafter. It's a super exciting space that we get to be in where we get to speak with such a diverse amount of people going through different struggles and triumphs, our team and locals alike. We use coffee and food as a vehicle to be able to be there for them day in day out. I would be lying if I didn't say it was a super exciting prospect of always being able to grow and improve our skills within those areas too
What sets your products/services apart from others in the market?
I'm a massive F1 fan and one very common saying in that sport is that "if you're not moving forwards, you're effectively going backwards" I think that's a very true sentiment in the world of hospitality too as there are so many venues within Newcastle alone. You truly have to constantly want to be one of the best because if you're standing still you're effectively going backwards. With that being said, I think two things set us apart. 1. Our team, people who want to be better and always want to take on new challenges while bettering themselves everyday. 2. Our dedication to the community, as I said before we want to be here for the community and not to make the profit margins we can. However, we do need to make money so that we can continue making these spaces for staff to grow and create that engagement within our community.
What challenges have you faced?.. and how have you overcome them?
With the team that we have my biggest challenge is how to keep the staff motivated and feeling like they are still growing within the company. With such fine margins we can't offer the most competitive salaries in the world today. So we have to find other ways to motivate the team without one of the biggest draw cards that attracts talent in the world today. That is a very difficult challenge. This is also one of my biggest motivators though. When you are surrounded by people who give there all and want to make their work place better whilst also growing themselves. It also pushes you and the company to grow to be able to facilitate that talent. So this "Challenge" has led to us being able to add a second store in Kotara under the name "flo." adding more of those team players and giving us all an opportunity to grow
What role does innovation play in your business?
In an industry of such fine margins, there are some amazing brains out there in the world that are constantly working on how to scrape extra dollars out of any scenario. Get ready for me to nerd out a little... In our store Xtraction. There are a couple that spring to mind that show how one idea can roll into another and make something truly can changing. 1. Coffee machines with ABR (Automatic Brew Ratios) 2.. Acaia Scales 1. ABR is something pretty new in the world of hospitality and something very exciting. In our world recipes are ESSENTIAL to consistently great products. This is the same for coffee. We use Dose (The amount of coffee you start with. Something like 18-22g is pretty standard), Yield (The amount of espresso you want to end up with) and Time (How long you want it to take for your Yield to extract from your Dose) . What ABR can do is allow you to set a recipe and then regardless of other factors (Within reason) adjust its own flow rate to achieve an amazing shot of coffee more consistently. Very cool, this wouldn't have been possible however without an innovation of your regular household scales done by Acaia. 2. Acaia Scales, by doing more study into the typical scales this amazing team was able to make a scale that can predict weight extremely quick and also changed there shape as to not be as effected by steam and other watery elements that would normally effect this type of machinery.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Only do it if you love it. Don't do because you think you will become rich. There are so many businesses in the world and so much money out there. It's more life advice than business advice but if you do what you love than you will become so much richer as you will be so much happier and that will lead to so much more drive and then much bigger pay checks. You create a business out of passion for an idea. However, If I was taken back to that time though. I would do MOST OF IT, all over again. It's hard work, very hard work. But if really, truly deep down love your idea and this project. It may just be the most amazing, inspiring, best idea of your entire life. x
Can you share a recent success story or milestone?
As I said a little early. We are just about to open up our second location! This is a super cool opportunity us where we will be operating under a different name. But running the same great coffee, with a team that has the same vales as our current staff, and the same company philosophy of constantly striving to be our best selves every single day!
Looking ahead, what are your future goals for the business?
Myself personally I want to continue providing venues that have the same company philosophies as Xtraction. Providing a safe space for staff to grow and develop as human beings. Whilst also existing within whatever community in and trying to help improve and better it however we can!
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us Jayson. Love what you have created, you inspire with your character, passion and your labour of love shines. Thank you again - see you at flo very soon.
You can connect with Xtraction espresso on Insta @xtractionespresso + new venture @flo.kotara
Thank you
for reading first episode of DARLING DISCUSSIONS x
Images by me, at Xtraction King street. Newcastle, freshen up your branding visuals here