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franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
the middleman supplier of roasted beans and selling bags of freshly
micro-roasted coffee can add around $25,000 per year to a franchisee’s
bottom-line return.”
Genuine health benefits
Linsey agrees with Raphael about the positive effect on the business’
income stream of serving and selling fresh roasted beans but says there
is also a genuine health benefit for café customers. “Scientists have
found that as soon as a coffee bean is roasted it starts losing freshness,
nutrients and antioxidants. This ‘fast-fading freshness’ is well known
in France and Italy where the secret to all that amazing coffee served in
little street corner cafés is their on-premises roasters. We roast on site
at Black & White so the bean can get to your coffee cup by the shortest
route possible.
“Our Papanui Black & White Coffee Cartel is one of the smaller cafés in
the network, with only 10 to 15 tables and outdoor seating for four, but
we do have many loyal customers thanks to being on the ground floor of
a four-storey office building. Many of those working in the building pop
in every day for our amazing coffee as well as for cabinet food and fresh-
cooked items from our menu. Businesses in the building also often use
us to meet with clients.
“Because of our small size, customers can see everything that’s going on
in our wee kitchen. Like the micro-roaster, it’s a source of entertainment.
Part of my job as manager is also chef, working alongside our barista and
four part-time staff. I’ve gained incredibly helpful experience in running
lots of parts of the business on my path towards becoming a franchisee.”
A way to spread the investment
“I think I must have been one of the first of Black and White’s regular
customers in Christchurch,” says Linsey. “Now, having worked closely
with the franchisor team I can vouch for the high standard of head office
support. And I know I can speak on Winnie’s behalf when I say there’s an
excellent relationship between her and the franchisor team.”
Turnkey investment in a Black & White Coffee Cartel café starts at
$350,000. Linsey says her plan is to be a sole franchisee, “However, I
would consider going into partnership with friends or investors I can
fully trust.”
Raphael Garcia says this is a
different, but proven way of
spreading the investment in
a Black & White Coffee Cartel
franchise – for the right people.
“If you’ve got the passion, Black
& White Coffee Cartel has the
opportunity wherever in New
Zealand you are. Call us today
to find out more.”
n two years or so, Linsey Ge is determined to resign as manager of the
Papanui Black & White Coffee Cartel café – so she can invest in her
own Black & White micro-roasting coffee franchise.
Although it’s a little bit different, Linsey won’t be the first or last person
to work in a franchise business before investing. It’s a great way to gain
first-hand knowledge of the franchise model, its profitability, work/
lifestyle balance, and levels of franchisor support.
Brought up in Beijing, Linsey’s parents sent her to New Zealand to
complete her college education at South Otago High School in Balclutha.
A self-confessed coffee aficionado, Linsey is now also a marketing
graduate from the University of Canterbury. She’s no stranger to being
in business for herself either - for three years she ran a fish and chips
shop in the Christchurch suburb of Merivale. But as happened to many
independent businesses, Linsey’s fish and chips takeaway fell victim to
Covid. So, when her best friend Winnie Wang offered work at the Black &
White Coffee Cartel café she had bought in Papanui in 2017, Linsey
didn’t hesitate.
“Because of my love of coffee, I had trained as a barista and brought
those skills to Winnie’s franchise,” says Linsey. “As determined as I am
on becoming a Black & White franchisee in a couple of years or so, it
will be difficult to leave Winnie as she’s such a great boss and a
wonderful friend.”
An exquisite aroma
In 2014, with Christchurch slowly rebuilding after the devastating
February 2011 earthquake, brothers Bink and Luke Bowler partnered
with former All Blacks captain Reuben Thorne to open the first Black &
White coffee shop in central Christchurch. Two years later, hospitality
entrepreneur Alan Win and his business partner Raphael Garcia bought
the business to develop a franchise system with a real difference.
Since then, the Black & White Coffee Cartel franchise has grown to 18
cafés, situated across the South Island and Auckland. The funky fit-outs
feature walls of floor-to-ceiling framed photographs and prints, with a
steampunk-inspired micro-roaster for Black & White’s in-house coffee
blends. Eclectic tables and furnishings are encouraged, underscoring
that this is no cookie-cutter franchise.
“We want all Black & White cafés to be individual, alive, vibrant, bursting
with flavour and above all, heaving with that exquisite aroma of coffee
roasting on site,” enthuses Raphael. “And, as a bonus, cutting out
Black and White Coffee Cartel
www.blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Contact
Tony Yin
022 630 6622
tony.yin@blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Advertiser Info
DOING
THINGS
DIFFERENTLY
Opportunity: Food & Beverage
Determined to be a Black & White
Coffee Cartel franchisee, Linsey Ge
gains on-site café experience.
Linsey Ge: ‘I’ve gained incredibly helpful experience’