franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
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District Nurse Camilo Melmel had no inkling that when curiosity took him into
the small, funky Black & White Coffee Cartel café in Christchurch’s High Steet
one day in 2018, he was walking into his own future.
“As a family group, my wife Marilen and I, and two sisters-in-law Ailen and
Sally, had agreed to pool savings to invest in a business. Cafés were not on
our list, although fish and chips shops were. I knew so little about cafés and
coffee that when I walked into the Black & White High Street café, I had no
idea what the big machine on the counter was. ‘It’s our vintage espresso
coffee machine’, I was told. I ordered the only coffee I knew, a mocha.”
Favourable coincidences are part of Camilo’s life – it was a coincidence that
led to the couple leaving the Philippines for New Zealand in 2008. “Marilen
and I trained as nurses, planning to work in the United States,” he explains.
“But when we graduated, America wasn’t looking for nurses and New
Zealand was. We did some research, liked what we saw, and successfully
applied to work in New Zealand, living and studying in Christchurch to bring
our qualifications up to New Zealand requirements.”
Another coincidence came shortly after Camilo visited that High Street café.
“Looking online at businesses for sale, Black & White Coffee Cartel, High
Street popped up. We all agreed there was nothing to lose following up on
the opportunity and also saw merit in joining a franchise – with all the extra
business support that brings.”
Camilo and the family talked first to the business broker, then to Black &
White’s founder. Back in 2014, when it was launched, Black & White Coffee
Cartel was the country’s first and only café brand with front-of-house micro-
roasting. Quirky framed photographs and prints decorate the walls from floor
to ceiling – each franchised café has a very individual feel.
Keeping our careers
“There was a major benefit of becoming Black & White franchisees as part
of a family group operation,” says Camilo. “It meant Marilen and I could keep
our nursing careers as well as taking our turns running the café business.
I still work as a nurse seven days a fortnight, while Marilen works shifts at
Christchurch hospital. She was there when the 2011 earthquake struck. I
happened to be there, too. It was made worse by a lighting blackout, so we had
to find each other in the dark. Luckily, we were both unhurt but very scared.”
Due diligence & training
“Before committing to our Black & White Coffee Cartel business,” Camilo
explains, “we got some really positive results from the due diligence done by
our accountant and solicitor – and it was proven right. High Street is a great
location, and our customer base means long Christmas breaks, so we get
regular family holidays in Wānaka.
“Students are regular customers, along with people from nearby office
blocks. Most regulars don’t have long lunch hours so come in for takeaway
coffees and our delicious cabinet food. Being so small we haven’t much
space for tables and chairs. Our location is more boutique than most Black &
White cafés, with takeaways and coffee roasting our key revenue streams.
“Black & White Coffee Cartel’s excellent training quickly brought us up to
speed on running a café, roasting beans and brewing the delicious coffee
that brings our customers back for more. It’s my job to open up the café at
7.30am and practise my barista talents – I’ve come a long way since the only
coffee I knew was a mocha!”
Growing the family and the business
When Camilo and Marilen’s son Pancho was born three years ago, followed
by daughter Tilly, now one, the three-bedroom Wigram property they lived
in with Ailen and Sally began to feel overcrowded. They moved to a larger
property in Halswell, an old suburb of Christchurch now booming with
residential and commercial development.
Camilo explains how this gave the family another opportunity for growth.
“We have developed a great relationship with Black & White’s business
development manager, Tony Yin, who presented us with the opportunity to
invest in a second Black & White Coffee Cartel café.
“When Tony came to us with a potential site in The Acres, a shopping and
commercial precinct in Halswell scheduled to open later in the year, we
jumped at the chance. The Black & White café in Halswell will be much
bigger than High Street, with lots of tables and chairs indoors and outside
– dogs welcome – and a large kitchen for preparing brunches from a menu
developed by head office chef Haidee to target Halswell locals’ tastes. The
strength of Black & White Coffee Cartel’s brand and our own track record
helped secure finance for this large café.
“Do I recommend Black
& White Coffee Cartel?
Absolutely! Whether you
are an individual, a family
group, or a group of friends, if
you can follow systems and
procedures, learn to love coffee
like I did, and be dedicated to
giving every customer a good
experience, I know Tony Yin is
keen to hear from you.”
Black & White Coffee Cartel’s strong brand
and their own previous success lead
Christchurch franchise family to expand
FAVOURABLE
COINCIDENCES
Opportunity: Food & Beverage
Black & White Coffee Cartel
www.blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Contact
Tony Yin
022 630 6622
tony.yin@blackandwhitecoffee.co.nz
Advertiser Info
Ailen, Marilen and Camilo – excited about progress on
the build of their new Black & White Coffee Cartel café
at The Acres, Halswell