Carving out a niche for a café can be the key to business success. One café owner details how leaning into their suburb’s interest in wellness and finding a coffee specialism helped their venue to thrive.
Growing up among the coffee plantations in the foothills of the Honduran countryside, Meidy Estevez had a strong connection to the world of coffee from a young age. Even when she moved to Australia, she continued to immerse herself in the industry – managing coffee shops across Sydney until she opened her own venue, Meidy’s Café, in Bondi in 2018.
Located on a busy strip of cafés and shops, Meidy knew she had to make her new addition stand out from the crowd.
“I loved making coffee and had worked in a couple of different coffee shops across the city. I used to live and work in Bondi and knew the area well, so one day I decided it was time to open my own business,” she says.
“There were already a couple of cafés on the street I’d chosen to set up my venue, but I noticed none of them offered organic coffee or tea. Many people in the local community were interested in health and wellness, so introducing an organic coffee blend seemed like a great idea to make us stand out from the crowd.”
A friend suggested Meidy get in touch with Piazza D’Oro, knowing the Sydney roaster offered an organic option. While there were many roasteries in the city to choose from, it was a link to home that inspired Meidy to partner with Piazza D’Oro.
“I was overwhelmed by the choice of roasters, but when I discovered Piazza D’Oro’s Organic coffee can feature beans from the area I grew up in, I knew it would be the perfect fit for Meidy’s Café,” she says.
“I had tried so many coffees so far, I instantly gave up my search. The team at Piazza D’Oro were very quick to get me set up with all the equipment I needed to start serving their coffee.”
The medium-roast, organic-certified blend can feature beans from Honduras and Peru to produce tasting notes of caramel, milk chocolate, and honey.
“As a child, I picked coffee in Honduras, which is really special,” she says.
“We’ve been serving the beans for almost eight years and they’re very popular with our customers. Most people who come into Meidy’s are looking for a strong coffee with great flavour and this blend doesn’t disappoint.”
Alongside organic coffee and tea, Meidy’s Café serves a range of health-focused dishes to appeal to the tastes of its local residents. Breakfast bowls, nourishing salads, and wraps are supplemented by more indulgent dishes for visitors who want to treat themselves.
“Nowadays, everybody wants to look after themselves and healthy options continue to be very popular. Having nutritious food really complements our menu of organic drinks and appeals to our regular customers,” Meidy says.
“We have a small team of chefs who create our menu from scratch. There are also some more fun dishes such as fluffy buttermilk pancakes and pistachio french toast.”
What originally started as a hole-in-the-wall venue has expanded into a much roomier café with plenty of space for regulars to kick back and enjoy a coffee or something to eat.
“Our success is down to our regular customers who have supported the café as
we have grown,” Meidy says.
For more information, visit piazzadoro.com.au
This article appears in the October 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
