With cafe and sandwich bar Heaps Good Deli, Nana Addo has become a fixture of the Brunswick West community.
The cafe’s signature is its sandwich offering, headlined by the ever-popular chicken pesto, cheesy tuna melt and classic Reuben – but the locally roasted beans from Roasting Warehouse and plant-based milks from The Alternative Dairy Co. have made it a community staple.
“Our coffee is definitely what we’re known for as well,” Addo tells Broadsheet. “We use [Roasting Warehouse’s] Early Bird blend. It’s a darker blend, which is what I really like, so you definitely taste your coffee when you come to ours.”
Before Heaps Good opened, Addo was working in the fashion industry. Searching for a career with a greater focus on personal connections, he found his calling in a Brunswick West cafe. “For me, moving on, it was purely because I love people. I love making them happy, I like making them feel important, and building those relationships is one of my strengths as well.”
These days, you might find Addo playing up these connections behind the espresso machine, chatting openly with anyone who wanders through the door – whether it’s parents on the school run or dog walkers on the weekend. “Customers love to see a friendly face when they come in,” he says. “It’s really important to me that when people come in, they see me in there, chatting to them and asking them about their day, and really building those relationships.”
The cafe turns on these regulars; Addo guesses that something like 80 per cent of customers are repeat business. Being away from Brunswick’s main drag of Sydney Road, Heaps Good Deli depends on these connections.
“I love the community, I love the people,” Addo says. “They’re just so supportive. It’s testament to the community and a testament to us as well – we’ve come in and really put an effort into building those relationships with them. We’re in an environment where when they walk in, they can feel the energy and feel safe and feel that they’re welcome.”
While Addo and the team have worked hard to create a welcoming space for Brunswick West locals, building a community is more than serving lattes and sandwiches – it’s about being part of your neighbours’ everyday lives. Even those locals who might not drink coffee are touched by Heaps Good Deli’s community-minded approach.
“When Brunswick North Primary School had their fete, they reached out about potentially making a donation to the school,” Addo says. “We were more than happy to take part in that and provide something for them. Most of my clients, their kids go to that school, so I thought it’s a way for me to say ‘thank you’.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with The Alternative Dairy Co.
