A fresh coat of paint, new furniture and 150 school bags filled with supplies are now brightening classrooms at a Nadi primary school after more than 270 delegates from an international café chain rolled up their sleeves to help.
Australian-founded café chain The Coffee Club held its first hands-on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refurbishment project at Ralete Primary School on Moala Rd yesterday, coinciding with its first international conference held in Fiji.
The event brought together more than 278 franchise partners, executives, suppliers and family members.
With the theme ‘Make It Matter’, the Coffee Club conference encourages the network to reflect on what truly matters, with volunteers also participating in a CSR initiative at Vunayasi District School, helping improve facilities for students, teachers and the wider village.
CSR works completed included interior and exterior painting of school buildings, repairing damaged areas, upgrading the school library and kindy play area, assembling 45 sets of tables and chairs for Year 3 and 4 classrooms, and constructing five new picnic tables for outdoor learning and activities.
The delegates also donated 150 school bags filled with essential supplies and sporting equipment.
Minor DKL Food Group – owners of the café chain – chief executive officer Richard Hinson said the initiative reflected the purpose behind the conference theme.
“Make It Matter speaks to being intentional in everything we do,” Mr Hinson said.
“Throughout The Coffee Club’s 37-year history, giving back to the community has always been something we are deeply passionate about.
“It’s a privilege to bring so many people from our network to Fiji, roll up our sleeves and make a tangible difference.
“There is no better place to bring this spirit to life, where the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution is both genuine and impactful.”
Local family-owned tourism company Rosie Holidays Fiji coordinated the project with Australian full-service event management company Follow the Sun over the past 18 months and executed the project successfully.
“We have really been privileged to work with our tour organisation — Follow the Sun, and they have had an affiliation with Rosie for a number of years, and we are pleased that they have been able to coordinate this project for us,” Mr Hinson added.
“This is a sort of thing, we could not do remotely ourselves, so Rosie’s being well-established, and well-trusted, we thought they were the perfect partner. And Eroni Bole, our host for today, is just an absolute icon for tourism in Fiji.”
Groups and events specialist, Mr Bole, who was recently awarded the Cultural Tourism Champion Award during the Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards 2025, said a project of this scale would typically take years for the local community to raise funds and implement.
“The Coffee Club’s involvement has significantly accelerated the much-needed support the school and community needs,” Mr Bole said.
“The improvements made will have a positive and lasting impact for years to come.”
The Coffee Club conference will run until Thursday, with the program including business sessions, networking and celebration of the brand’s continued growth.
Established in 1989, The Coffee Club has grown into Australia’s largest home-grown café group with about 350 stores across 13 countries and more than 40 million customers.
The Coffee Club franchise partners Manish Soni (left) and Nihir Patel, with Emmanuel Drivas (founder), Richard Hinson (CEO Minor DKL Food Group), Emmanuel Kokoris (founder), Fara Sutjipto, Maria Lazarou and John Lazarou at the Coffee Club 2026 Conference Corporate Social Responsibility initiative at Ralete Primary School in Nadi.
The Coffee Club 2026 Conference delegates Matthew Young (left) and Jolene Jubb make benches during at Ralete Primary School in Nadi.
The Coffee Club 2026 Conference delegates make benches during the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative held at Ralete Primary School in Nadi. Picture: REINAL CHAND
Rosie Holidays head of operations Sunil Kumar (left) coordinates the painting by The Coffee Club 2026 conference delegates.
The Coffee Club 2026 Conference delegates David Casey (left) and Gayan Makawitage carry out maintenance work at the playground during the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative held at Ralete Primary School in Nadi. Picture: REINAL CHAND
