The Café in The Wall – Brodie Green

After chatting online about a possible interview, I met Brodie Green, owner of the Seadog Burleigh café (@seadogburleigh_) along the popular James Street strip located not far from the crashing waves of Burleigh Beach on the Gold Coast of Southeast Queensland. He greeted me outside his charming but trendy business; a café in the space where an ATM used to reside. After a free (delicious) coffee, we took a public seat along the strip and began the interview.

Brodie, a third generation coffee expert, wanted to open his own café, and after grinding through the market scene, and butting heads with local council over car parks at a previous venue, found his perfect spot in Burleigh. We had to pause the interview every few minutes so Brodie could respond to his regulars greeting him as they walked by, which couldn’t have been better PR while he was being interviewed (we joke that he planned it, but Brodie assures me that it was simply coincidence). It speaks volumes of the young business owner’s work ethic and friendly nature when it comes to his customers and his coffee.

A few months ago, however, while the American state of Alabama was trying to introduce jail time as consequence for attempted abortion, a male customer complained that if “women just closed their legs, they wouldn’t need abortions.” Brodie was rightfully stunned, and responded “if men kept their d*cks in their pants, or wore a condom, we would also not need abortion. It isn’t a man’s place to tell a woman what to do with her body.” Brodie, however, felt that his response was not enough, and that weekend ran a promotion of free coffee for all female customers, while all the proceeds of male customers went to local women’s charity Support The Girls (@supportthegirlsaus).

While it was a rush to make the event happen, it was a roaring success, and an excellent example of how a business, even one in a space small enough for an ATM, can make a huge difference when it comes doing the right thing. Next time you’re in Burleigh, stop by Seadog – where you aren’t just drinking coffee, you’re drinking the future of coffee.