New cafe set to open in Boheme Apartments, CityVillage

Robina’s reputation as a destination for coffee lovers is set to be further bolstered following the recent sale of a new café space to renowned Sydney café operators.

Sydney coffee house owners and bean roasters, Claudia and Dragan Novakovic, recently purchased the trendy, street-level space at CityVillage’s Bohème Apartments – to establish a local café to service this now completed, master-planned residential precinct.

The prime corner site, located a short waterside walk to Robina Town Centre, was purchased as a blank canvas, comprising 53sqm of landscaped alfresco space and a 35sqm internal area.

The Novakovics plan to bring the café to life with their own modern fitout and fresh décor, and an old-fashioned promise to be the friendly, local owner-operators who know customers by name and their order.

Construction will start shortly, ahead of an expected opening in the first half of 2019 – make sure you’re subscribed to insideR so we can let you know all the grand opening details!

Claudia said she and her husband brought with them many decades of family experience in the coffee trade, and were looking forward to opening the doors to their new café.

“We can’t wait to be the go-to café for Robina residents who want to grab their first coffee before they head off to work for the day,” she said.

“We also think there is a lot of potential to provide a new destination for locals who want to be able to take a short walk on the weekend to enjoy a healthy, organic breakfast or lunch.

“Our Bogota Coffee roasting houses in Sydney have become a bit of an institution over the years and are frequented by everyone from locals to sports stars and politicians, so we are looking forward to creating another very special location here on the Gold Coast.”

Claudia and Dragan opened their first Bogota Coffee café in Sydney eight years ago.

Dragan’s father, Nikola – who founded the company and is still head roaster – has been in the coffee trade for almost 50 years, and Dragan’s son, Nicholas, is already keen to continue the long-standing family trade.

The couple recently sold their two popular Bogota Coffee locations in Sydney’s Eastlakes and Mascot and still own a roasting factory in Sydney, which will supply beans to the Robina café.

“Our family fell in love with the Gold Coast lifestyle from our very first trip here, and we have been planning on moving from Sydney ever since,” said Dragan.

“We see our family’s future on the Gold Coast and will strive both professionally and socially to become a part of the local community.”

Knight Frank’s Tania Moore and Tanaka Jabangwe, who handled the sale on behalf of master developer Robina Group, said the cafe enjoys a prime location in the popular waterfront precinct.

“The café is certainly a unique offering, servicing residents living in the highly walkable CityVillage community, and also in close proximity to Robina Automall and the Robina Home + Life centre,” Ms Moore said.

“In addition, the café will also appeal to the large number of workers in CBDRobina’s thriving business community.”

Robina Group CEO Hylton Slater said the owners’ choice of location for their new café epitomised the ‘live, work, play’ lifestyle that CBDRobina has become renowned for.

“Residents and professionals working in the area can enjoy the convenience of being able to get a great cup of coffee or a bite to eat from café owners who are passionate about both their coffee and their enviable Robina location,” he said.

“With an increasing population and huge employment growth, this is yet another example of Robina truly being a sought-after lifestyle and business destination.”

Terrace Homes in the CityVillage precinct are now fully sold, with Robina Group’s new residential project VUE Terrace Homes now selling.