FAVOURABLE COINCIDENCES

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.”  

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