Seven days a week, Melbourne man Scott Edwards makes his way to his local shopping centre to buy his routine morning coffee.
After a workplace accident left him struggling with mobility of both of his shoulders and unemployed, Scott decided to not let his injury keep him down.
Walking 10-15km each day, he would keep active, positive and caffeinated with his regular coffee order.
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His extra large latte with sugar from his favourite coffee house became his daily — often twice daily — treat.
However, little did Scott know each caffeine hit put him one step closer to winning $40,000.
Scott continued to sip his coffee seemingly unaware, until one Friday afternoon he received a different kind of buzz.
“I remember the day I received the phone call — it’s pretty hard to forget,” Scott tells 7Life of the moment he won the life-changing prize.
“I just replied with: ‘This is just amazing’.”
Humble Scott was lost for words when he heard he had just pocketed $40,000.
His sip of luck began five years ago when he was left with ongoing medical issues with both of his arms after a workplace accident.
Unable to work, the coffee lover didn’t want his injury to affect his love for life, so he decided to remain positive despite his restricted movement.
Left unemployed, he was increasingly worried how he could afford his mortgage payments and general living costs.
“I destroyed both of my shoulders but decided I didn’t want to stay home and be sad,” he says.
“I was worried about how I was going to pay my mortgage, how I would afford this or will I have to move.
“But even though I had these hard circumstances I wanted to try and stay positive.”
Scott turned his attitude around and, instead of living in a constant state of worry, he threw himself into a creating a positive mindset.
Every day, he made a pact to himself he would leave the house and walk 10-15km a day.
But with the threat of sunburn on some days and rain on others, he decided to count his steps at his Highpoint Shopping Centre, in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
As he made the rounds, he picked up his first ever brew at Soul Origin, and the coffee house instantly became his regular.
“I have a passion for coffee and the people (employees) were so nice,” he says.
Consuming multiple cups a day, he quickly became a loyalty member and cashed in on every cup.
For five years, Scott completed his 15km — coffee in hand — and remarkably lost 35kg.
One day, during his routine coffee walk, he noticed a sign at the register advertising a prize for $40,000 towards housing expenses, rent or mortgage.
“When I stumbled upon the news of Soul Origin’s $40,000 Giveaway, it felt like a beacon of hope in my challenging financial situation,” Scott says.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to win.”
For every purchase over $5, the individual would receive one entry into the giveaway.
Despite his chance to win, he never truly believed he would be the one to take home the top prize.
With Scott’s coffee ritual, he was entering multiple times a day without changing his routine.
Forgetting about his potential to win, one seemingly mundane Friday afternoon he received a phone call that would change his life.
As an unknown number appeared on his phone, he answered, unaware he was about to cash in on $40,000.
“A woman from the Soul Origin marketing department called me,” he says, adding that the news he had won the huge cash giveaway had left him speechless.
Now for the foreseeable future, Soul Origin will be covering Scott’s mortgage repayments up to $40,000, taking the huge burden off his shoulders.
He now laughs at the fact his coffee addiction is helping pay off his home.
“Normally it’s, ‘Don’t drink coffee and don’t have avocado on toast’,” he says.
Scott is forever grateful the huge financial burden has been lifted off his shoulders.
“If there is a contest, you never know (the outcome),” he laughs, encouraging everyone to enter giveaways.
“If you feel lucky, do it.”
Despite the increased cash flow, Scott’s coffee routine hasn’t changed.
He continues to walk 15km a day — with Soul Origin keeping him going throughout the day.