Jawah Bernier opened her very first business at 24 and has since watched her cafe Birchwood Coffee Ko grow into a community and a labour of love.
On Aug. 8, Bernier was recognized with the Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneur Award for the NWT at the Arctic Indigenous Investment Conference, in celebration of her achievements as a young Indigenous businessperson.
“I've always wanted to own a cafe. Anyone who works in the industry wants to own one,” she said.
Bercier humbly kept the award a relative secret until her sister, Sadetlo Scott shared Bercier's success in a Facebook post.
“Jawah works tirelessly each and every day to keep Birchwood running smoothly, putting the needs of her staff and customers above everything else. I am so happy to see her get the recognition she deserves and so proud to see all she's accomplished,” wrote Scott.
Birchwood was built with the knowledge that Yellowknife has a market for good coffee, she said.
Many of the customers say the cafe is “homey and inviting,” said Bercier.
The Ko in the cafe's name means “home” in Tlicho Yati.
The cafe is a daughter-father enterprise. Jawah
Bercier's father, Patrick Scott, was supportive of Jawah's dream to open a coffee shop. Three and a half years ago, that dream became a bricks and mortar reality, with the two doing most of the renovations of a previous office space on their own.
“He was the one that made it possible and said if you're really committed and wanting to go ahead with this, I'll help you out,” she said.
Retaining staff in the restaurant industry can be a challenge, but Birchwood has a “really good crew of staff,” said Bercier.
“It's also been surreal to me. It means a lot to be a part of the community. You can see families growing up in coffee shops,” she said.
Bercier's business neighbours the Safe Harbour Day Shelter.
Despite not formally taking up the city's offer for public washroom signs, Bercier's policies don't alienate non-customers, and a pay-it-forward jar sits at the counter for street-involved people who can't necessarily afford a coffee.
“Any left over catering we have, we donate at the end of the day instead of throwing it away,” she said.
Birchwood dishes out their ever-popular Bannock n' Egger sandwhiches, and their coffee has gone over well, said Bercier.
Being able to talk to younger people about entrepeneurship is rewarding.
“I like to talk to them and let them know it's not impossible,” said Bercier. “I've had a lot of young Indigenous people come up and say its inspiring that I'm doing it.”