Celebrating Impact, Community, and Coffee!
CafeSmart 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary. With the support of 50 roasters, 800 cafes, and countless coffee lovers nationwide, the energy, enthusiasm, and generosity have been truly inspiring. As we wrap up another remarkable year, it’s time to celebrate the incredible contributions of our coffee community.
Roasters Awards
The week kicked off with a bang at La Marzocco’s Melbourne Showroom on Saturday, 10th August, setting the stage for an unforgettable CafeSmart 2024. The launch event featured new friends Golden Brown and a powerhouse lineup of industry legends, including Rumble Coffee, Project Zero, KeepCup, Riverina, and Vitasoy.
Hundreds of cinnamon scroll flat whites were enjoyed, alongside delicious paninis from Melbourne favorite Stefanino Panino. Attendees also had the chance to purchase KeepCups, with all proceeds supporting CafeSmart. The highlight of the day? One lucky guest walked away with a La Marzocco Linea Micra, generously provided by Golden Brown.
CafeSmart wouldn’t be possible without the invaluable support of socially-aware coffee roasters who helped us recruit participating cafes and raise funds for grassroots homelessness services.
This year, we welcomed Seven Miles as a Roaster Partner for the first time. They helped promote the campaign within their network and activated CafeSmart with their teams in-store. Meanwhile Locale Espresso, a long-time CafeSmart supporter, got creative with sign ups this year, thinking outside the box to engage their busy customers in a fun and effective way.
“I wanted a way to engage our customers who are always so under the pump and constantly bombarded with problems to solve and not alot of time to solve them. With our beautiful and generous customer base I knew it would just be a case of ‘hey! stop what you’re doing and check this out!’ and never a question of whether they wanted to be part of this wonderful cause. Low and behold, with a little bit of groovin’ and shakin’ we had the sign ups rolling in!” – Rach Commander, WA State Manager, Locale Espresso.
Single O has claimed the top roaster award for a seventh year, proudly connecting 62 cafes to this year’s CafeSmart campaign! We’re so grateful to have them on board and as a thank you, they’ll be taking home a $500 voucher from our friends at Worktones!
A special shoutout goes to newcomers Seven Miles, who smashed their debut by rallying 51 of their cafe partners to join the event!
Cafe Shoutouts!
As the main fundraising day on Friday 16th approached, the CafeSmart buzz only grew stronger. Social media exploded with cafes decked out in yellow and coffee enthusiasts from coast to coast showing their support.
CafeSmart 2024 wasn’t just about the funds raised but also about the vibrant events and activations that brought the campaign to life. Some standout moments included live music from Barista and Musician Tayvin Martins at Boston’s Espresso, seated massages at Little Brick Road Espresso, and countless smiley cakes and treats all in the name of raising funds! Friday’s fun was heightened by the main CafeSmart day event at ONA Sydney, where ONA Coffee, Vitasoy, Butterboy Cookies, and Grada Coffee teamed up for a collaborative fundraising effort. The collaboration was a fitting celebration to top off the week.
Picture by The Old Corner Shop, QLD
Picture by Grainstore Cafe, VIC
Picture by Yahava KoffeeWorks Margaret River, WA
We also celebrated milestones like the national coffee chain, The Coffee Club, joining in CafeSmart for a 3rd year in a row!
“At The Coffee Club, we believe in the power of community-driven initiatives like CafeSmart. Together with our customers, we are committed to making a positive impact and supporting those facing homelessness” – Scott Meneilly, CEO, The Coffee Club.
And Laneway Specialty Coffee’s 10th year of support!
“We got involved with CafeSmart to foster a sense of community and social responsibility. Investing in the well-being of the local community not just our customers to create a positive impact and strengthen our neighbourhood ties. By contributing to the welfare of our local area through CafeSmart, we’re not only making a positive impact but also aligning our values with our business practices.” – Danni Mann, Creative Director, Laneway Specialty Coffee and Besser Brew Bar.
Fundraising Awards
First and foremost, a huge thank you to all our fundraisers who went above and beyond in their support. This year, we saw exceptional efforts from cafes nationwide, but a special shoutout goes to:
A huge shoutout to our incredible National Fundraiser of the Year, Allee Espresso, who, with the support of their amazing customers, raised a whopping $4,521! Thanks to our generous sponsors at Coffee Tools Distributing, Allee Espresso will be receiving an xBloom Filter Coffee Maker for their venue. Congrats, Allee Espresso!
We’re also thrilled to welcome new cafes to the CafeSmart family. So we would also like to shoutout all the best new cafes, that didn’t hesitate to get behind the event and raised lots of money for their local homeless projects!
A big shoutout to Swiftt, who smashed their first year in CafeSmart, raising a fantastic $1,407 to support homelessness services in the Coffs Harbour region! As a token of our appreciation, their crew will be enjoying an esky full of Almighty Sodas. Cheers to Swiftt for jumping on board and making a big impact!
Impactful Partnerships
We couldn’t organise CafeSmart and raise these funds without the support of our awesome sponsors, so a huge thank you to Vitasoy and La Marzocco, our CafeSmart 2024 Principal Sponsors and Coffee Tools Distributing and Prana Chai, CafeSmart 2024 Supporting Sponsors, for their financial support and commitment to the event and cause.
To our media partners Beanscene Magazine and Broadsheet Media, for helping us share the event with the coffee and hospitality industry, and finally a thank you to our friends at EcoBarista, Brewing Brands, Moccamaster and The Bean Cartel for being amazing supporters!
As we wrap up CafeSmart 2024, we’re already looking forward to next year’s campaign. The support and enthusiasm from our community have been nothing short of amazing, and we can’t wait to continue working together to make an even greater impact.
Thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and celebrated CafeSmart 2024. Your dedication to fighting homelessness and supporting those in need is what makes this campaign so special.
Here’s to a successful year and many more to come!
Donations are still welcome! So if you’d like to get involved with this coffee movement and have a REAL and MEANINGFUL impact in your community this year, chip in online now!
