Dream and build with us

We believe in big dreams with small beginnings—as long as they’re smart—and we can’t wait to introduce you to Found Coffee House located in Victor Harbor, SA.

While many local businesses are struggling to stay afloat, people are struggling even more. Our pandemic experiences drove home how much we need spaces to share life together—perhaps now more than ever. We’re all looking for places of connection, community, and belonging. That is what Found is all about—building community one meaningful connection at a time.

Our names are Adriel and Ryan Booker and we’re the owners of Found Coffee House. We believe some of the best things in life happen around the table and that is why we’ve been working hard to create a smart, thoughtful business that will sustain the type of space for connection we believe people need and want right now.

What you’ll find below:

• Our vision
• Why crowdfunding and is it ongoing?
• What sets Found apart (our point of difference)
• Why Victor Harbor?
• Meet the Bookers
• Industry challenges and risk mitigation
• The impact of a successful campaign
• Dollars + cents (what exactly will this pay for?)
• How to contribute & when we’ll open
   

Our vision

Our vision is to offer a place of community and creativity that’s anchored by a vibrant, sustainable cafe in the heart of Victor Harbor. To embody generous hospitality, warm welcome, ordinary goodness, and simple beauty as a way to care for those who join us. To foster space for writers and other creatives, miscrobusiness owners, and solopreneurs to thrive while they work alongside one another in community. To help facilitate the circular economy through collaborations and partnerships with local makers and artisans and the sale of vintage goods. To celebrate family, friendship, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and the sort of quiet kindness that builds stronger communities.

Why crowdfunding?

We have the ideas, the skills, the grit, the training, the transferable experience, and the heart to build community as we build our business… but we simply don’t have enough capital to do it without our village.

For those who know us personally, you know we’ve worked in the not-for-profit world and church ministry for more than twenty years. Because of that we’ve never had deep pockets or been able to build personal wealth. It also means that traditional financial institutions don’t quite know what to think of us—we don’t fit their boxes very well and never have.

We’re investing every cent we can into building something beautiful for our community, but even the most budget-conscious cafe buildouts are expensive and we need your help to get us across the line. 

We’re asking you to help us open the doors. . .  and then it will be up to us to keep them open.

Will we need ongoing support?

Our goal is to create a business that is financially viable and self-sustaining.

We only want to crowdfund a the remainder of our start up costs; once those are squared, we’re building the biz to stand on its own two feet.

In other words: We’re asking for a one-off investment; this campaign will not be ongoing.

What sets us apart?

Found is more than a cafe—it’s a celebration of community, creativity, and sustainability. What sets us apart is not just our speciality coffee and menu, but all the extra goodness to be found. 

You’ll be delighted by our:

• co-working studio to support microbusiness owners and ‘quiet creatives’ (like writers, designers, and photographers)
• small artisan market featuring a few select local makers
• carefully curated vintage furniture and homewares for sale throughout the venue
• garden play area for the little ones
• cozy community swap library and space for book clubs and social gatherings
• an array of small events, workshops, and gatherings we’ll have on offer through the year
• stylish guest accommodation right in the heart of the Mainstreet Precinct, steps from the Victor Harbor foreshore
   

Why Victor Harbor?

Victor Harbor is a small coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula only an hour south of Adelaide in South Australia. It’s tucked between gorgeous hills, expansive farmland, and the wineries of McLaren Vale in one direction, and the stunning Southern Ocean and her spectacular coastline in the other. Victor Harbor’s population swells during the holidays and every summer, and while it has been known as a retirement mecca due to it’s mild weather and relaxed lifestyle, it has seen a surge in young families moving to the area in recent years in pursuit of a more sustainable pace of life near the sea. With an increasing need for venues that cater to younger demographics (as well as the rising population of remote workers), Found is well positioned to meet the growing local population while also serving the seasonal tourists and weekenders that visit our special little spot on the beautiful Fleurieu Coast.

Meet the Bookers

ADRIEL: Writer, reader, and curator of beautiful things. Loves an early morning dip in Horseshoe Bay or a rummage around a country town op shop. Has a pension for live music, exploring big cities, and the everyday goodness of life together with family and friends. Spent her childhood in Oregon and her adult life in Australia. Holds two passports and a wonky accent.

