Behind the Beans: A Chat With a Café Owner
Meet Kylie, a local resident and the owner behind two much-loved cafés, Bean 2 Bargo and Leafy Latte.
Discover how Kylie and her husband transformed a business idea into a thriving community café in Bargo, and how her passion for hospitality led to the opening of Leafy Latte at Tahmoor Garden Centre. Explore her journey of growth, creativity and connection within the Wollondilly community.
Let’s start off with a little bit about you
We are a family run business with two cafés located within Wollondilly. Myself and my husband Chris live in Bargo with our three boys who go to school locally and are involved in various local sporting teams.
Tell us about your cafés
Our two cafés are Bean 2 Bargo and Leafy Latte, both located in Bargo. Bean 2 Bargo opened in October 2022, and is more of your on the go grab a delicious White Horse coffee and a scrumptious bite to eat. There is a small seating area outside which our regulars love; its so great seeing locals meet and connect over coffee and conversation.
Leafy Latte opened in September 2024 and is situated within Tahmoor Garden Centre. Tahmoor Garden Centre approached us with their intention of reopening the café on site. We are so honoured that they placed their trust in Chris and I to recreate a special place within the garden centre. Steve, Sylvie and Naomi are the most easy going, friendly people, and we are so grateful that they chose us to bring life back into the café. The café offers a tranquil setting with indoor and outdoor seating, an expansive menu and White Horse coffee; it's a great place for a brunch style, freshly made, hearty meal. We also have live music on alternate Sundays with local musicians.
We pride ourselves on our customer connection and experience with both sites, without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue doing what we love.
What inspired you to start your café and work in the hospitality industry?
My husband had a workspace where he manufactured aquariums, and he was always craving a good coffee. He saw an opportunity to create a beautiful space, and I was feeling the need for a change for a better work-life balance and to be around more for my family. We worked together to bring our vision to life. I had never worked a day in hospitality prior to opening my little coffee shop in Bargo. I had incredible support and guidance to show me the way; I believe that I continue to learn everyday which I’m so grateful for. Looking back on how far we’ve come, I honestly couldn’t be more proud of what we have achieved, together with our team of superstars!
What do you think makes your cafés unique or successful?
Both cafés offer a different environment and vibe. Our staff are incredible and offer great quality customer service with amazing coffee and delicious food all made of a high standard. I like to believe that we provide a safe space for the community and beyond to enjoy a delicious coffee or meal with friends, or even where you can come to meet and connect with new people within the Wollondilly community. We have a lot of history in this town and I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to hear the incredible stories from our elderly community.
We are so grateful to have been able to work with Joe Quilter on our stunning mural in our Bean 2 Bargo café. The mural features local flowers and a kookaburra and how the bush came back into bloom after the 2019 bush fires. Joe and Anthony (weitwo) worked on the STA Paint the Town project. We knew Joe and the moment we thought of opening a store, we wanted his talent to help make a beautiful piece. Joe has also created the masterpiece on the front of Leafy Latte; he is the most genuine, down to earth guy you will ever have the pleasure to meet – if you need any artwork done, Joe is your guy!
What has been your proudest moment or biggest accomplishment so far?
Winning the local business awards 2 years in a row!
What’s your must-have coffee blend and why?
We use White Horse Coffee; I absolutely love this Roaster as they provide incredible support and are just an awesome bunch of guys. They fit what we stand for: community, family and quality.
Why did you choose Wollondilly as the place to build your business and serve the local community?
There were not a lot of café options for locals in the area, and we found the need ourselves to be able to enjoy great coffee locally. Being that we reside locally it was the perfect opportunity to bring to our home town of Bargo a much needed dining opportunity for all to enjoy.
What do you love most about being part of the Wollondilly community?
Everyone is so friendly, up for a chat and happy to help each other and gives a real sense of community. We also host the Wollondilly Women in Business (WWIB) Morning Connect sessions at Leafy Latte. They are relaxed sessions, where women in business can connect, share and support each other in a welcoming space. What an inspiring bunch of talented women within this network. I am blessed to be part of this network; if you are a woman in business looking for connection and support within a safe space, please take a moment to follow their Facebook page and see the incredible things they are doing for the Wollondilly community.
Aside from your own, which local businesses do you love and support?
We love to support local businesses wherever we can - most of our produce is locally sourced from our local farmers. I truly believe that we need to support local, as we are all in this together.
Complete this sentence: Most people wouldn’t know that I am:
A proud mum of three beautiful boys, running three businesses within the Wollondilly. My husband Chris is the muscle behind JZ Marime Aquariums. We are so grateful to be small business owners within the Wollondilly, and the community support is invaluable.
And just for fun…what was your first job?
My first job was with Woolworths; I started when I was 14 and worked my way up to their Head Office, I've always been customer focused and really pride myself on customer experience. I believe that we should treat others the way we would expect to be treated - kindness is free.
Where do you see yourself and your café in 10 years?
Hmm...maybe opening more spaces? Who knows what the future holds - I see growth within our current spaces and I would love to still be here in the Wollondilly supporting the community and being able to provide more job opportunities.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would love to say thank you to everyone who supports us, purchases big or small, even just taking the time to walk into our humble coffee cafés – it honesty means the world to us. I am extremely lucky to have an incredible team on my side, without them we couldn’t continue doing what we love, providing the community and beyond with love, laughter and incredible coffee! I learn from them every single day, and very much look forward to many more years within the Wollondilly.
