Ipswich cafe Beans & Greens has been refreshed, renamed and refocused under the stewardship of new owners.
Brett and Christie Briggs have purchased the business at 61 Limestone Street, which remains open and will officially celebrate its relaunch on March 2.
“The cafe’s new name is Oikos, which is a Greek word that means circle of influence,” Brett said.
“We’re not Greek, we just like the word and it’s pretty much what we live our life by.
“It’s really about community, who you are influenced by and who you influence.
“We wanted to bring a place to Ipswich where people can pause with family and friends for some relaxation, good food and great coffee.”
The cafe’s name speaks volumes about how Brett and Christie approach life. Family, friends and working for the betterment of the community are at the core of all that they do.
Christie is a nurse in the maternity ward at St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital and before taking on the cafe, Brett was working with a local disability support service.
He helps run the charity Ipswich Connect, which supports disadvantaged young adults.
Both want to continue having a positive influence on Ipswich.
“For us it’s about making genuine relationships and doing what we can to help build that sense of community,” Christie said.
“We’ve put some quotes up on the wall and all of them were carefully chosen for their message. One of them is ‘love difficult people because you’re one of them’ and that’s really what we’re about.
“We’re about inclusion, being non-judgemental and showing grace and kindness.”
Brett and Christie are no strangers to tackling challenges head on and their upbeat approach to life is never far from sight, as seen when they recently announced their new venture to friends on Facebook.
“Last time we bought a puppy a few weeks before (first-born) Feli was born so we thought we would tone it down a little before the next one is born… we bought a cafe!,” they wrote, with the pair expecting their second child this April.
The message was complete with a family photo of Brett, Christie and daughter Feli in the cafe holding up coffee cups with amusing messages that read “financially stressed” and “out of my depth”.
“We’re not afraid to try new things and to have a go,” Christie said.
Brett and Christie kept their sense of humour when announcing their new ventures to friends through this photo on Facebook.
“But we wouldn’t be able to do that, to get here, without the circle of support we have around us from our family and friends and that is what it’s all about.”
As well as the cafe’s interior, its menu has also been refreshed. Simple, clean, seasonal food is now the order of the day.
Oikos uses mostly locally sourced produce and Kai coffee beans from the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s a seasonal menu so you won’t always get the same berries on top of your fruit explosion but where possible they will be local,” Brett said.
“At the moment, for example, the avocado we are using for our smashed avo comes from Mt Tamborine and they are just massive so people can expect good food and coffee.”
Oikos plans to have live music and prizes for its official opening on March 2.
Feli, Christie and Brett Briggs with cafe staff Callum Greenaway and Asha Srinivas.
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Visited your cafe yesterday for the first time meeting up with several friends.loved the friendly welcome & service from Brett as I arrived earlier than my friends & he made me feel at home placing tables together for their arrival.a cosy cafe with a cheerful atmosphere & although didn’t order any food this time we enjoyed our drinks,mine the nutter smoothie.will be back Brett.thankyou & all the best to Christie with the new addition arriving soon.wish you both well.Judy.