Viral barber takes on sweet venture out west
A South Australian barber turned content creator has combined his entrepreneurial knowledge to pursue a passion project with a delicious difference.
Docee acai and smoothie cafe is not Luay Fandi’s first rodeo, but it’s certainly his most flavourful one.
The barber by trade has joined forces with his partner in life and now business, Kareema Elbhalakani, to follow a dream first hatched in Dubai.
It was there the couple were first introduced to the purple berry before health concerns forced them to press pause for two years.
Luay spent this time developing the perfect acai blend, setting up a pop-up shop in his home for friends and family to taste-test recipes.
“I’ve never seen so many family members in my house,” Luay jokes.
“We said you’re only allowed to have acai if you’re going to be super honest with your feedback.”
The acai itself was not the only ingredient the couple trialled.
“I am from business background and I’ve learned, if you want to go cheap, you get the cheap results, but if you go with the top products, the results will speak for themselves,” Luay says.
“We tried so many different types of each product – different pistachios, different chocolates,” Kareema adds.
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Luay Fandi is also the owner of Luay’s Fades barbershop.
Luay and Kareema initially came up short in their search for the perfect location and shifted their thinking towards operating out of a food truck.
That was until Luay got a call from the landlord of his barber shop.
“He said next door wants to get out,” Luay says.
That same day, he signed a hand-made contract, and mere weeks later, Docee opened its doors.
“We didn’t sleep for two weeks,” Kareema laughs.
When CityMag visits the Findon Fair shop, we’re greeted by upbeat tunes and the smiling acai berry mascot perched on the wall.
The couple had a vision to combine how Australians know and love acai with the berry’s origins.
“A lot of people aren’t aware, but the berry itself is Brazilian,” Kareema explained.
The ‘Docee’ name is derived from the Portuguese word for sweet, the national language of Brazil.
The strawberry pistachio cold cream is a best seller.
When it came to developing other aspects of the menu, Luay and Kareema wanted to take a risk and were intrigued by a concept out of Asia: cold cream.
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The espresso-based drink is often with milk, topped with a whipped foam. However, the real creativity comes with the accompanying flavours.
“We haven’t heard of any of the combinations we have,” Kareema says.
“We were skeptical because who’s going to drink peanut butter coffee?” Luay adds.
“But it’s going crazy…the other day, someone drove 50 minutes for the cold creams.”
The crowd favourite is the strawberry pistachio flavour – a combination of espresso, milk, pistachio, strawberry cream foam and pistachio flakes.
The menu extends to smoothies and coffee, also offering a make-your-own-bowl option – and for those who aren’t a fan of acai can order an iced coconut base.
Luay and Kareema enjoy creating new flavour combinations. Pictured above: Acaigato with an iced coconut base.
The response to Docee was unexpected but, of course, welcomed.
“It was supposed to be a soft launch,” Luay says.
The shop is set to host a grand opening on Saturday, April 5, where the team will have new goodies to share.
“We’re introducing the Dubai chocolate filling and the viral strawberry Dubai cup,” Luay says.
“We want it to be a vibey community even, get everyone eating,” Kareema adds.
Despite juggling Luays Fades, ongoing content creation and two little ones at home, the couple are showing no signs of slowing down.
Docee customers can look forward to monthly specials, with a banana soft serve and a loaded cookies treat being just the beginning.
Docee is located at Shop 3/115 Findon Road, Woodville South and is open Monday to Wednesday from 11:00am until 10:30pm, then Thursday to Sunday from 9:00am until 10:30pm.
Connect with Docee on Instagram for more.