RYAN: Coach, whiz on the tools, and makes mind blowing homemade pizzas. Loves a winery visit with Adriel, throwing a footy with his boys at the beach, and a game of NRL on the big screen while holding his breath for the Cronulla Sharks to win. Hails from the Sutherland Shire (Sydney) and dreams of riding a motorbike cruiser through the hills. Forever punny.

KIDS: If you’re lucky, you’ll get to experience the amazing hospitality of Levi, Judah, and Micah as they hold their own in the family biz, each contributing in their own ways according to their skills, age, and interests. Micah has his eyes set on a summer ice cream stand so watch this space.

THE BOOKERS bring a background of not-for-profit community work and youth development, pastoring and publishing, communications and capacity-building. They can’t wait to meet you at Found.

Industry challenges

It’s no secret that it’s hard to make the big bucks in the hospitality industry, and post-pandemic worldwide supply issues and inflation have done us no favors, but we still believe people are looking for fresh spaces to gather, to eat, to work, to create, and to build community. Perhaps now more than ever, we’re aware how much we need spaces and environments that promote community and belonging.

Our project is an ambitious one, but we believe in big dreams with small beginnings—as long as they’re smart. To mitigate risks inherent in this industry, and to set us up for the best chance of success, we’ve done a number of things:

• completed a Certificate III in Entrepreneurship and New Business (both Ryan and Adriel)
• crafted a detailed business plan, marketing plan, and financial plan and cashflow forecast
• engaged a business mentor who will meet with us for monthly check-ins during our first year of being small business owners
• hired a bookkeeper to make sure we set up our books for success and don’t get behind on our taxes, payroll, and other financial obligations
• secured a good accountant and a good insurance broker who will ensure we are on track with compliance issues
• engaged with more experienced cafe owners and hospitality managers in the region for advice and support
• engaged with a local roaster who will serve as a coffee mentor and help ensure we’re serving customers to the highest standard
• secured a good lease in a stellar location
   

Mitigating risks

We’ve identified two major risks: (1) financial vulnerability and (2) operational challenges (i.e. long hours and staffing)

First, in building out our business model for the cafe, we have been careful to think through four additional revenue streams that can help sustain us: co-working studio, artisan market sales, vintage furniture sales, and AirBnb.
 

Second, we seek to build our opening hours in a way that is healthy and sustainable, not only for us but for our kids and staff. (All of our kids have requested jobs!) We will start by opening 4-5 days a week and increase as we’re able to build out a stellar staff team. Our scheduling will be a balance of keeping our business open as much as we can while still looking after the health and well-being of our ourselves and our family. For instance, we may do things such as close on Public Holidays and/or take Sundays off to reset, be with our family, and make sure we’re in the right state to offer joyful hospitality every other day. We want the business to work for our guests; we also want the business to work for us—not the other way around.
 

The impact of our campaign:

If we run a successful campaign, our Campaign Backers will have helped to:

• Give a currently closed property in Victor Harbor’s Mainstreet Precinct the future it deserves
• Add a landmark coffee house to the downtown area and help with the Victor’s regeneration toward a younger demographic and regional and interstate tourism
• Contribute to sensitive economic growth
• Support other local businesses and suppliers including: farmers, coffee roasters, and local makers and artisans
• Enable us to support the arts through showcases, workshops, and our artisan market area
• Provide a family-friendly space that welcomes and celebrates children
• Build community through events and workshops
• Create a place where young people and teens feel welcomed to hang out after school
• Support microbusiness owners and creatives through our separate co-working studio
• Feature vintage furniture and homewares for sale throughout the cafe
• Promote the circular economy 
• Help us to realize a family dream that has been more than a dozen years in the making!
• Create 4-7 new jobs for the local community and help upskill junior staff to prepare them for their future in the Australian workforce 

Dollars + cents

Our overall budget for both the cafe and guesthouse is approximately $100,000. Of that we still need $76,000 AUD ($49,000 USD*)​.

To fund this project, we’ve put in as much of our own money as we can, sold some of our belongings, will use Adriel’s book advance money (minus our kids’ orthodontics bills!), and have been gathering as much second hand equipment as we can. A large chunk of our money has already gone towards paying the sum of four months rent for deposit and bond.

