On a roll with love and a cup of coffee

THE basis of Kombi for a Cause is simple, provide hot drinks to those in need.

After purchasing the distinctive blue van 12 months ago, owner Kyllie Garrett said the business has become a way for her to give back.

“The idea behind the concept is that about 18 months ago I went to Russia and had stem cell treatment for MS,” she said.

“I paid for a lot of that through crowd funding, a lot of people were just really generous and giving me money for my own health.

“I wanted to do something to give back to the community and other people.”

In addition to providing quality coffee and hot drinks to her customers, Ms Garrett frequently donates a portion of her profits to charitable causes.

Trying to focus on local causes predominantly, she said there’s always people in need of a helping hand.

“For example, we recently donated to someone’s Go Fund Me for their dad who was diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

“Once COVID started, I started doing the cups of gratitude where people would pay it forward with a cup of coffee and I would match it with another one and bank them up then go around and make a heap of coffees for free at schools or at the hospital or wherever.

“I try to put out nominations and I get the occasional nomination where someone is grateful to someone about something they have done for them, or someone who is having a hard time.”

When she’s not making coffees and donating to charities, Ms Garrett is also a single mother to her young children.

“I really enjoy what I do and I can show my kids how to give back and have gratitude,” she said.

“Because I’m a single parent, I find that it’s super flexible so I can drop the kids off at school and go and do a coffee run, or they can come with me.

“Even with COVID, I’ve been able to just go with the flow and manage my day between making a little bit of money and making some memories as well.”

Although the lockdown period inhibited a lot of businesses around the city, that’s not the case for Ms Garrett.

“I’ve been really busy, so I do a lot of schools and different businesses, even street stops,” she said.

“During COVID, I opened up in my garage and in lockdown people would come and grab a coffee when they were out exercising.

“Then I started doing street stops for people who were working from home and wanted a coffee.”

Having only operated the van for a year, Ms Garrett said she’s both thankful for all the support she’s received so far and is excited for what the future of the business has in store.

“I also do a mobile bar for weddings and events as well which I’m excited to be kicking off,” she said.

“Not long ago, I purchased another van so I’m looking to put someone else on and this summer I’ll be out at Salt restaurant doing picnics and at the sunflower and lavender fields.

“It’s been so well received in the community and it’s all thanks to word of mouth, that’s basically 100 per cent of my business is people just passing it on.”