OUR STORY

While running his first cafe, Christian noticed a disconnect. 

Partly due to the culture of online reviews and partly due to the sheer number of venues opening up, he saw that cafes in the area (including his own) were getting caught up in caring more about the press and hype, rather than building a strong community. 

That’s how Christian came to selling that first cafe and starting again. 

After all, a cafe without a community has no beating heart. That’s what Christian’s Greek and Italian heritage would say, anyway.  

Growing up, he saw food (like his mother’s famous spanakopita and father’s fine biscotti) as mere catalysts for something far more important: Community.  

So when he did eye off the little vacant space on Saint Georges Terrace, he made the point of doing things better.   

This time,  he’d create a venue that was about damn good coffee and honest food. In fact, he’d even employ his mother and father as bakers to make authentic Greek and Italian treats. 

But more than that, he wanted to build a culture that was more about the interaction than the transaction. 

So, after months of sleepless nights, literal sweat and tears, he started Swish, a hub where you can be part of something more. A place where you can drop the shoulders, see a familiar face, and have a worthwhile conversation. 

So when you leave, you can feel energised. Not just from the caffeine. 

But from that feeling you get when you feel held by a community and some of that weight on your shoulders from the daily grind fades away.