Campbell Town cafes: Liv Eat, Sweetbrew both unveil expansion plans

There is now an even better reason to take a pit stop while traversing the state, with two significant Tasmanian hospitality players unveiling expansion plans. Here’s what hungry travellers can expect.

Liv Eat is set to open a cafe on Campbell Town's High St. Picture: Facebook

Hungry travellers will have far greater reason to stop in the Northern Midlands on the long highway drive, with two significant hospitality players unveiling expansion plans.

Both Sweetbrew, which has two venues in Launceston, and Liv Eat, which has 13 stores across Tasmania and two on the mainland, revealed their plans for Campbell Town in recent days.

Sweetbrew, owned by husband-and-wife co-founders Tim and Archana Brammall, and employee turned co-owner Aaron Jones, will open its third cafe, located at 88 High St, on October 25.

Ms Brammall said expansion southward had been on the cards for six years, but the “right opportunity never came up until now”.

Sweetbrew's Yorick Fitzgerald and Aaron Jones, October 18, 2023. Picture: Alex Treacy

“The model is a simple one centred around the provision of great specialty coffee,” she said. “The idea is a grab-and-go, fast-paced environment, catering for those looking for a complementary offering to what Campbell Town already offers.

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“We have a long history of providing great coffee to our community and tourists alike and we would like the opportunity to offer that to people travelling along the Midlands Highway, especially as there seems to be a gap that can be filled in that market.

“It will have a small retail offering of all things coffee and will specialise in muffins and toasties among other small bites.”

Sweetbrew co-founder Archana Brammall. Picture: Facebook/ Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew

The new cafe will be open from 7am–2pm, add five jobs to the local economy – taking Sweetbrew’s total workforce across its three venues to 37 – and serve coffee roasted in-house via its wholesale arm, Sweetbrew Coffee Roasters.

Ms Brammall also revealed that long-term employee Yorick Fitzgerald had taken on an ownership stake in the new Campbell Town cafe.

Yorick Fitzgerald, new co-owner of Sweetbrew venture in Campbell Town. Picture: Facebook

“His love and knowledge of specialty coffee is a great asset to the company, and we look forward to this next phase together as co-owners,” she said.

The site of the new cafe, 88 High St, has been vacant for several years. Prior to its vacancy, it operated as apparel store It’s All About the Shoes, and before that, Monstter Cookie Cafe.

Parallel to Sweetbrew’s plan, Liv Eat, the homegrown health food chain founded in 2006 by Jess Saxby, Chris Button and Troy Sutcliffe, is set to open its 14th Tasmanian store at 92 High St, formerly home to Campbell Town institution Zeps Cafe.

Managing Director of Liv Eat Troy Sutcliffe. Picture Chris Kidd

Zeps closed in February after 23 years in business, citing difficulties recruiting staff, rising wages, and a crushing tax burden.

The new Liv Eat is expected to open in late December or early January 2024.