Creating a community through coffee and chooks
Schools
What started as a few chooks and a chicken coop has turned into a thriving enterprise for the Goody Two Shoes café at St Thomas School at Goodwood.
Such is the success of a coffee cooperative run by Year 6 students and staff at a school in Adelaide’s inner southern suburbs that a nearby café is getting a little put-out at being bypassed by parents wanting their morning pick-me-up.
Goodwood has residents with no end of varied requirements for their coffee according to teacher Nick Mezzino. To meet the demand, its school café offers 18 different types of coffee plus chocolate drinks and more.
Every Friday from 8.30 to 9.30am, the Goody Two Shoes café at St Thomas School is the place to be for parents after dropping off their children. And it’s not just a caffeine hit that that’s on offer; fresh eggs from the school’s three chooks are for sale as are colorfully decorated cookies and brownies plus a range of (pre-loved) school uniforms.
Service is with a smile, the children trained to ask all the right questions as they dash around the kitchen and use the Eftpos machine with ease and speed.
And it all began with some chickens.
Nick is a Year 3 and 4 teacher and the school leader of ecology and community at St Thomas. He also picked up the Laudato Si’ award at the 2023 Catholic Education Awards and enjoys the freedom and creativity of the role.
“It started with a meeting to find a way to re-engage a disengaged pupil who loved animals and so we needed to build a chicken coop first,” Nick said.
St Thomas former principal, Dan Cowan, was on board but told Nick ‘if you want chickens, you have to find a way to raise money for it’.
As it happened, the school’s ecology leaders were meeting to sort out lost property and came up with a solution. The ‘Eco Warriors’ decided to set up a second-hand uniform stall with the proceeds going to the chicken coop (its tenants are Eggie Betts, Chicky Minaj and Laid-Y-Gaga).
“Parents started donating uniforms and one rack turned into five,” said Nick.
Such was its success that at the end of 2023, the ecology shed was turned into a uniform shop called The Market Shed. The pupils didn’t stop there though and used the proceeds to buy a coffee machine and grinder which they set up adjacent to the uniform shop and named the cafe Goody Two Shoes.
Students do everything aside from frothing milk where a staff member steps in.
School principal Belinda Burford and deputy Paul Mensforth have backed the initiative from the go and ensure that Nick now dedicates every Friday morning to the community enterprise.
A roster of Year 6 students serves parents keen to drop in for a $4 coffee every Friday. For the summer months there is a gelato bar on Friday afternoons which has quickly become a tradition for many families in the school.
Smoothies are on the menu too with the children waiting for a seasonal mulberry tree overhanging the café to drop its fruit and add another flavour.
The Southern Cross can vouch for the quality of the coffee and the next level service from students Emelia, Indiana and Chiara.
It’s not just about profit, the shed and café provide an important part of most community events including free coffees for mums on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day BBQs and graduation breakfasts. On one occasion 27 APRIMs from around SA popped into the café while attending an event onsite.
The proceeds are well spent.
“We have bought speakers and lights for school disco, alfresco dining furniture and soccer goals,” said Nick, adding that charities such as Vinnies and their Winter Appeal have benefited.
“The students meet to decide where the profits from their hard work go with the main condition being that it must go back into the community and benefit our students, their families or those in need in the wider community.
“Authentic student engagement is at an all-time high and pride in their café is immense.”
