Page 37 - Fiji Traveller 2023 Issue 5

Ruveni Soro Shakil Bhamji, better known as Zoro, was an a break under the indoor umbrellas in Tappoo City, Lautoka, to
entrepreneur at an early age, selling fruit by the roadside in Ba the largest Nadi venue, which draws visitors from Denarau, as
to pay for his school fees and supplies. well as a loyal local clientele.
“I used to see all the ladies from across the village sell their Then there is The Coffee Hub in his hometown, Ba.
mangoes on the roadside. So during school holidays and Zoro says he wanted the Ba café to be somewhere that always
weekends, I used to pick up mangoes and then go and sit next opened its doors for his mother and grandmother. Things were
to them, take my timber stand and set it up. I started becoming not always financially comfortable growing up, so knowing “they
the earliest person there, so I could secure the best spot. always have somewhere to go” to have a cup of tea and relax is
“I knew how to make money. I knew what to do with money. important to him.
Saving money and spending it on the important things, that's a “I've taken the hospitality industry to their doorstep,” he says of
lesson I learned at a very young age,” he continues. the people of Ba. “We cater for all the clientele. And it's beautiful.
Zoro has turned that entrepreneurial zeal into a venture that “I give the Bula spirit to our people, to our locals. And probably
now encompasses some of the ‘best spots’ for coffee in Suva, that's one of the reasons why The Coffee Hub grew. Because it's
Nadi, Lautoka and Ba. loved by the locals.”
From working as a barista to Gloria Jeans coffee shop to a Not long after opening in Nadi, the Covid pandemic closed
Denarau resort, from teaching other baristas for a local coffee Fiji’s borders. Zoro survived by relying on his reputation and the
company and then training with Fiji Airways, Zoro’s knowledge of network of customers he had built in previous roles.
what it takes to succeed at the front lines of Fiji’s tourism industry “When everywhere was shutting down, I opened my doors,”
has enabled him to make The Coffee Hub outlets a success. he recalls.
Zoro says his early days as a barista made him understand He made food and served coffee and juices, piped music into
the power of coffee to “make or break” someone’s day. the carpark and did a brisk trade in takeaways. Zoro said he
“I realised that making coffee wasn't just about milk and coffee tried to spend a moment or two with everyone who came for
and mixing it and serving…It's about making a beverage with their orders, tyring to maintain connections and spirits through
love.” a difficult time.
He brings that attitude to every cup of coffee he makes, even Now his empire is set to grow further. Zoro is preparing to
today. open a new concept dining and wine bar experience in Suva,
Zoro also has an insatiable appetite for learning, whether it is ‘Art’ toward the end of this year. It will be a glamourous space
teaching himself how to service coffee machines via YouTube (a 2.5 metre chandelier has already been installed) focused on
or standing at a chef’s shoulder, learning how meals are put art and food.
together. “I learned all these things just watching and learning “The menu is going to be very different from The Coffee Hub,”
and asking questions,” he says. he says. “It is going to have pasta, very nicely plated breakfasts.
But he knew he wanted to open his own café as well and Everything is going to be very artistic. It's going to have coffee
began collecting “cups and plates and paintings” for that venture, and fresh juices.
storing them at home but ‘manifesting’ his future. “We will have a whole room with wines. So it's going to be
That first The Coffee Hub is on the Nadi Back Road, where actually a nice wine bar.”
concerned relatives told him “it’s not going to work”. This ‘Rising Star’ in Fiji’s tourism industry—he won that award
But that only fuelled Zoro’s determination. “If everyone says at the 2022 Excellence in Tourism Awards—clearly has many
no, that what motivates me to make it right,” he says. ideas for how to enrich Fiji’s cultural and dining experiences, and
All The Coffee Hub outlets have a distinctive buzz, whether it is positive energy to burn.
from the business crowd lunching in Suva, to shoppers enjoying

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