By Alesha Capone
A pair of young entrepreneurs, who have opened a drive-thru coffee shop in Hoppers Crossing, say they want to bring hope to the community.
Joshua Spiteri, 25, and his fiancé Ebony Di Mauro, 25, celebrated the grand opening of Little Latte Drive Thru last week.
Mr Spiteri said he has always dreamed of running his own business and that he was determined to go ahead with opening the coffee shop despite the pandemic restrictions and roadworks on Geelong Road, where they are based.
“We wanted to give people some hope. At the moment, all you hear about is businesses shutting down – I haven’t heard anything about businesses opening up,” Mr Spiteri said.
The couple, who have two children aged under two, have also employed four people at Little Latte.
“We were both born and raised in Hoppers Crossing,” Mr Spiteri said.
“We’re interested in giving back to the area and get satisfaction out of providing great-quality food and coffee.”
Little Latte’s menu includes an award-winning coffee bean, milkshakes, smoothies, hot food, muffins and doughnuts.
Mr Spiteri and Ms Di Mauro said they have been “overwhelmed” by how much support the community has shown Little Latte since its opening.
“I’ve enjoyed so much already, seeing so many people come through,” Ms Di Mauro said.
Next up, they are planning to organise some outdoor seating for the coffee shop, and to hopefully launch more stores and a mobile van in the future.
Details: Little Latte, 428 Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing, www.facebook.com/littlelattedrivethru/, Instagram: @littlelattedrivethru.
Alesha Capone
