How did you get started in the coffee roasting business, and what inspired you to become a coffee roaster?
I fell in love with the espresso machine working part time at a local café during school (some people may remember Bogart’s in Whangarei).
This sparked a deep fascination with coffee, which drove me to learn more about coffees source, explore its origins, and eventually work for a NZ coffee roaster. I was given the opportunity in London to train as a green coffee taster, grader and buyer, this ticked the box for my other passion, travel.
Working for large companies around the world was great but I always had the dream to come home to the north and start my own local speciality coffee roastery. Sustainability is at the core of all we do, and in doing our own thing, it means we can make the right decisions on how we impact our world.
What sets your coffee roasting methods apart from others? Are there any unique techniques or approaches you use?
Our philosophy is based on highlighting and showcasing what mother nature and the farmer have given to the cup. With my background in sourcing and quality control, we really like to geek out in our approach. At our roastery, we employ cutting-edge technology, such as a rare colour sorting machine that captures images of roasted beans and removes any of the “naughty” ones that we are not happy with (i.e. Quakers. Light brown beans). Our aim isn't just quality but also maintaining that quality consistently, every time.
How do you ensure the quality and consistency of your roasted coffee?
This is everything to us. From the green coffee arriving at our site to the final product being shipped, we have over 20 quality points and tests. From tasting, scoring and profiling the different origins, grading the green for defects, testing moisture content, colour spectrums, computer profiling, colour sorting and of course the final taste test before we let our customers get their hands on it.
What's the most "out-of-the-box" coffee flavour or blend you've ever created, and did it become a hit?
One of the most exciting and demanding projects involved creating a coffee blend specifically designed to perform well at high altitudes for an airline company. Altitude significantly affects extraction and taste perception, and even the boiling point of water varies at different flight altitudes. More recently, in August, we introduced something a little more fun, our latest creation, "BUBBLEGUM" – an blend crafted from Ethiopian and Colombian coffees, offering a really interesting experience with, sweet candied fruit flavours.
How do you source your coffee beans, and what factors do you consider when choosing the origins and varieties?
We pride ourselves on sourcing our coffee from small family farms, where organic production methods are paramount. We not only reward quality with premiums but also contribute to social projects within cooperatives and local communities. Our choices are guided by cup profile quality and seasonal considerations, recognizing that like any harvest, there are optimal quality windows. When it comes to single origins, we seek fresh harvests from around the world creating diverse origin experiences. In creating our blends, maintaining a consistent flavour profile is key. Thus, we may occasionally substitute origins within the blend to ensure the quality and flavour consistency. Understanding the flavour opportunities from each origin is critical.
Do you have any favourite coffee regions or single-origin beans? What makes them special?
Often my favourite coffee comes from the country I have just visited, that recent experience and the connections with producers will keep me experimenting and focusing on those coffees for a while.
In general I love the tasty bright, fruity notes of Ethiopian coffee or the balanced, versatile qualities of Colombian coffee.
Are there any coffee brewing tips or techniques you'd like to share with our customers to enhance their coffee experience?
Invest in a good grinder, I would say this is more important than the quality of your machine. Buy fresh coffee in small amounts and grind fresh for your brew. A good grinder and fresh bean will even deliver something exceptional in a old school plunger or filter machine.
If your coffee roastery had a theme song, what would it be, and why?
Home, Land & Sea – Trinity Roots. Our roastery is surrounded by native bush, it’s a beautiful little piece of Aotearoa.
Quick fire:
Cats or dogs? Dog’s, big ones.
Beach vacation or mountain getaway? Tough one but I’ll go beach
Favourite book of all time? Where the wild things are.
If you could travel back in time, which era would you visit? The big bang time, love to know how it all happened.
Pizza or tacos? Tacos
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise on the east coast, sunset on the west
Best movie you've seen recently? Cruella (I have kids now)
Sweet or savoury? Savoury
If you had a superpower, what would it be? My superpower would be having multiple super powers
Early bird or night owl? Early bird these days
Favourite ice cream flavour? Coffee
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be? Do they need to be dead? David Attenborough is pretty cool.
What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? Involuntarily wrestled with a playful silverback gorilla in Rwanda.
