Tesfay Wereta

It’s always important to dream, and to dream big

I’ve always wanted to be a businessman. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss.

My mother had a coffee-producing business and ran her own café in a small town called Maichew, in Tigray. She had a smaller pop-up shop down the road from the café that she let me run from the age of 9. My mother was well ahead of her time in that town, and one of the hardest working women, while being a single mother of 4. She was big on education but encouraged us to always do something extra on the side. I’ve always wanted to make her proud and fulfill her dream of being successful. I guess she was when I think about it. My mother passed away when I was 12. I was young, but her impact and drive shaped me.

I moved to Australia with my three siblings when I was young, and faced the challenges that came with it. I graduated in year 12 in Melbourne but I never had the desire to continue my studies. I knew I wanted to work and I knew I had two dreams – to be a pro soccer player or to be a businessman for coffee. I was pretty good at soccer, one of the best in my community and soccer team.

But you know how these things go, without opportunities, you don’t always see hard work as a solution. I always think about where my soccer would have taken me if I moved to a different country.

I went back home in 2005 and met my wife who was from Perth. In less than a year, I knew she was my person and moved to Perth. After working in a factory, I knew I valued freedom. I was a taxi driver from 2008 to 2016, and I loved it. The flexibility catered to my desire to be a present and good father. Then Uber came into the market, and we all know how that impacted us, taxi drivers.

I’m a strong believer in empowering women. I decided to be a stay-at-home father for four beautiful children for about two years while my wife worked and studied her dream. While I was working full-time being a dad, I had time to reflect and plan my dream. We can dream but if we don’t take steps to ensure that dream is a goal, it’ll always just be a dream.

I opened my coffee truck Perth coffee express Burswood in 2018 with the support of my wife, and it was a dream come true. It really just takes hard work and commitment. I’m really passionate about coffee, it’s a big part of my culture, and I had the chance to work every day making it. Two years later, I opened my first café, M & T café in Camillo, and again, it was a dream come true. I felt successful, and I was on the right track to my bigger goal.

Don’t get me wrong; there are many ups and downs. When it was low, we struggled financially, and when you’re a parent, you can’t really take bold risks, but we pulled through and are still working hard every day.

I wouldn’t have got here without the woman in my life. I think it’s important as men that we celebrate the women in our lives. My inspiration and dream steamed from my mother, but my drive and commitment come from my wife, Maarenet. And without her, I wouldn’t be here sharing my story.

I know where I started and how I got here. A young hardworking boy from a small town in Africa to a businessman in Perth, Australia. But even with success, we must always give. When you give, you’ll always get it back – whether it’s from kindness or gratitude. My mother supported the people around her, inspired them, and believed in community.

It’s always important to dream and to dream big. I’ve never stopped dreaming since I was 9, and I’m thankful to be here now because of it.