Coffee with a cause: new Carlton North café transforms lives of refugee and migrant women

A new café with a powerful mission has quietly opened its doors in Carlton North, bringing great coffee and life-changing opportunities to the community.

Crafted Culture, a social enterprise café run by not-for-profit organisation SisterWorks, opened its new Nicholson St location on April 29, combining hospitality with a commitment to empowering refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeking women.

Michelle Paterson, business manager of Crafted Culture’s café and catering arms, says the move marks a significant step forward in providing meaningful pathways for the women they support.

“SisterWorks is a not-for-profit social enterprise that supports refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeking women to become economically independent,” she said.

“That’s through training courses – mostly in hospitality, manufacturing, entrepreneurship.”

Crafted Culture was first launched on Bridge Rd, Richmond, where it operated alongside a retail space selling handmade goods created by SisterWorks participants.

The move to Carlton North allowed the team to combine its café and commercial kitchen under one roof, streamlining operations and creating more opportunities for the women involved.

While the former location enjoyed high foot traffic, Paterson says the new site has already surpassed expectations.

“We are actually busier than Bridge Rd by about 50 per cent already – the response from the community has been really wonderful,” Michelle told Inner City News.

Crafted Culture isn’t just about food and coffee – it’s a training ground for women building new lives in Australia.

Through real-world experience in the café, women develop hands-on hospitality skills while growing their confidence in a supportive environment.

“Being able to be in the café, they can build their confidence with their English speaking and with the skills that they’re able to provide,” Michelle said.

For Michelle, the most rewarding aspect is witnessing the growth in confidence among the women.

“One of the new staff is from Japan. She was saying that she has no confidence and really low self-esteem, and just watching her over the last couple of weeks – she’s incredible,” Michelle said.

Crafted Culture is also expanding its catering arm, with a focus on partnering with corporate clients looking to make socially responsible choices.

“We are in the stages of upscaling our catering menu,” Michelle said, highlighting a push to create more job opportunities both front and back of house.

The café’s official launch event will be held on June 19 to celebrate its new home and mission.

“All I can hope for the future is that we’ll get busier and busier and be able to provide more training.” •