Home Ground: Brewing Confidence, One Cup at a Time

There’s a lot to love about a good local café, but what if your morning coffee also helped someone build a better future?

Tucked just off the Nepean Highway in Mornington, Home Ground is the kind of café that doesn’t just serve great coffee. It serves the community too. It’s a place where locals pop in for bacon and egg rolls, where volunteers are behind the counter, and where every coffee sold helps someone get back on their feet.

We recently had the chance to chat with Peter Orton, one of Home Ground’s directors, to hear more about how it all works and how something as simple as a café can help change lives.

More Than a Café

At first glance, Home Ground looks like your typical neighbourhood café. But behind the scenes, it’s a not-for-profit social enterprise, which means it runs just like a regular café (complete with a qualified chef and trained baristas), but the profits don’t go into anyone’s pocket. Instead, they’re poured back into the community through a range of support programs, all designed to give people a fair go.

At the centre of it all is a 10-week hospitality traineeship that gives young people and anyone needing a fresh start hands-on experience in a real café setting. Think high-quality coffee, fast-paced service and genuine customer interaction. The kind of experience that can turn into a proper job anywhere across the country.

“It’s not just about learning how to make coffee,” Peter says. “It’s about building confidence. You do something, you learn from it, and you start to believe you can do it again. That’s where the change happens.”

Programs That Go Beyond the Brew

While the café is the heart of Home Ground, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Here are a few of the standout programs Peter walked us through:

1. Hospitality Traineeship

This is where it all starts. Open to all ages but focused mostly on youth, the traineeship gives participants real skills, workplace experience and something many of them have never had before: belief in themselves.

Peter shared how proud the team was of a recent group of trainees who had challenges. “They faced all kinds of challenges, but they proved us wrong. Watching them graduate was honestly one of the most heartwarming things I’ve experienced.”

2. Street Law

Imagine a coffee van pulling up in Springvale or Noble Park, not just serving coffee but offering free legal advice too. That’s Street Law, a partnership with Peninsula Community Legal Centre. It’s a low-barrier way for people doing it tough to get help with things like lost IDs, fines or Centrelink issues, all over a hot cup of free coffee.

3. In This Together

This food program is exactly what it sounds like. People coming together to feed others who need it. Volunteers use rescued food from SecondBite to cook up hundreds of meals, all packaged and handed out to those in need across the community.

4. The Community House

Located in the Tanti area, this space runs free creative programs like art workshops, music sessions and support groups for mums. It’s all about bringing people together and giving them space to connect and thrive.

So, How Can You Help?

There are plenty of ways to support what Home Ground is doing, and every little bit makes a difference.

• Grab a coffee, brekkie or one of their famous hash browns
• Buy a jar of their house-made relish or some merch
• Donate what you can
• Volunteer your time, even a couple of hours helps
• Lend your skills in areas like marketing, admin or design

Peter put it simply: “If you’re willing to help, we’ll find something for you to do.”

Why Volunteering is a Win-Win

One of the things that stood out in our chat with Peter was how much he gets out of volunteering, and he’s not alone.

“There’s this moment when, by helping someone else, you suddenly realise you’ve changed too,” he said. “You see things differently. You start to feel more connected. It’s good for everyone.”

That kind of mindset runs through everything at Home Ground. It’s not about charity, it’s about community. Everyone brings something to the table, and together they create something bigger than any one person could do alone.

What’s Next?

Like a lot of not-for-profits, Home Ground is facing rising costs and limited resources. Right now, they’re focused on keeping their current programs strong and building their community of supporters.

If you’ve ever thought about giving back, learning something new or being part of something meaningful, now’s a great time to jump in.

Why Visit?

Great food. Smooth coffee. Big-hearted people. And a mission you’ll feel proud to support.

Every meal, every coffee and every hour volunteered helps create new opportunities for people doing it tough. So whether you’re a local tradie grabbing breakfast or someone just curious about what a social enterprise café looks like, swing by and see it for yourself.

Home Ground Cafe – 22 Robertson Drive, Mornington, VIC

• Monday to Friday – 7AM to 2PM
• Saturday – 8AM to 1PM
• Sunday – Closed