Bridgetown mum ‘pivots’ coffee van passion into small creative cafe in Nannup

From photography and interior design to opening a cafe in the small town of Nannup — a creative spirit and the desire to be a role model is the driver for a Bridgetown mum of three. Hayley Rubery had never worked in a coffee shop before opening her new cafe The Barista and the Blackwood Bread in Nannup last month. But, she started her Early Birdie van in Bridgetown two years ago serving coffee in the community and it was that which turned into the launching pad for the new venture. “We’re four weeks in and I have two to three staff on at all times — there’s no way I’m doing it myself, which is cool, especially for little old Nannup,” she told the Times. “It’s quite a quiet town, but lots of people drive through it. “I wanted to have a place where people could come and hang with me because I love a chat, and when people walk in, it feels good and smells really good.” Looking for a “hole in the wall” she could make her own, she said the cafe reflected her creative touch — from the dimmed lighting, to the smells and the simplicity of the menu. “All of my work, it doesn’t matter what I’ve done — I’ve done pottery over the years, I used to sell herbal medicine, then I was a photographer, I was trained as an interior designer more than 20 years ago now — all those things are interwoven into my work,” Ms Rubery said. “It’s important to me that everything flows into any job I am doing. The cafe is the same.” Ms Rubery said while running the coffee van with different baristas, she recognised the need to ensure workers followed the same process when making coffee. Called the “queen of pivoting” on Instagram by her online community, Ms Rubery said when it comes to changing direction in life, her “whole motto” is just do the next right thing — ”whatever it is”. “We’re always so caught up on one thing — if you’re a barista, you’re a barista, that’s it. If you’re an interior designer, you’re an interior designer — but if your whole centre point is creativity, then that flows through whatever the next right thing is,” she said. “So, if you want to be a barista, then you learn how to make coffee and you do it damn good. “Pivoting is so important because it keeps everything really fresh. You never get stuck down in the ‘I should do this’ and ‘I should do that’ because you don’t have time to worry about that. You’re just doing the next right thing. “Pivoting constantly is perfection to me.” She said as a 41-year-old opening a cafe, she hoped to inspire her children to be passionate about creating their own future no matter what they choose to do. “I’ve always really found it really important that they watch me work really hard, but do things that I absolutely love,” Ms Rubery said. She said the name The Barista and Blackwood Bread is because her partner Shannon Steinki sells his wood-fired bread and is also opening his own endeavour in the area — a sourdough bakery. “His bread really suits the same authenticity. It’s a little bit rustic but it’s also beautiful, and that really matters to me,” Ms Rubery said.