GoBang Espresso — A Cafe Making a Difference

“Every month merchant fees are another extra thing that we have to pay. These get pulled straight from our account, I don’t know where they go, there is a lack of transparency” — Iain Penhale, Owner

Starting out in the cafe scene when he was 11 years old cleaning dishes, Iain has owned GoBang Espresso for the past 5 years. Jokingly admitting he was bullied into creating GoBang espresso by the building owner a few years ago, coffee is his passion. Catching up with Iain, it quickly comes to light that the art of coffee is the essence of his business. Meticulously weighing every shot dependant on the day and roast, this ensures that every customer has the perfect espresso. The proof is in the pudding with 80% of his customers being regulars. Ian puts it down to the people and the coffee.

The values at GoBang Espresso are ingrained in everything that they do

• Organic
• Fairtrade
• Free Range
• Sustainability and our planet

Great coffee, people, values, passion and transaction fees…. For people to do business with Ian every single day, this is what it is costing him.

• Monthly transaction fees $650–900 per month (dependant on transaction volume). This is up to $11,800 per year in fixed costs.
• Monthly hiring fees currently average $50 hardware terminal + $70 per month Point of Sales (PoS) software.

Transaction fees directly impact a small business owners bottom line. Iain has been in the industry a long time and he has seen it all. There is currently no alternative option. He gets why there was a charge to transact when the birth of the technology was new and convenient — now it’s just a fixed cost they have to pay every month. Questioning the value these services add, Ian framed it as “a proportional penalty on every transaction for being successful at business”. Imagine a world where every time you transact it added value to your local community and people around you. Proportionally increasing your social impact the more successful your business is.

Impact from the inside out, Iain is aiming to drop the size of every milk based product in his cafe every June. This reduces GoBangs environmental impact with every purchase. This June they are dropping their 12oz takeaway size and their 8oz cup will become the new large. This enables them to provide in other ways due to the reduction in cows milk purchased. With a reduction in cost they can now provide more conscious offerings of plant based milk alternatives at the same cost. When asked how his consumers find it “they get it that we all have to take our part and these small steps can make a difference” he says.

It turns out you can’t beat communicating your mission towards a more sustainable future. Reducing coffee cup size is just the start, at GoBang alone 50% of their coffees sold are now black compared to the industry average of 8%. What does he put this down to? The quality of the shot and the impact they can have. So I asked Ian how do they educate this impact? “Simple friendly conversations between the staff and the consumer”.

EVERYTHING in the cabinet at GoBang is Vegan. The ironic thing is that most people don’t even know they are consciously making a difference with their purchases. The best part is that they don’t even mention it — Iain says conscious consumers are are astounded every time they come in and ask for their alternatives. We think you’re onto something there Iain!

So with over 25 years industry experience, a passion for people, sustainability and coffee, we believe there must be a better way for Iain and the team at GoBang to transact. The team at Choice are working hard to add value to consumers, merchants and the people that need it most. Follow the journey as we embark to bring payment with social impact to life one cup of coffee at a time. Next time you are tapping and going — take a second to imagine the difference you could make by paying with Choice.

A choice to pay is now a choice to make a difference.

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