In four short years since escaping from Canberra and the pandemic, Caroline and Imogen now head up one of the region's most popular cafés. They share their story in this regular feature about Eurobodalla's business owners, entrepreneurs and visionaries changing our region for the better
Salt, a gorgeous café tucked into the marina on the shores of the Wagonga Inlet in Narooma.
The friends and business partners had first met in 2009 while working at a gourmet food and wine store in Canberra, and spent the next decade on their own adventures before finding themselves living not too far from each other in Tuross Head.
Imogen – or 'Immy' to her mates – was working as a chef at the Pickled Octopus in Tuross Head, but found herself wanting to do her own thing.
"I was imagining in my spare time what I could do on my own and coming up with ideas but doing it solo meant it was always more of an ideas thing than something I could bring into fruition," she said.
"Caroline and I were hanging out and it grew from an idea into something where we thought we could do it together."
Caroline was working online in digital marketing but decided to take the leap and start the business alongside Imogen and it has gone from strength to strength ever since.
"Before we decided exactly what we wanted to do, the first thing we did was meet other business owners and locals," Caroline said.
"We started talking to people: folks that ran other businesses, producers of different foods, coffee roasters, and then we had divine timing where the spot kind of landed right in our laps.
"It was just incredible. The previous owner was ready to move on and just thought we'd be the perfect people to take over."
Although the middle of a global pandemic may seem like the worst possible time to start a business, Imogen and Caroline described it as "perfect timing".
"There wasn't a lot people could do, but one thing they could do was go out and get a coffee," Caroline said.
"We got to meet a lot of the locals, and we formed really special relationships from the beginning.
"We're pinching ourselves still about how great this is, and how it keeps growing as the months go by."
Salt has quickly become one of the most popular coffee spots in Narooma, one that is almost exclusively stocked with produce from local suppliers.
"I've written all the different menus we've done, and it changes often based on seasonality," Imogen said.
Imogen and Caroline's journey in Eurobodalla's hospitality scene may still be young, and looks to be heading in a very exciting direction, but they both agree on one thing: They wouldn't do it with anyone else.
"I love working with Caroline," Imogen said. "I knew we had great complimentary skills to work together as café owners, but my mind has really been blown with how in tune we've been with what we've needed.
"We've never had a problem together."
"The staff have been great as well," Caroline said. "We both had babies within the first year of opening Salt, and we would have drowned if not for the amazing team who love the café as if it's their own.
"We don't have to worry about it when we're not there, and we can happily raise babies and run a business without too much fuss."
- This story was first published in Council's quarterly newsletter for residents, Living in Eurobodalla. A printed edition is delivered to Eurobodalla's 26,000 households.
