Arriving in Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan, Mohammad Dawoodi, is now the proud owner of two juice and dessert bars and a grocery store Sydney's western suburbs.
Dawoodi built his business with a first juice bar in 2014, followed by a grocery store in 2015 and a second juice bar in 2017. One bar, , and the store are located in Auburn, and the second, , on Haldon street in the suburb of Lakemba.
His juice bars specialise in serving Central Asian desserts – a dream that Dawoodi had when arriving with no financial or business experience, nor a word of English. The business owner has luckily been welcomed in the multicultural district of Cumberland Council where he set up shop some five years ago.
Dawoodi fled his home state of Afghanistan before travelling to bordering Pakistan for refuge. There, he was persecuted and eventually made his way to Australia. Dawoodi says there was a lot of sectarian violence and it was an unsafe place to be.
Dawoodi has made many friends in the Auburn community. Source: Cumberland Council
Luckily Dawoodi has shed the burden of fear and shares the western Sydney district where he now lives and works with a high population of refugees who have similar experiences. This has also created a diverse hub of multicultural foods offerings and businesses that serve the community – and his juice and dessert bars are a hit with the locals.
“In Auburn, every day is like two days…business is great and I have made many friends in the community,” he says.
One speciality offered at Auburn Fresh Juice Centre is the falooda ice-cream. The sweet dish is said to have originated in either Pakistan, Iran or somewhere across the Indian subcontinent. It’s made with rose syrup, sweet noodles and ice cream or milk, with varying additions such as nuts and basil seed.
“In Auburn, every day is like two days…business is great and I have made many friends in the community,” he says.
Dawoodi’s version includes a range of flavours and was the first of its kind to be served to the Cumberland Council community.
He says his Afghani ice cream, called sheer-yakh, is also a big hit.
“It’s a blend of vanilla ice-cream, milk, condensed milk, a pinch of saffron, ground pistachio and rose water. In Afghanistan, sheer-yakh would bring people together – families, friends and especially couples,” he says.
The menu also features a “sunshine” option under its ice cream listing which adds fruit and nut garnishes to three scoops of your choosing (pictured below), as well as shake flavours like date or fig.
Falluda ice cream at Auburn Fresh Juice Centre Source: Cumberland Council
“As a businessman who struggled to get here, my advice to others in my shoes is to never give up on [your] dreams,” Dawoodi adds.
“Have a goal and never give up.”
Cumberland Mayor, Greg Cummings says the Cumberland community has a strong sense of mutual respect for its diverse makeup and is a welcoming environment.
“Refugee Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the contribution refugees make to our community,” Cummings said.
As part of Refugee Week (16-22 June) the council has opened bookings for an called ‘Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood’, where attendees can hear stories from local residents as part of a .
The council also holds professional development tours for businesses and non-profit organisations, as well as school groups, to educate those who wish to learn more about the refugee experience and how they can better support new arrivals in their respective fields.
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