Doing it for the love of coffee

Dear Deer Coffee Roasting Bar is bringing a taste of Japan’s coffee culture to New Zealand communities.

For Dear Deer Coffee Roasting Bar’s Director, Matthew Wiche, there’s a simple passion driving him: the love of a great brew. His business partner, Yukichi Shikano, hails from a long line of Japanese coffee connoisseurs (his great-uncle and father are both renowned in Japan for their contributions to Japan’s love of coffee). Matt explains, “Coffee culture has been distilled within Yuki’s family for generations.” Branching out to find his own path, Yukichi moved to New Zealand and opened the first Dear Deer Coffee store in Onehunga in 2018. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now well established with five stores open across Auckland city, Dear Deer Coffee has brought the Japanese pour-over style of coffee to our shores. With the freshness and flavour of the beans paramount to a great cup of pour-over coffee, Matt explains they needed a special weapon. Enter the Arakawa jet roaster.

“We use a special jet roast coffee machine from Japan. This enables us to roast beans specifically to match a customer’s taste, developing the flavour profiles of the bean in a very short period of time.”

Training up coffee experts

For those interested in joining a niche coffee revolution with Dear Deer Coffee, Matt says that new franchisees are set up to succeed from day one. Every new franchisee undergoes a comprehensive fourweek training program, firstly at the flagship Ellerslie store, before transitioning to the franchisee’s new café. Training is expertly led by Dear Deer’s ‘coffee sommelier’ Shintaro, who is also responsible for developing new signature blends.

Throughout the training, franchisees learn professional barista skills, including using the jet roaster machine. The training also equips new franchisees with the business knowledge they’ll need to thrive, including inventory management, and how to deliver excellent customer service. This programme is included in the initial investment, which ranges from $200,000 to $250,000, depending on chosen location and shop fit out. The initial investment also includes all speciality equipment and inventory needed to set up, and the franchise fee.

Backing franchisees every step of the way

When asked what makes someone an ideal franchisee for Dear Deer Coffee, Matt explains, “If you have a strong entrepreneurial spirit (and a strong love of coffee) you will be best placed to succeed within Dear Deer Coffee’s franchising model.”

Reflecting on Dear Deer’s current franchisees, Matt says, “They’re passionate about good coffee and excellent customer service. That’s really what it comes down to, and that’s what we’re looking for in our franchisees. We get a lot of younger people come through that are interested in starting up their own business and developing some business skills, which we’re showing them along the way.”

Integrating into the community

Dear Deer Coffee’s ethos differs from other coffee chains when it comes to site selection. Matt says that, rather than looking to be amongst the hubbub of the CBD, they’re more interested in high-growth residential areas, “We want to be a community centre where people can come together and have a really good coffee.” Dear Deer Coffee provides expert guidance on site selection, assistance with regulatory approval, design and fitout, and marketing support at a national level.

With franchise opportunities available in suburban neighbourhoods of major cities like Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, as well as regional towns like Nelson and Tauranga, now is a great time to take control of your future. Matt says, “If you’re interested in bringing a taste of Japan’s coffee culture to your community and creating a space for people to meet up over a seriously delicious brew, then Dear Deer Coffee wants to hear from you. Get in touch today to learn more.”

Advertiser Info

Dear Deer Coffee Roasting Bar

www.deardeercoffee.co.nz

Contact

Matt Wiche

027 257 7954

matt.wiche@deardeercoffee.co.nz