Kōrero over coffee at the Long Black

Yavann and Sue Emerson

With campus openings and closings, and a dramatic drop in daily foot-traffic due to the pandemic, our retailers at Unitec have been doing it tough. So, we recently caught up with Yavann Yat, the owner of the Long Black for a kōrero.

It was a surprise to learn that Yavann’s pathway into New Zealand began, in a roundabout way, by studying automotive engineering at Unitec!

In fact, entering the trades was an about-turn for Yavann. After completing a degree in economic science, he carved out a business career working for a large multinational in Cambodia, before moving with his wife Dary and their young family take up a management role in New Zealand. Unfortunately, after two years in the job he had to leave it because, as he was told: “I was over qualified.”

Undeterred, Yavann set on a new path aligning with the skills shortage of the time and began his journey with Unitec, training in the trades, and eventually working as a mechanic for three years, before going into business for the first time, running a café near AUT and Auckland University.

“I sacrificed a lot to move the family to New Zealand,” he says, and sacrifice and ‘doing it tough’ is something Yavann, and Dary are more familiar with than most, having lived through decades of civil war and unrest growing up in Cambodia.

“I was born during the genocide,” Yavann says. “After that, growing up, I lived through the civil war where millions died, many from starvation, as my country moved from communism to a democracy.”

I could see the impact on my parents and through the generations to me and my family. Our life changed a lot.”

As a student in Cambodia, there were few books, ‘everything was destroyed in war’, and the language of instruction changed often. Yavann studied Vietnamese and Russian when he was younger, and completed the majority of his degree in French until his final year when language instruction switched to English, to align with a switch of the country’s banking systems and government. Suddenly, he had to scramble to learn English, with the help of a dictionary, the odd class and his peers.

It’s no surprise then, that getting a good education for their children was at the forefront of Yavann and Dary’s decision to move to New Zealand, and to eventually establish the Long Black Café at Unitec in 2013 at its original location by Gate 1.

Coffee!

When they moved to New Zealand, their oldest son, now 21, was just two years old. He has recently graduated with a degree in urban design and is working with Auckland Council. Their youngest son is 11 years old.

Giving their two kids an immersion experience within an education setting, alongside the opportunity for a better work-life balance, was one of the attractions of starting their business at Unitec.

“We don’t have our parents or other family here, and we had two kids to look after. So, we were thinking ‘ok’, a business within a school [such as Unitec] would be good for our family,” says Yavann.

And while it hasn’t been easy, with lots of unexpected changes – including a campus shift which saw them running two cafes simultaneously at Building 1 and Te Puna – it has given them much valued time with their children.

“Monday to Friday we work hard, our children study hard at school, and during the weekend we spend time together.

“My children are fluent in Cambodian, so at home we speak our language together. At the end of the year, I like that we’re able to take a month off, and take the children back to my country.

Yavann reiterates how important those trips have been for their sons. “They get to see my village, and how I grew up, and how things are now. So at least they can learn and appreciate.

It’s a wonderful feeling, to watch their joy especially when they go back home and they can speak to their family in their own language. It makes them so happy.

“I often remind my sons how lucky they are,” says Yavann. “You’ve got an environment here in New Zealand where you can study well, you’ve got good education and a good healthcare system.

“And every day we get to deal with ‘the most knowledgeable people’ through our work at the café. For our kids, they grow up in a good environment with family, which is important in my culture. To help them become good people.”

Talking of good people, there would be few staff or students who have experienced the hospitality of Yavann, Dary and their loyal staff, and haven’t walked away happy.

Coming back on campus, Anaru Parangi reckons it was wonderful to see them again.

“They are like part of the furniture,” said Anaru. “And to see them again when we returned back to campus – it’s hard to express. It was the first thing we did, ‘Anyone know if the Long Black is open? Yuss!’”

“I’d missed their amazing coffee which is ‘sooo goood’ and of course their service,” he says, “and it’s like that all the time, whether there is one person here or a hundred people.”

Despite the relief, Anaru noted that ‘it felt a bit like the furniture was there but with the chairs missing’ with so few people on campus. “So, one of the first things I wondered was how they were getting on?”

It’s been really stressful admits Yavann. Covid has turned everything on its head and managing the peaks and troughs as campus restrictions have changed has been challenging.

“It’s impacted us a lot financially and mentally as well,” says Yavann. “Luckily Unitec waived our rent, but we still have the mortgage and other overheads, plus it’s harder to manage wastage and stock control”.

And we’ve missed so much custom during what would normally be peak semester, when we make money to cover the quieter periods. So sadly for us, it’s meant we have had to let three staff go.”

We are grateful to Unitec and everyone who is there to support us. This is our life and our livelihood. It’s a sacrifice, but we do the best we can for our children.”

GRAB A COFFEE AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you’re onsite, pop by the Long Black, grab one of the best coffees in Tāmaki and some freshly-made kai. Yavann and Dary are always glad to see you, probably know your coffee order and could do with our support through what has been a tough time for Auckland retailers.

Vouchers are available too, just email cafe.longblack@gmail.com

Mine’s a soy mocha please!