Frank Bresnik mans the coffee machine at his newly-acquired cafe venutre, The Burrow.
Copper Kettle Café owner Frank Bresnik is defying a lean time for the local hospitality industry by opening two new coffee-related businesses in the Queanbeyan CBD.
The local business man recently announced two new stores in Queanbeyan on top of his existing café enterprise in City Arcade, off Monaro Street.
Mr Bresnik and wife Roz recently purchased the 7 Grams Café coffee cart, situated within the New South Wales government building, opposite the police station at the end of Monaro St.
The coffee cart - renamed 'The Burrow' - opened under the Bresnik's ownership on Monday, and Mr Bresnik said the couple had ambitions to expand the small coffee spot, possibly incorporating outdoor tables in the future.
"We aim to improve the service to workers in the building, and we're hoping to attract the police and court staff to cross the road as well. And it's an ideal spot for outdoor tables as well, so hopefully we'll be able to introduce that at some point," he said.
The coffee cart purchase comes at a time when several established cafes within the Queanbeyan CBD are up for sale, including Central Café, Country Heir, and Rendezvous.
Mr Bresnik said he hadn't been looking to purchase another coffee outlet in the current economic climate, but a meeting with his accountant convinced him of the tax benefits in purchasing the cart before the end of the financial year.
""Economic times are tough, but you've got to be prepared to look outside the box and get things moving," he said.
His second new business has been in the works for several months now, and compliments the couple's expertise in the coffee industry.
'Greenwares'- a wholesale/retail outlet specializing in biodegradable and environmentally-friendly café supplies- is set to open next week, and is located next to the Copper Kettle Café in City Arcade.
"There's a growing need for this kind of product in Queanbeyan, and we're hoping we'll fill a bit of a gap in the market here," Mr Bresnik said.
The store will sell biodegradable plastic bags as well as compostable coffee cups, plates and cutlery made from sugar cane fibre, and bottled water that comes in a biodegradable bottle. It will also sell locally sourced teas and coffee.
Mr Bresnik estimated he'll need to employ two new staff to run both businesses, and is also hiring a new cook to handle catering orders at Copper Kettle.
"I'm confident that with the Crawford Street development complete and the fact we've got a forward-looking Council means there's a strong [economic] outlook for Queanbeyan ahead," he said.
"The more of this type of development, the more we're going to see the atmosphere in Queanbeyan change."