Flood of gratitude for Rothwell's Breathe Easy Café

A Rothwell café has been recognised for supporting the community during this year’s floods.

Breathe Easy Cafe and owner Trina Rowles have been awarded $1250 to help with operational costs as part of the Thank You Small Business Competition, run by Origin Energy in partnership with Silver Lining.

Trina and her team were nominated for their tireless efforts to fundraise for disaster accommodation and preparing more than 350 meals for victims of the 2022 Queensland floods.

The cafe also raised more than $2000 for Chameleon Youth Housing, who provided disaster accommodation during the crisis.

Trina says she’s delighted to be recognised after a rocky start to the business, which she bought during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of the floods on the community.

“It's a proud moment to be recognised by Origin in this competition and we're grateful to receive the prize which will go toward building a better and brighter Breathe Easy Cafe.”

Recognising resilience

Thank You Small Business, a worldwide initiative brought to Australia for the first time by Origin, invited people to nominate small businesses and their owners who demonstrated resilience, determination, and creativity to make outstanding contributions to their communities.

Breathe Easy Cafe was one of five winners chosen from almost 300 Thank You Small Business nominations nationally.

Origin head of Business, Retail Magio Kantzipas says the small business community has face many challenges in the past few years and the company was proud to acknowledge the hard work and resilience of owners.

“Some of the stories have blown us away and it’s inspiring to see the innovative and creative ways in which Australian business owners are thinking about and contributing to their communities,” Magio says.

“We would like to congratulate Trina and the Breathe Easy Cafe for their incredible work in supporting their community during a particularly difficult time and wish them all the best with their standout business in future.”