SINCE its humble beginnings three years ago inside a shipping container at Warabrook, Cargo Espresso Bar has moved on to bigger things.
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And better views.
The coffee-focused bar operated by North Lambton-based couple Maree and Murray Ruse has found a permanent home in the kiosk at Redhead Surf Life Saving Club.
“The view is amazing and I think that’s what everybody comes down there for. It’s such a beautiful spot,” Maree says.
The husband and wife team moved the business into the kiosk in December after successfully taking over the tender for the space which underwent a revamp after it was destroyed by fire in 2017.
With polished concrete floors, timber panelling and bi-fold windows that open up to look out over the spectacular view across Redhead Beach, the kiosk is an extension of the couple’s vision for Cargo Espresso Bar which they previously operated out of their shipping container next to the site.
Moving into the space has allowed for a bigger menu. Maree says the new menu has traditional beach fare - burgers, fish and chips, scallops - as well as offering healthy options such as chia pudding pots.
“We wanted people to be able to get fish and chips, burgers . . . everything that you want at the beach,” she says. “There’s also a lot of yoga, fitness training, and surf training that goes on down at Redhead Beach, so we also wanted to have a few options with a mindfulness to health.”
The kiosk operates seven days a week from at 7am daily, serving up brekkie rolls: The Standard with bacon, egg, barbecue sauce and aioli on a milk bun ($9); The Vego with fried haloumi, eggs, tomato relish, aioli and rocket on a milk bun ($9) or The Deluxe with extra bacon, two eggs, spinach, hash brown, barbecue sauce and aioli on Turkish bread ($13), as well as brekkie bowls: Banana Split Bowl with caramelised banana yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt), seasonal fruit, granola and nuts ($13); and the Bircher Bowl with oats, soaked shredded apple and raisins, yoghurt, fresh fruit and nuts ($13).
There are four burgers - beef, chicken schnitty, fish or veggie ($13 each) - and a beetroot salad with baby spinach, rocket, roasted beetroot, walnuts and creamy feta with balsamic glaze ($12).
Toasties, croissants and quiches are also in the cabinet, as well as sweet treats including banana bread, chocolate fudge brownies, and raw bars and slices. They also have vegan and gluten-free options.
““It’s funny because when we started, we said we only ever wanted to focus on coffee,” Maree says. “Neither of us has any kitchen experience and when the opportunity for the kiosk came up, that was a real sticking point for us like ‘Do we want to go down that road of food?’ because everything gets more complicated.
“We knew it was gong to be a much bigger job, but we pretty much would have done anything to stay where we are because we have grown to love being in Redhead.”
Cargo uses beans from Newcastle’s Sprocket Roasters and stocks locally-made bliss balls from Hannah’s Happy Balls.
It is also the only place in the region that sells Pyewacket’s Traditional handmade shrub sodas, a fermented, vinegar-based botanical drink (similar to kombucha) in flavours of mango, lime and jalapeño, strawberry rose, and watermelon basil ($6 each).
Worth a visit
Getting the business to this point hasn’t come without hurdles. After careers in fashion and the healthcare sector (Murray also plays drums in punk band Hard-Ons), the couple went out on a whim in 2016 to pursue Murray’s passion for coffee and Maree’s interest in running a small business.
They took the advice of a friend who was fitting out shipping containers for homes and suggested they turn one into a coffee stall, which they set up in Warabrook. The venture was short-lived though after Newcastle City Council forced it to shut down.
They eventually found their way to Redhead where Lake Macquarie City Council allowed them to open the shipping container once again.
