A simple hole-in-the-wall coffee shop inspired serial entrepreneur Chelsea Hayward to set up her latest business venture, Coffee Treat.

“In 2015 I was working in commercial real estate. On a visit to Warrnambool I saw a hole-in-the-wall cafe, and loved the concept,” she said.

Chelsea spent two years mulling over the idea and the business potential. She could see an opening in the market to extend the small grab-and-go coffee shop into a premium-service chain.

“I have bought a lot of tired business, built them up and sold them, and I’m experienced in hospitality,” Chelsea explains. “I’d been in real estate for 10 years and I was done; I needed something new. Even though I had it all – I’d built a big portfolio – something was missing,” she says.

So in 2012 she bought the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that had inspired her and moved the family from the Macedon Ranges to the coastal town of Warrnambool.

“It was like a sea change – and I was working for myself once again. I’d started out in business for myself at 19.”

Elevating the brand

Chelsea’s first step was to elevate the look and feel of the mini coffee shop, upgrading equipment as she could afford it.

Renovations

Over eight years she’s completed three renovations to achieve the warm, elegant, black, cream and bronze decor with timber highlights that sits as a perfect backdrop for the hero bespoke coffee that has proved so popular with customers.

Coffee blend

“We use our own blend, a medium roast with a caramel tone that has a nice medium strength,” Chelsea says. The blend is perfectly pitched for the mainstream coffee market, and sells in volume at the three Coffee Treat stores.

“I heard so many times people say they can’t get a decent coffee in the country. So by franchising, I aim to make it accessible to country people. They haven’t had a lot of variety in small country towns. The system works, it’s very profitable and simple to run,” Chelsea explains.

App ordering

“We are app-based, so when you use the app it will show the store that’s closest to you. The customer orders and pays online, and then picks up from the store,” she says. “We have walk-ups all the time but we encourage customers to use the app – it gives us more time to prepare.” 

Expanding the business

Location is key

Coffee Treat operates in small footprint sites (35-50sqm) with car parking but doesn’t offer a drive-through service. Customers step out of their car to pick up pre-ordered food and drinks at the counter.

“Location is everything,” Chelsea says. “This is a grab-and-go option for commuters on the run, busy mums, gym-goers, council workers, tradies. We have people call in after their early morning walk,” she says.

Open from 5.30am to 2pm the business is a friendly, small-business alternative to a typical McDonald’s drive-through.

Premium customer service

“We greet our customers with exceptional customer service. Our staff know customers’ names and what they drink; loyal customers are very important to us.

“You’ve got to have empathy and compassion, be a little more than the others. We want to exceed the expectation. We provide attentive, personalised, warm service and that’s really important. It make someone’s day to put a smile on their face for two minutes and it costs us nothing,” Chelsea says.

Versatile menu

The early opening hours enable the business to provide both breakfast and lunch.

And there’s plenty of choice of food and beverages, from frappes, smoothies and hot drinks to treat slices and cookies, toasties, melts, even an avocado smash on bruschetta.

“It’s the perfect breakfast!” says Chelsea, who dreams up the menu innovations behind the scenes.

“We do great-tasting limited time seasonal drinks – Halloween pumpkin, for instance. I create the menu, test new flavours with the team and if everyone loves the result it goes on the menu. It’s about creating a bit of fun,” she says.

Coffee Treat ready for regional growth through franchising

The third store, in Hamilton, about 80 minutes drive from Warrnambool, has just opened. Once the customer base has built up, Coffee Treat Hamilton will be on the market for franchise buyers.

“This business is ideal for someone with an office job looking for more in their life. It’s so much more rewarding working for yourself,” Chelsea says. She is highly-experienced at operating and developing multiple businesses.

“I was running three businesses at one time – a bakery, bakery cafe and an industrial cafe – while being pregnant with my third child!” she reveals.

For this entrepreneurial powerhouse, there are significant rewards for all the hard work. 

“I love the reward, I get a sense of achievement,” she says. “I don’t stop until I succeed. I’m very passionate and driven, there’s no room to give up. If you want something enough you keep working hard at it.”

Chelsea wants to share that drive and passion with franchisees, who will have the advantage of stepping in to a ready-made system.

“When you buy a franchise, you can use your skills in an new way, with tried and tested systems and guidance. I’ve done all the hard work and troubleshooting.”

Chelsea has big plans for Coffee Treat; initially though, she’s focused on spreading the brand’s great coffee and premium service across country Victoria.