West Country Coffee
By Peter Owens
 New Zealand’s coffee culture has come a long way. Until the advent of espresso coffee bars, (in what were known in the four main centres as the four main centres!) and the introduction of Nestlé instant coffee (in a small round tin) in the early 1960s, coffee was not often drunk in New Zealand. There were exceptions. Many well-to-do and travelled people percolated coffee at home after grinding the beans themselves.
In Christchurch in the 1940, ‘50s and ‘60s, the long-established company of Brown and Heaton Limited in upper Cashel Street stocked an astonishing range of coffees from all over the world – as did Wardells in High Street and Canterbury Farmers Co-Op in lower Cashel Street.
For most of the community, coffee meant a dark coloured, thick emulsion that was labelled as being coffee and chicory. It looked revolting and its taste was even more revolting. Then came the 1960s and the coffee culture of New Zealand was founded.
Tapanui is a fairly typical southern rural servicing town. Nestled at the foot of West Otago’s majestic Blue Mountains, the town of Tapanui is the service centre for some of the most fertile and high producing farming operations in
New Zealand.
 For many years Tapanui was also the centre for massive state forest service operations. When these were wound back in the 1980s many people thought the town would die. It did not – in fact it flourished.
Today, with a permanent population of about 1000 people, Tapanui supports a shopping centre that includes two up-market cafés and a college. Colin Read has taught at that college, Blue Mountain College for quite a long time and he and his wife Marg love living in the town. The Reads have always liked drinking top quality coffee, but any hopes they had of roasting their own were,
for many years, impeded by a wall of licensing regulations and import controls. Then about 15 years ago they were all swept away.
Colin and Marg Read then saw it was possible to roast their own coffee in the way they liked it. Without any bureaucratic interference, they imported a small coffee roaster and grinder from Brazil. It was a simple solid drum gas heated roaster – and they loved it!
First of all, the Reads experimented in blending beans and roasting them for their own enjoyment. However, they soon began blending and roasting for friends all over West Otago! So about 14 years ago, Colin and Margaret Read decided to commercially produce their own blends of coffee.
They were not attempting to move into the market as major processors and marketers but just to fill another niche in the rapidly expanding New Zealand coffee culture. At that time they saw their target market as being local cafés, restaurants and accommodation establishments, as well as local retail outlets and a number of coffee lovers who were lining up to buy from them.
The Reads put considerable thought into how they would brand their product. Although the Blue Mountains are the dominant geographical feature in West Otago, they did not want to use this name as it is so well known as the brand
type (from Jamaica) of a particularly popular commercial blend. So they decided on calling their coffee ‘West Country Coffee.
’
First of all they obtained a food premises licence from the Clutha District Council and then the Reads were in business as the blenders, roasters, packers and distributors of West Country Coffee. Over that 14-year period the Reads have sold their coffee to a large number of outlets throughout Otago and Southland. These include commercial operations, such as cafés and restaurants, as well as a significant number of individuals who buy on a regular basis.
 Colin and Marg have kept the operation small, not only so that they can handle the operation comfortably but for another reason as well. “We have remained small and local,” Colin says. “Because in that way we can roast to order and thus ensure our customers get the freshest coffee possible.”
He also points out: “We have a number of mail order customers throughout the country who have a fortnightly standing order.” Colin says he and Marg roast to order most days and they are both
still involved in the blending, roasting, packing and distribution of their coffee
.
The preparation of postal and courier deliveries keep the couple busy and these have been available from shortly after the business began. However, the Reads do not want to extend their customer
base beyond their own efforts as a production team.
The raw beans are purchased from Harrison’s Coffee Limited in Auckland. Colin Read, who undertakes much of the blending, says he is very pleased with the high quality beans available from that company. He buys Arabic beans from six countries of origin from Harrison's stock
of coffee beans.
Colin says he is appreciative of the fact that Harrison’s keep in close contact with their suppliers and always ensure that only top quality coffee beans are
on offer.
According to Colin Read, West Country Coffee’s blending policy is to blend the various characteristics: mouth feel; acidity; sweetness and aroma. To maximise this effect the Reads have studied carefully, as well as undertaking countless experimental blends and making copious notes.
At present, they market three contracting blends. The most popular is Mainholm. Named after one of the historic country houses in West Otago, this blend is Kenyan-based. It has a chocolate aroma and is a medium roast.
Leithen, named after a West Otago beauty spot, is Costa Rican-based. This is a lighter roast and fuses well with milk. It is popular as a breakfast coffee with its many supporters. The third variety is Kelso, named after a small district in West Otago. This is quite a complex blend from several types of beans. This is also a medium roast.
The Reads love their coffee business. “We really enjoy our small enterprise,” says Marg Read. “We have met some great people and have enjoyed serving coffee at local events in West Otago.”
Some years ago the Reads took what was then considered the unusual step of brewing and selling coffee at such events as regional A&P Shows. This move was extremely popular, particularly with younger people and such events are now a regular fixture for the couple.
Their property on the outskirts of Tapanui (and the roast house) has a great view of the western mountains of Central Otago as well as the looming
Blue Mountains. They are truly in the West Country.
|
