Owner of T Bay Cafe, Anna Doyle, moved to Titahi Bay in 2017 with her partner, Jeff, and the pair were quick to notice there was nowhere in Titahi Bay to get a good coffee or meal.
"We saw a gap in the market and decided to set up our cafe," said Doyle.
Doyle had gone through the rite of passage of working in hospitality during her studies and whilst travelling and had always loved being a barista.
She continued that she and Jeff are passionate about food and coffee despite it not being their background when they founded the cafe. T Bay Cafe was designed by the couple, with both aware of the importance of hiring a head chef and head barista who shared in Doyle's vision and commitment to using the best local ingredients and offering the Titahi Bay community of creating a fantastic menu and coffee that was consistent in its quality.
"We love Good Fortune coffee for its taste but also for their values of being fair trade organic and that they are living wage employers and, of course, a local Wellington business."
Doyle said she always loved hospitality, and the opportunity to set up her cafe was very appealing. Working with all her staff and customers is a highlight for Doyle, adding that they have an exceptional community and that spending daily amongst the community was great.
At T Bay Cafe, there are specialty offers of Turmeric, spiced chai, and matcha lattes, and with Doyle continuing that, they also make a 'banging' iced coffee.
The most rewarding aspect of the cafe and Doyle's day-to-day is interacting with people and employing 18 excellent staff who are almost all from Titahi Bay.
"It's also a perk. I have access to amazing coffee daily."
Anna Doyle
The T Bay Cafe was designed to include the whole Titahi Bay community. The cafe's philosophy revolves around wanting people to feel at home and have a sense of belonging when in the cafe. Doyle exhibits local art on the walls inside the cafe and sells local products.
"We also have a very inclusive menu with many gluten-free items, and all of our baking is gluten-free. We aim to be as sustainable as possible. For example, our coffee comes in four kg buckets delivered and empty buckets returned to save on packaging waste. All of our food waste is composted at the local community garden."
Doyle said to make a great coffee, ensuring the grind was set to the correct position to have a perfectly extracted shot. For milk coffees, she said that the milk needs to be silky and not steamed, with a pretty design, which in Doyle's opinion, showed that the barista knows what they are doing. Her order was a tulip flat white.
Outside of work, Doyle has two young children, aged three and six, which she said keep her busy in her spare time.
We have a great group of friends, and much co-parenting happens at the beach.
"We have a great group of friends, and much co-parenting happens at the beach."
Describing her perfect date night, Doyle said going for dinner to a favourite restaurant and checking out new restaurants in Wellington was the best, with a cocktail to finish the night, an espresso martini being Doyle's first choice.
