PRIME SITE

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.”  

See this advertorial on page 25 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 34 Issue 04 

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