Coffee in the works: Coffee Worx
Deb and Ian Riach, the founders and owners of Coffee Worx Coffee Roastery are expanding their now well-established coffee roasting operation in Christchurch.
I n 2006 the Riach’s purchased a small boutique coffee roaster, which they rebranded as Coffee Worx. The roastery was purchased to support the expansion of their Yellow Rocket Bagels and coffee franchise, which had three outlets until earthquakes decimated the chain. They lost all three outlets in the fateful 2011 disaster, leaving them with just the coffee roaster.
Picking up the pieces Deb and Ian began again by supplying their premium coffee blends to other cafes and hospitality outlets.
Their long history in the coffee industry put them in a knowledgeable position to help support new entrants to hospitality, and, after winning several awards with their coffee blends at the NZ Coffee Awards, their fledgling business began to take flight.
Alongside the flagship Coffee Worx brand, the Riach’s developed their Heartland Brew Coffee brand to supply Trents wholesale. The coffee became popular, making it the first ranked coffee through Trents, so they decided to expand its distribution to New World and Pak ‘n Save supermarkets in the South Island.
“We have continued to thrive, and can no longer keep up with production demand,” they say. “Premium coffee continues to gain popularity with domestic and business users, so we have now leased a building next to our Christchurch distribution center and bought a larger 60kg capacity roaster. This will allow further growth of our popular brand.”
