Coffee franchise roars ahead
Boutique Black & White Coffee Cartel has ambitious expansion plans for a raft of new cafe´ s in the South Island and is looking to ‘‘aggressively’’ expand in the North Island.
The company was founded by Bink Bowler, who runs the group alongside two co-directors and shareholders, brother Luke Bowler and former All Black captain Reuben Thorne.
The first cafe´ under the Black & White brand opened in Victoria St in Christchurch in early 2015, and there are now 13 sites operating.
The micro-roasting cafe´ group has commissioned Savills leasing broker Toby Nicholls to find operators for new sites for more than 15 cafes.
‘‘Black & White don’t follow the traditional cafe´ franchise model – the difference is that all operators roast their own beans on site, which puts a key part of the supply chain under their control,’’ Nicholls said.
With beans making up anywhere from a third to half the cost of running a cafe´ , it was a significant benefit to operators, fellow Savills broker Norman Engel said.
‘‘The boutique roastery model has proven to be a strong attraction to operators so far, as there are few opportunities to enter the market as a dedicated coffee roaster,’’ Engel said.
‘‘Black & White’s model is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and one of only a few in the world where the roaster as a separate entity is cut out of the supply chain, reducing the cost of the beans for operators and directing more profit to them.’’
No specific roasting experience is necessary other than a passion for great coffee, Nicholls said.
‘‘A key part of the Black & White ethos is that each cafe´ should have an independent, boutique feel, in contrast to the cookie-cutter interiors of the big franchise chains.’’
As well as South Island expansion, the company was also setting its sights on the North Island and overseas under master-franchise models, he said.
Following the success of its 13 existing sites in Christchurch, Rangiora, Rolleston and Queenstown (Frankton), the company has appointed Savills to exclusively manage new site acquisitions, leasing, and operator negotiations, as it looks to open more cafe´ s.
They are looking for operators in Dunedin, with several potential sites being considered.
Operators are also being sought for cafe´s in Invercargill, Queenstown town centre, Wanaka, Oamaru, Timaru and Ashburton.
After opening five sites in the past year and a half, Black & White has a further three under construction in Christchurch and due to open in the coming months.
An immediately-available site in the Christchurch suburb of Beckenham is now being offered to operators.
Black & White sells its operators a roasting kitset and provides full training and support in using the equipment, which is selected to be an easily-manageable size and capacity.
Operators also benefit from group buying power, with the company negotiating prices down and passing those benefits on to its operators.
Black & White also encourages operators to create their own individually-designed fit-outs, Nicholls said.
Working exclusively with Savills means potential Black & White cafe´ operators benefit from a streamlined property search process, with a short list of sites presented for consideration.
Savills then negotiates with landlords on behalf of Black & White and the operator, with the aim of providing a turn-key solution with a cafe´ that is fully fitted out and ready to begin roasting and brewing.