franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
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Franchise New Zealand recently spoke with Raphael Garcia, Chief Financial
Officer for Black & White Coffee Cartel, just days after their newest coffee
shop opened.
Westgate, a fast-growing town centre in the northwest of the city, is already
one of Auckland’s busiest suburbs and the new Black & White café is located
close to some major anchor tenants, such as the Costco, Harvey Norman and
Briscoes, providing excellent foot traffic.
“Sometimes we identify such a good site that we just can’t miss the
opportunity,” explains Raphael, “that’s when we will consider opening a
Black & White Coffee Cartel premises without a franchisee ready to take it
over immediately.
“When a new commercial build is starting, the landlords will often approach
Black & White Coffee Cartel about a tenancy. It can take up to a year or more
for them to complete the build and then we move quickly into the swing of
it, taking another six to eight weeks to get the site prepared for opening a
brand-new coffee shop.
“We have established Westgate with an experienced manager and staff in
place for now, and we are looking for the right franchisee to walk into this
turnkey operation.”
Unbeatable locations
Raphael goes on to explain that they have just twice before opened a
Black & White Coffee Cartel café under management by the franchisor team.
In September 2024, friends Amanjodh and Jaspreet Singh bought the
franchise for a newly opened Black & White café in Timaru, saying that one
of the big attractions for them was the location – like Westgate, the Timaru
store had some large, busy retail outlets nearby and lots of parking. And, also
like the Westgate café, it was being run by a management team on behalf
of the franchisor, until Amanjodh and Jaspreet and their wives Jasmeet and
Ravinder took on the franchise.
Just 14 months later, the Timaru business has done so well for these four co-
owners, that they are about to open a second Black & White café in Belfast,
Christchurch. “We decided, early on, that we would start off with a franchise
because so much has been established, such as connections in the market,
suppliers and all the stuff they already know, that you don’t! It was absolutely
the right decision. Starting from scratch would have been so much harder,”
said Amanjodh.
Growing New Zealand’s café culture
Westgate is the 19th Black & White Coffee Cartel, with Amanjodh and
Jaspreet’s second café opening in north Christchurch due to bring the
number of outlets across the country to 20. The Westgate site has been
decorated in Black & White Coffee Cartel’s unique style, and is 187 square
metres, with a full kitchen and plenty of space for guests.
All food is made on site, with fresh ingredients key to the success of the
brand. Black & White Coffee Cartel was established in Christchurch in 2015
with a vision for a new series of quirky coffee shops to help nourish the
city that was slowly being rebuilt after the earthquake devastation. Reuben
Thorne, Canterbury’s son of rugby, was one of the first owners of the Victoria
Street Black & White café taken to heart by a population keen to establish a
new café culture in the city, and now that culture is spreading nationwide.
Passion for coffee
The current staff at Westgate have been hand-picked by Black & White
Coffee Cartel’s expert support team – meaning that the new franchisee will
have the confidence of leading a fully trained and competent team from day
one. Amanjodh and Jaspreet admit this was a big responsibility for them in
Timaru, but they point out that a new franchisee can choose who to retain on
staff, saying that having good business sense and knowing how to manage
people is key to running a successful franchise.
Franchisees don’t need experience in the hospitality sector but must have
a passion for coffee and be prepared to work full time in the business. The
franchise provides initial training for franchisees and staff as required for
front of house, back of house, on-site roasting, operational and financial parts
of the business, and the support team stays onsite working alongside new
franchisees for two to three weeks.
“A turnkey Black & White Coffee Cartel café will start at around $350,000,”
says Raphael. “The franchise system has a close partnership with Westpac,
and it is usually quite a smooth process for new franchisees to obtain finance.
We are a very flexible franchise team, willing to explore alternative ideas and
innovative cooperative partnerships with new franchisees, as well as to look
at other possible site options.
“We have the Westgate site in Auckland ready to take on right away, and
the Timaru store has amply
demonstrated the potential of
a co-operative group to spread
the investment. Regardless
of where you live in New
Zealand, if you have the right
attitude for success and, most
importantly, a passion for
coffee, we’d love to help you
into a thriving business.”
A prime opportunity for
potential franchisees as
Black & White Coffee Cartel
opens in Auckland’s
busy Westgate
PRIME
SITE
Opportunity: Food & Beverage
Black and White Coffee Cartel
www.blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Contact
Tony Yin
022 630 6622
tony.yin@blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Advertiser Info
The fully-trained team at the
new Black & White Coffee
Cartel in Westgate, Auckland