Café Viva welcomes experienced barista Moey Ayoubi to the team

He joined the Vivability-run business about a month ago, coming on board as a barista and café manager.

With Café Viva employing many people with a disability, some of whom are quite new to hospitality, Mr Ayoubi plays an important role in mentoring staff and keeping the operation running smoothly.

He brings to the café a wealth of experience, having worked in other Bathurst businesses owned by his uncle, Arthur Aube.

"I've worked at Ristretto, I've worked at Doppio, basically every time Arthur has opened another one up I've been there," he said.

"I started off at Crema in Orange in 2016, I think it was, and pretty much was there at both Ristretto and Doppio from when they opened to when they sold.

"I got to know a few of the townspeople and hopefully made a few good coffees in my time."

When the opportunity arose to work at Café Viva, he saw it as a chance to continue his hospitality career with a little more purpose.

"The opportunity here and the thing that Viva has created here ... it's just such a cool initiative, giving the clients the chance to actually get into café work and ideally progress from here at some point maybe," he said.

"I'm happy to help and be along for the journey."

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So far, he's enjoying the new role.

He's found the level of skill and experience at Café Viva to be mixed and said it's important to be aware of what each staff member is capable of and what support they need to keep improving.

"It's working yourself around to those capabilities and abilities and knowing where someone will be the best fit," Mr Ayoubi said.

And he's not the only one imparting knowledge.

He said that he is learning from the other staff as well.

"I feel so privileged to be here alongside them and seeing them grow. I feel like it's pushing me to be a better person myself," he said.

While he's not sure where his hospitality career will take him, for now his goal is to make Café Viva the best it can be.

In addition to helping the staff to improve their skills and become more independent, he said he wants to make sure the coffee offering is consistently good for their customers.

Café Viva is open seven days a week and is located in the grounds of the Cathedral of St Michael and St John.

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