OUR STORY
We are powerhouse sister-duo and Cubbyhouse Canteen founders, Bec and Narelle Thompson.
For as long we can remember, community has been at the forefront of our lives.
Growing up in a small coastal town, our weeks were jam-packed with sports; basketball, football, netball and surf club. Our whole world was centred around our local community. We are products of the ‘it takes a village’ philosophy in action, and it’s this ethos of community, kindness and connection that drives the Cubbyhouse Canteen brand.
We landed our first ‘hospo’ jobs as soon as it was legally possible (14 years and 9 months), and it was in these junior roles that our love for the fast-paced team environment of hospitality was born. After graduating from high school, we both moved to the big smoke and trained in early childhood, spending many years working in Australia and internationally, as educators and in-home Nannie’s.
In 2010, we decided it was time to combine our experience in both the ‘hospo’ and early childhood fields, and the Cubbyhouse Canteen cafe concept was born. We wanted to provide a fun space in which young families could come together and connect over great food and drink. A space to facilitate play and foster friendships, both new and old, within a setting that would encourage families to get outside and be active together.
We sourced the perfect location in the leafy backstreets of Armadale: a tennis clubhouse, smack bang in the middle of a lush park, hemmed in by two adventure playgrounds.
13 years later, and we are so proud of the community we have built from that clubhouse in the park! Cubbyhouse Canteen is a much-loved Melbourne institution, and a regular destination for inner-city family folk.
And now we begin a new chapter of the adventure! We are so excited to take the Cubbyhouse from the playground to the rest of the world. We’ve developed a range of delicious lunchbox and pantry snacks, represented by a unique crew of Cubbyhouse Characters, embodying all the best of the values learnt in the park: kindness, inclusion, teamwork, and a lifelong love of play.
COMMUNITY KINDNESS
CONNECTION
OUR PURPOSE
Cubbyhouse Canteen is driving a movement of little people with a big social conscience, and a commitment to community.
Our animated ‘Team Cubbyhouse’ characters embody the core values of the brand: community,
kindness, and connection. Cubbyhouse Characters encourage children to value inclusiveness, teamwork, and random acts of kindness, providing light, playful examples of how to incorporate these acts into their everyday lives. We’re all about sharing the benefits of making a positive contribution to the bigger picture.
Little Snacks, Big Social Impact
Of course, it’s a delicious snack - but it’s also a community of cool little people, doing big things to make the world a better place - one bite at a time!
Let’s do this! See you at the park.
KIDS HELPLINE is Australia’s only 24/7 free national counselling and support service for children aged 5-25 years. They are a safety net for our community and are changing and saving lives daily. A child or young person contacts the service every 71 seconds.
We have proudly chosen to support Kids Helpline by donating funds from every purchase of our delicious range of snacks.
With your support we can help Kids Helpline be there for our children when they reach out for help.
Schools micro site https://schools.kidshelpline.com.au/Schools/home