Faith Purvis makes a great coffee out of her new machine, with her new coffee cannisters and her supply of fresh delicious coffee. Just ask her regulars! C-Bloom Café is perfectly situated to serve bank staff and customers and visitors to the township of Salelologa, Savai’i. “The C is for Coffee, and Bloom because it just seemed to fit.”
Through her school years, Faith worked in her family’s business being trained by her mother to learn business skills and to be an independent business-woman. At just 16 years of age Faith completed high school and took a leap of, well, faith and opened C-Bloom Café, starting from scratch in a small green concrete block building right next door to the banks. It wasn’t easy and Faith has been tested, especially through slow days and during Covid.
Now 19 and three years into her café venture, Faith also sells light snacks such as sandwiches and pastries which she buys from a local supplier. Working alongside her one female employee, the café is now flourishing.
Hearing about BLP through word of mouth and seeing advertisements on Facebook, Faith thought she would apply. She knew from her regular customers that instant coffee just didn’t cut it, but there was no way she could save enough to purchase a serious coffee machine, let alone the stock of fresh coffee she would need.
With assistance from a BLP representative who helped to fill the gaps in the application documentation, Faith prepared her application for a Business Support Grant. BLP grants offer five categories. These are Innovation, Growth, Inclusion, Climate and Finance. Faith applied under the Inclusion and Growth categories.
‘Inclusion’ here means reaching under-served sectors of society such as women, youth, the disabled, and those living in rural areas. Faith, a female youth living in a rural area, clearly satisfies this category. C-Bloom satisfied the ‘Growth’ category because the Grant funds would allow new equipment and stock to be purchased which would extend its services to increase the customer base.
Faith was successful in her application and the impact on her business has been huge. Her customers love the ‘proper’ coffee, and her customer base has grown as regulars tell their friends and colleagues about Faith’s great cappuccinos. “It has been a really good boost for the café, and I am so grateful to BLP for the grant money to allow this to happen.”
There is little competition for C-Bloom in Salelologa, and Faith is making the most of that while it lasts. For the moment, Faith is focused on offering great service and great food and coffee to her customers, but has plans to keep working on the exterior appearance of her café to attract more customers. “I am thankful for the opportunity to be a young entrepreneur business owner, and grateful for having a supportive and successful mother to guide me.”
Small and micro businesses like Faith’s are often run by women, and are an important sector of the economy, providing employment and necessary services to local communities. In time, and with the right support, C-Bloom may open a second café, or a third. It may branch into catering services. The future is wide open to this capable and resilient young woman.
To find out if your business could be doing better, try one of Business Link Pacific’s free online business assessment tools here – https://sme.businesslinkpacific.com/.