Donna Black started in the hospitality industry at a very young age. Now the manager and Barista at Five Loaves in Ponsonby, Auckland, she fell in love with coffee making because of the joy on customers' faces when giving them the small pleasure that is coffee.
Black takes pride in remembering and returning her customer's orders, it is something so small that can make a huge difference to a day. Making someone feel special with a hot and fresh pick me up.
At Five Loaves, Black has noticed the increase in takeaway coffee sales and the want for alternative milks. Customers are less and less likely to sit down for a pretty cup of Java these days, instead needing something for on the go. Continuous lockdowns also seemed to give customers time to think about what milk was best for their bodies, with oat becoming one of the main preferences.
She thinks that the defining features of a good cuppa are taste and temperature. There is “nothing worse than being excited for your first sip of sunshine, only to get a warm cup of mud,” said Black.
When she is not running the show at Five Loaves, Black enjoys not smelling like a coffee bean and being with her family.
