Raffinatis rebrands to The Beacon cafe in Mary Street

A well known and established Gympie catering and café business has opened the doors to a new enterprise in the heart of Gympie.

Family business Raffinatis opened a new cafe in Mary Street this week, and eager shoppers were quick to try out the new cafe located towards the top end of Mary Street and the Fiveways.

The Beacon offers a take-away and dine-in service in addition to Raffinatis previous popular catering and café business.

It is run by Carol Weatly and her brother Leon Roulston, along with Ms Weatly’s daughter Peta Watson.

The business decided to set up a kitchen in Mary Street, after having to rent kitchens for its catering service.

“We decided to get the café and promote the meals, and at the same time bring fish and chips into Mary Street because people were saying they had nowhere to go on Monday night,” Ms Weatly said.

Raffinatis, renamed to The Beacon, has moved into new facilities in Mary Street to open their kitchen as a take-away and dine-in service.

The new store opens later in the morning to provide coffee and dine-in to locals who have missed the morning coffee run.

The Beacon’s catering service offers delivery meals to everyone from truckers to the elderly, and special diet options to suit individuals.

“We prepare the meals according to each one’s need, whether they are old or young,” Ms Weatly said.

“That’s our dream, to be able to offer a better service. It’s a family desire to try and help the community.”