FOR the last six years, Graeme Hobbs' coffee has been a welcome addition to the morning routine of Catherine Hill Bay residents.
But now, licensing issues with Lake Macquarie City Council have brought The 2 Coffee Guys owner's daily grind to a grinding halt.
The community isn't ready to let go of their favourite brew without a fight - starting a petition to reinstate the business which they say serves up more than just coffee, it's created a community.
"Look what they've done to me, they've crushed my business, they've hurt the community - the overwhelming support from the community has been unbelievable, they say I've been a valued member of the community, 'you give our dogs treats, you're respectful to people'," Mr Hobbs said.
"I'm very courteous to people."
Mr Hobbs operated his business as a mobile vendor, driving around the housing estate at Catherine Hill Bay offering coffee, treats and milk at cost price.
With limited options for cafes or groceries in the community, many people in the community say they relied on him for their morning caffeine fix before work or dropping the kids to school.
Mr Hobbs said he became aware that his license had expired around December, and when he went to renew it he was told by council staff that he could only operate from a static location on Flowers Drive.
"It's nowhere near the estate, it's the other end of Catherine Hill Bay," he said.
"Who's going the travel down there? The whole point of being mobile is to service clients."
According to Lake Macquarie City Council, a focus on mobile vending came about during COVID to support local businesses and provide the community with access to services.
A council spokesman said while there hasn't been a change to the council's policies on mobile vending, new processes have been put in place to ensure community safety.
"Mr Hobbs has approval to operate his mobile business in a specified area off Flowers Drive, close to the Catherine Hill Bay Beach car park," he said.
"Mobile vendors in Lake Macquarie are not allowed to drive anywhere they want to set up and operate."
He said the council had received a complaint regarding noise and safety, but that Mr Hobbs' licence had not been revoked.
"His mobile vending business operated for approximately two years without approval before the recent approval was granted to operate off Flowers Drive," he said.
"Mobile vendors can also trade from private land without council consent, for example, from a private driveway.
"This operates under a private agreement between the vendor and the property owner."
Resident Kim McEwan started a petition to reinstate Mr Hobbs' business, which now has more than 250 signatures.
Her house was the fifth one built in the new estate, and she said everyone had worked very hard to establish a sense of community between 'old' and 'new' Catherine Hill Bay.
"He's just a really community-minded bloke, and the amount of feedback I've had through the Facebook page is pretty incredible and I didn't want to stand back and see this happen," Ms McEwan said.
"I just don't believe one person should be able to shut down someone's livelihood, basically.
"He would look out for people, he just watches out for the community, he's got his finger on the pulse because he's talking to people all the time and it's like having a dad looking after the estate, I suppose."
She said besides Mr Hobbs' coffee van, there aren't many options for locals looking for cafe fare.
"It's a service that's progressed over six years and become entrenched in the community, it's been a long, hard road getting us to pull together and be a community because of all the friction that's happened in the development, and he's been an integral part of it," she said.
