Inside Mix Haus, the Not-for-Profit Opening Doors for Women Across the Hospitality Industry

As any woman in a male-dominated industry can attest, going to work can sometimes feel like an isolating, intimidating experience – and it’s hard to get by without the support of your girls. Mix Haus co-founders Shirley Yeung and Pippa Canavan know this, and in 2021 they established their not-for-profit which aims to create an inclusive and safe space for women in hospitality through education, training, networking and workshops.

It all started when Yeung and Canavan (then bar managers at Foxtrot Unicorn and Mechanics Institute respectively) noticed their female friends and colleagues were avoiding the often male-dominated industry events. (The pair started Mix Haus with a third co-founder who is no longer involved).

“We were sick and tired of being the only women in a room full of men at tastings and training, when we knew so many [other women] wanted to be there but just didn’t feel comfortable,” Yeung tells Broadsheet. “We wanted to create a safe space for women, so they would want to come and learn.”

Both Yeung and Canavan began their careers as baristas, in the kitchen and as front of house staff, before they were attracted by the “allure” of bartending and quickly experienced the kind of obstacles that many women in hospitality can relate to. At 19, Yeung asked her manager if she could learn how to bartend and the response was “No, you’ll need to lift heavy things and because you’re a woman you won’t be able to do it.” Rather than getting disheartened, Yeung simply found another venue where she could start her bartending journey. But years later, as a venue manager at Foxtrot Unicorn, she would still have customers dismiss her advice and ask for the male bartender – only to realise that he had no clue, when he went straight to Yeung for help.

Canavan also had to “pester” her way onto the bar. When her employer told her they didn’t need a bartender, she said, “Teach me anyway. If I finish all my stuff, can I just come in and do a couple of G&Ts?” Then when she looked for her next position in Edinburgh, she “embellished” her resume and was googling how to make White Russians, Mojitos, and Margaritas on the way to the interview. “They realised I was underqualified pretty quickly, but by that time I had charmed my way in,” Canavan tells Broadsheet.

Canavan went on to meet many women who shared these experiences, and felt that they were either a “personality hire” or that they were only chosen “because they were pretty”. At her bartending job in Edinburgh, Canavan remembers her male colleagues writing “hotness ratings” on women’s resumes, an experience she took lightly as an 18-year-old but now realises was “awful and demeaning”.

“Now, at our events, when I have girls come up to me and say, ‘I think I was only hired because of this’, I say ‘Take that job, learn everything you can, become better than the person who hired you, take over, and hire more women for their skills’,” says Canavan.

Since their initial fundraiser in 2021 – an auction and bar takeover at Nowhereman Brewing – Mix Haus has run many number of training events, masterclasses, and panel talks for a predominantly female-audience each year. This is alongside events and bar takeovers that platform talented women in the industry and raise funds to continue these events.

According to Yeung and Canavan, without support or mentorship, it’s difficult for women to move through the ranks of the bar scene and win industry accolades. “You don’t need to be stuck behind the bar your entire life, you can work towards other things but … [there’s no] natural progression or pathway,” explains Yeung.

Over the last two years Mix Haus has worked to establish networking opportunities with industry leaders including Emma Farrelly (director of wine and beverages, State Buildings), Blaze Young (Nieuw Ruin) and Pia Poynton (Nowhereman Brewing) as well as running its own cocktail competition training and offering scholarships to year-long WSET training.

With a thriving partnership network of brands and appreciative feedback from women in Perth, Mix Haus tested the waters of expansion during Sydney Bar Week 2023. After reaching out to women attending the event from across the country, more than 20 bartenders were recruited for a takeover at Door Knock – and they packed out the venue.

Mix Haus is now putting together a roadmap for the future, with the duo planning “to get more states involved and create bigger communities, better networks, and more support systems”. They are connecting with women who may be able to run new branches of the organisation, hoping that each arm will be sustained by people from the local community. Then they can look at large-scale ideas like a national cocktail competition or attracting international guests.

Yeung and Canavan don’t think they’re doing anything revolutionary – rather, they’re picking up the mantle of women that came before them and doing their part to push for change. “I’m hopeful for the future of women in hospitality, I feel like it’s changing,” says Canavan.

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