For now, though, the 17-year-old is focused on perfecting her coffee-making craft and growing her customer base one cup at a time.
She discovered her talent and passion for making coffee while working at an inner-city cafe, where she received great customer feedback and quickly realised it was more than just a job.
The cafe’s closure could have been a setback – especially in the slower winter trading season – but Brooklyn instead chose to back herself, turning her newly acquired barista skills into the foundation for her future.
Even though she enjoyed working for other people, this is a chance to run her own ship, Brooklyn says.
Technically, the business is owned by her parents, but Brooklyn runs the operation and will take it over fully when she turns 18, her mother Stephanie Porowini told the Northern Advocate.
Stephanie is currently teaching Brooklyn how to do the necessary administration.
The sleek black cart, parked riverside on weekdays between 7am and noon, came equipped with most of the essentials, including the coffee machine and generator.
“We just changed the name of it – Bee is my nickname,” Brooklyn said.
She and her mother worked together to design the logo for it.
Brooklyn also occasionally takes the cart to weekend events.
“We did two markets last weekend and we’d like to do one at least once a month,” she said.
On a good day she sells more than 30 coffees – an achievement she is proud of given the business is only a month old and operates for just five hours a day.
“I’ll sell 40 to 50 on a really good day.”
One of the biggest hurdles was the upfront cost of getting started, she said.
“You have to buy everything needed to start up, but once everyone gets to know you it will just keep going, and you’ll get that money back.”
With a growing list of regulars, a steady stream of cyclists, walkers and commuters stopping by, and plans that stretch far beyond Hatea Drive, Bee’s Brews appears to be off to a strong start. Photo / Sarah Curtis
Word-of-mouth has already proven invaluable.
“Everyone will get to know, the word will get out, and it will go from one person to the other person and keep on going. That’s what I’ve found for the past four weeks, and I’m getting more and more people.”
Brooklyn takes customer requests in her stride, even when they come with a long list of specifications.
“I do get a few fussy customers, but it doesn’t bother me. Everyone likes it how they like it, so I make it how they ask for it.”
And for other young people dreaming of starting a business of their own, Brooklyn’s advice is simple:
“Do it – it’ll be extremely hard, but it will be worth it.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.