Byabarra: Quaint cafe gets go-ahead for ginger beer micro brewery, industrial retail outlet

A hidden treasure nestled between the outskirts of Wauchope and Bago on the NSW Mid-North Coast has revealed its plans for a new micro brewery and industrial retail outlet.

Byabarra expansion plans

A new micro brewery and industrial retail outlet, offering organically grown produce such as honey, hydroponic herbs and fresh ginger beer, will be built at the Byabarra Cafe in a bid to lure new tourism to the village just outside of Wauchope.

A business plan, prepared as part of the cafe’s expansion, outlines the proposal which has just received Port Macquarie Hastings Council to go ahead.

In it, owners Kerrin and Alan Peirce detail their desire to incorporate a ginger beer manufacturing facility into the business in the hope of providing a better ‘overall experience’ for locals and visitors to the region.

Expansion: Alan and Kerrin hope to attract new visitors to the area and its

A new industrial retail outlet and ginger beer micro brewery will be built at the site

“It will assist to make our cafe and the area of Byabarra a destination rather than a pass-through point,” the proponents application outlines.

“Alcohol sales make up less than 30 per cent of our current sales with meals, cakes and coffee making up the balance.

“[However] with the overall business growth, our sales percentages will change.

“We expect food to be around 47 per cent of revenue with alcohol at 43 per cent, including canned beverage and other homemade product items at around 10 per cent of revenue.”

The inclusion of a new microbrewery and industrial precinct, the business plan states, will ‘enhance the opportunity for the cafe to reach its permitted visitor levels.’

The view from the Byabarra Cafe deck

“The focus of the cafe will remain the supply of good quality cafe/Bistro style food containing, where possible, on-farm and locally produced ingredients.

“The inclusion of ginger beer will, we believe, add to overall experience but will not be the primary reason for visiting our cafe.

“It will assist to make our cafe and the area of Byabarra a destination rather than a pass-through point.”

The Byabarra Cafe, which is also a popular wedding venue, is capable of hosting upwards of 98 people – a figure that the pair admit is a struggle to fill.

Given the plans proposed, however, both are confident that they’ll be able to meet the required capacity, more often.

The cafe’s expansion will hopefully see its 98-person capacity met

Byabarra is located between Wauchope and Bago near Comboyne

“It is clear that like never before, we need local tourist attractions to accommodate the expected increased interest of the travelling public, who have now been restricted to local and intrastate tourism due to the recent COVID-19 issues,” the plan states.

“With these restrictions now being progressively lifted, we hope to again generate and attract a greater level of interstate tourism.”

The cafe is open between Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 2pm, and Friday 9am until late and to Sunday 9am until 3pm.

For more information, visit https://thebyabarra.com.au/