Brisbane coffee and business identity Penny Wolff has an admirable track record in business, entreprenership and social responsibility.
Everything Penny undertakes is under her guiding mantra of “act with intention, integrity and persisitence and you will make a mark on this world”. And that she has. Penny’s warmth and energy is infectious and it simply transcends everything she does she touches. A workaholic by nature, Penny is the owner and co-founder of Wolff Coffee Roasters and Hendra’s Dandelion & Driftwood. She is also a board member of the St Margaret’s Foundation and an ambassador for the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust. And, if that is not enough, Penny also moonlights as an academic in entrepreneurial studies at Queensland University of Technology.
Considered a Queensland ‘institution’ and lauded by Ascot, Clayfield, Hamilton, Hendra and surrounds communities, Penny opened the third edition of the much-adored Dandelion & Driftwood café at 20 Doncaster Road, Hendra in late February 2021. Last month, Dandelion & Driftwood won the Coffee Shop and Tea Bar category at the 2021 South East Queensland Restaurant and Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence which saw more than 140 local restaurants, cafes and catering businesses compete across 45 categories.
Once upon a time, Penny was a teacher and these days she brings those educative skills to Brisbane’s coffee world with a unique passion for ensuring any visitors to Wolff Coffee Roasters or Dandelion & Driftwood leave with some knowledge of the art of espresso and the realisation that coffee drinking should be a sensory experience. Penny acknowledges that Covid has presented a challenging time for the hospitality industry but believes that its time to celebrate the resilience and hard work that all hospitality venues have had to put into play over the past two years due to the pandemic.
“We are seeing a remarkably upbeat vibe with people wanting to go out and socialise again and our team are noticing how receptive our customers are again to dining out and good service and it truly is wonderful to see people wanting to give back and support our industry again,” Ms Wolff said. “I am enormously grateful to everyone across Queensland who is getting out to dinet, buy coffees, frequent bars and ensure that our amazing hospitality industry thrives again… a huge thank you because you are making a big difference to our businesses,” she said.
Penny is regularly recognised for her philanthropic work supporting an array of Queensland Charities through her businesses including Women’s Legal Service, Brisbane Festival, MS, Rural Aid, the Ponytail Project, Mater Foundation and more. Thanks to Penny, Wolff Coffee Roasters also partner with OzHarvest to donate excess food goods while also helping to fund supply of water tanks and book resources to third world communities where they source coffee beans from.
Penny has won an Australian Barista Champion award and was the first Queensland female to be asked to judge the World Barista Championships. Carving out a distinct leadership role in all of the industries she works across, Penny is a huge believer that it is necessary to always challenge yourself personally and professional.
Readers also enjoyed our profile on Keeley Green Interior Design
