The Su Jus Bar Cafe is quickly becoming the go-to place in Hervey Bay for fresh, healthy and delicious food and beverages, especially if you want or need to eat gluten-free. Inspired by vibrant Latin American dishes and superfoods, the menu is based on the Paleo lifestyle, which is a modern way of eating foods that would have been eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors, meaning fresh, unprocessed, whole foods. Every recipe is unique and carefully created to live up to the Su Jus ideal of nourishing the body, mind, and spirit.
Su Jus Bar Cafe founder Bronwyn Mendoza was probably always destined to work in the hospitality industry. Her parents have fond memories of how as a little girl she used to pretend she was the host on the local TV cooking show Radiant Living and, sure enough, Bronwyn grew up to forge a career working in restaurants, hotels and 5-star resorts. Twenty years ago, Bronwyn began dreaming about running her own business when she and her husband moved to Hervey Bay, but as with many best-laid plans life got in the way, and raising a family put the idea on hold for many years.
The dream may have been on hold, but it wasn’t forgotten. Three years ago, Bronwyn took the plunge, quit her job and started planning in earnest, and the Su Jus Bar lifestyle kiosk was launched in 2017. The inspiration for the business name came from Bronwyn’s daughter, who had created a special remedy juice to help her mother battle a dose of the flu some years back. The Sooper Dooper Juice quickly became a family favourite and, over the years, its name became shortened to Su Jus. That very juice is #1 on the Su Jus Bar juice menu (made from apple, orange, carrot, lemon, and ginger) and has turned out to be a favourite with customers too.
It was natural for the Su Jus Bar Cafe focus to be on healthy, natural food, as Bronwyn had adopted a Paleo-based gluten-free way of life some years ago, when her father’s cancer diagnosis made her assess her own health and lifestyle choices. She has been interested in food and health ever since and is a firm believer that you are what you eat and food is thy medicine. Now that her long-held dream is a reality and the business is up and running, Bronwyn enjoys unleashing her food creativity by inventing new and delicious recipes, and she loves talking to her customers and seeing them enjoy the Su Jus foods and beverages, which include of course great coffee.
First Hervey Bay, then the world (maybe)! Don’t be surprised if you see more super dooper Su Jus Bar Cafés popping up in other locations. The business is already a great success and Bronwyn and her team would love to be able to make their delicious, healthy products available to more people, so watch this space!