It’s a strange feeling when I stop and really think about the fact that Steve and I are heading into our 16th year of roasting coffee in Cairns.

We definitely had the doubters, plenty of people who said it would never work. A coffee shop on Scott Street back in 2010 was, at the time, a pretty wild idea. But I am one of those types who gets more determined the more you tell me I can’t do it, so there was a lot of motivation (and of course we thought we would be rich in three years – LOL).

In those early years, Steve and I would have given the business away a hundred times over. But once you have a business, it’s tricky to undo, so you just keep turning up. And turning up. And somehow, proving to ourselves and the doubters that we could make it work got us to where we are today.

Also, we wouldn’t be here without the people who believed in it early; our team, and those day-one, week-one, year-one customers many of whom are still around today! That support has carried us further than you might know. And to anyone who chooses to support a small family business, thank you.

Fast-forward to 2025, which saw Steve and I physically relocate to NSW. While we’ve moved, we remain very engaged and very much at the helm of White Whale alongside our GM, James. Part of the move came from a need for adventure, something new, something different, and a chance to test our skills in another setting.

Within days of arriving in Woolgoolga, we were back at it, building our new espresso bar and extension of White Whale: Project Pony. It’s a slightly eccentric mix of our love of mid-century architecture, my quiet want-to-be-a-cowgirl dream, and local surf culture — all tied together by coffee and connection.

It felt really special and grounding to be back front-of-house, behind the machine, simply focusing on extraction and getting each coffee right.

Returning to the grassroots and experiencing White Whale from a café-partner perspective was also refreshing in ways I didn’t expect. We’ve been taking those learnings back to White Whale, tweaking both our back- and front-end systems to create smoother processes and better value. Hearing home baristas loving our coffee in a whole new location has also been very heart-warming.

For White Whale, 2026 is about setting ourselves up for the next five years. We’ve worked hard over recent years getting clear on who we are, what we stand for, and what we want to create, while building an incredibly strong and resilient team of coffee people.

This year is about doing the simple things well, with intention. Continuing to focus on what has always mattered most to us: great coffee, thoughtful sourcing, and genuine connection with the people and places around us. You’ll see us leaning further into quality and consistency, deepening relationships with producers and partners, and creating coffee experiences that feel warm, human, and unpretentious.

Keep an eye out, our new barista school space is fresh and ready for more and varied courses in 2026. Sustainability remains part of our everyday, not as something loud, but as small, considered choices that look after people and the planet. Above all, 2026 is about community. Our team. Our customers. And our now wider FNQ, NSW and Australian coffee family. We’re proud of where we’ve come from, and quietly excited about where we’re heading one cup, one conversation, one shared moment at a time.

Ali,

Co-founder