Merewether brothers Jacob and Nathan Pepper jumped in the deep end when they opened WIA Store on Darby Street back in 2016.
With no business experience to speak of, it was a case of sink or swim.
"What Is Art, or WIA, is the story of two brothers who had an idea - opening a retail store where customers could purchase branded apparel while also sipping coffee," professional footballer Jacob Pepper said from Indonesia, where he plays for Madura United.
"We initially opened up as a simple hole-in-the-wall coffee venue which sold apparel inside. Neither of us had any background in hospitality, only an idea and the mind-set of working hard in order to make that dream come true."
Read more:Art, fashion and a cup of coffee
The brothers soon identified a "healthy" gap in the city's takeaway market and introduced smoothie bowls to the menu. Then Pepper, who has also played for the Newcastle Jets, Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar, stumbled upon acai bowls while living in Brisbane. He thought they could be a hit in Newcastle.
He was right.
The brothers now have three cafes: WIA Store in Cooks Hill; WIA Cafe in Mooloolaba; and Lulus Cafe & Poke on Newcastle's Crown Street, known for its healthy Hawaiian-inspired poke bowls.
"Our business model changed in the early life of WIA Store. We are now predominately cafe orientated," Pepper said.
"We have also gone into food development and introduced Australia's first maqui berry soft and scoop-able smoothie bowl product called Mapuche Maqui, and we are in the middle of rebranding our company to The Berry Brothers Company."
Smoothies, drinks and retail products will be developed and sold under The Berry Brothers Company banner and, as part of the rebranding, the brothers are applying for the kiosk tender at Dixon Park beach.
Read more:Acai bowl or smoothie bowl: call it what you like, here's 5 to try
"Our lease is over at Lulus Cafe & Poke and we envision selling poke, acai and coffee at the kiosk," Pepper said.
Popular items on the WIA menu include the uber-healthy Merewether Bowl and the naughtier DLR Bowl complete with Cadbury Flakes and Nutella.
The Maqui Bowl is also selling well.
"We are always looking at new and future trends for our menus, hence the development of our own maqui berry, a market which we believe is set to double by 2026," Pepper said.
"COVID-19 has been hard but we have always been adaptable and that's something we believe has brought us success. Implementing new protocols, structures and ideas is something we will never shy away from in order to keep our dream alive."