We’re relying on our community and those who believe in our family’s mission—or those who believe in our vision to bring Found to Victor Harbor—to invest the remaining $76,000 AUD ($49,000 USD) to make this project a reality. The money from this campaign will help us complete our fit out AND create an operational safety net for our first three months of operation.

*Since this is a worldwide crowdfunding campaign, we’re noting both AUD and USD for the ease of our Backers.

Can you break down the numbers?

Certainly! Here’s what your contribution will pay for:

• CAFE FIT OUT: $29,000 AUD ($18,900 USD)
  kitchen fit out and equipment, new flooring in service area, paint, lighting, furniture, custom service counter, minor upgrades in the bathroom, security system, computer & tech, tradesperson expenses (plumber, sparky)
   
• CO-WORKING & WORKSHOP FIT OUT: $2,200 AUD ($1,400 USD)
  desks, office chairs, board room table, white board, printer
   
• GUESTHOUSE FIT OUT: $5,900 AUD ($3,800 USD)
  furniture, appliances, window coverings, linens, privacy fence installation, small upgrades to the bathroom, landscaping, signage, security
   
• BRANDING: $4,900 AUD ($3,200 USD)
  design, website, printing, signage, uniforms, merchandising, business cards, promotional materials
   
• DUE DILIGENCE: $6,000 AUD ($3,900 USD)
  legal fees, accounting and bookkeeping fees, permits, licensing, training and certifications, association memberships, bank fees, insurances
   
• START UP CAPITAL: $10,000 AUD ($6,500 USD)
  initial inventory and cash float
   
• WAGE SUPPORT SAFETY NET: $18,000 AUD ($11,700 USD)
  1 wage for first 3 months to help us get off the ground

You might see some of these numbers as low, but as experienced renovators we plan to do most of the work ourselves except where legally required to hire tradespersons. You may also think the branding amount is low—this is another area where our experience and expertise are helping us reduce costs. 

Lastly, we’re committed to using second hand where possible—not only because it saves dollars, but because we’re always looking for ways to reduce waste and support the circular economy of goods. We’ve chosen simple, industry-standard equipment to make sure we can serve our guests well, and where we can use pre-loved items without compromising safety, quality, or aesthetics—we absolutely will.

Note: Our espresso machine and grinders are not included in the figures as we plan to lease those from our roaster until we can afford to purchase our own or secure a community grant to do so.

What if you don’t meet your goal?

Not reaching our goal of $76,000 AUD ($49,000 USD) means we’ll have to cut funds from our inventory and safety net funds which will threaten the long-term cashflow and viability of our business. Fortunately, Indiegogo will allow us to use any funds we raise, even if they’re less than our goal or even if we need to stretch our campaign longer. (This is the main reason we decided to use this platform rather than another one such as Kickstarter, which has an all-or-nothing funding model.) Because we’re only raising what we need, we’ll keep crowdfunding and looking for grants until all our start up needs are met.

Yes, I want to back your campaign!

We know everyone has a different capacity to give and we value ALL our Campaign Backers, no matter the contribution. You can make a contribution of your choice by selecting “Pick Your Perk” at the top of this page and then filling in your desired amount in the field provided. Alternately, you can scroll through the perks and choose from a number of different options—different levels of campaign backing come with different perks from us such as: free coffees, Found merch, complimentary space in our co-working studio, stays in our guesthouse, and even original artworks by local Ngarrindjeri Artist, Amanda Westley. 

I can’t wait to visit! When will you open?

We hope to open the cafe in late January or February 2025; the AirBnB will likely take longer. Both are dependent on how quickly we’re able to raise the remainder of our expenses, complete our fit outs, and obtain the proper permits and licenses. Some of these are within our control… some are not. We’re committed to staying agile as we move forward and we’ll keep you posted with campaign updates as we go!

>>>Click on the tab at the top of this page for more answers to FAQs.<<<

Other ways you can help:

Some people just can’t contribute financially, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help:

• Please share and get the word out—make some noise about our campaign!
• Connect us with people in your network who love to invest in community endeavours
• Follow us on socials: facebook and instagram (@found.au)

We acknowledge the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri nation and we acknowledge their responsible stewardship over many thousands of years in caring for this country. We pay our respects to Ngarrindjeri Elders past and present for their continued advocacy and leadership.