The coffee that so many New Zealanders enjoy today
is the result of one man's obsession with excellence.
Back in the 50's
A Hamilton man, Robert Harris, was someone thinking
slightly ahead of his time. Robert Harris was determined to awaken
tastebuds in New Zealand and had a vision of creating great coffee
for kiwis.
This however, was the era of that fab new product, instant
coffee. Locally the espresso market was limited to Wellington, the
home of many Greek and Italian immigrants. Undeterred, Robert built
a roaster and started experimenting with new blends of coffee. He
thought there was more to life than instant coffee.
Robert Harris is launched in 1952
Robert Harris launched his namesake coffee brand in Hamilton in
1952. Robert, or Bob as he was known, originally ran a
tobacconist barber shop before opening a small deli in Victoria
Street from which he sold freshly roasted and ground coffee.
He found immediate success selling his blends at his coffee shop in
Hamilton and from those small beginnings sprang the foremost brand
of fresh coffee in the country. As time went by, Bob became
more captivated with blending, roasting and grinding of
coffee. His reputation for great coffee grew along with his
business which eventually focused solely on coffee beans.
In 1978 Bob moved his business to a small shop on Hurstmere
Road, Takapuna. However, soon after he relocated to
neighbouring Anzac Street.
Robert Harris died in 1979 but the purchasers of his business,
Murray and Val Connelly, were determined that his brand of coffee
should live on. The Connelly's were experienced in the
hospitality business and soon realised Robert Harris coffee's
potential.
The Growth of Robert Harris
Demand for Robert Harris coffee grew at such a rate that Murray
and Val soon found their own home too small for manufacturing
coffee and opened a coffee roasting factory in Glenfield in
1979. A year later they introduced the Robert Harris brand
into supermarkets and consumers were trading in their percolators
for plunger pots. To this day, it remains the number one
brand of fresh coffee. During the same year Murray and Val
opened a shop in Parnell to complement the Takapuna outlet.
This was followed quickly by shops in Remuera and Wellington.
In 1983 Robert Harris returned to its roots and opened a store in
Hamilton. The same year, UK based firm, Harrison and
Crossfield, which acted as import agents for Robert Harris,
purchased 45 per cent of the company.
In 1985 Harrison and Crossfield gained a 95 per cent stake in
the company following the retirement of Murray Connelly.
Following the purchase, Bill Grey became Managing Director and for
the first time in its history, a Franchise Manager was
appointed. From then on the franchising of the Robert Harris
brand took on a new impetus.
At the beginning of 1985 there were 11 Robert Harris outlets in
the North Island. These shops relied mainly on the sale of
beans to the trade. The Mount Manganui store started a new
wave of shops focusing on the retailing of food and individual cups
of coffee as opposed to solely beans.
In 1986 five more shops opened in the North Island, a 120kg
roaster was commissioned and Robert Harris arrived in the South
Island. The 1990 economic recession led Harrison and
Crossfield to sell Robert Harris to Cerebos Greggs Limited, who had
the aim of taking it to new heights.
Mike Owens, a Robert Harris stalwart until recently employed by
the company, remembers the day they took delivery of their first
Italian espresso machine. Costing the equivalent of a small family
car, the staff and management crowded the showroom to watch the
grand unveiling. 'We were ahead of the field; other companies
thought we were mad. Fancy spending that kind of money on a coffee
machine for one of our cafes', laughed Mike. Soon this new machine
was joined by others as Robert Harris spread the espresso
message.
Robert Harris Today
New Zealand has now well over 100 local roasters but Robert
Harris remain top of the pack. Keeping the same eye to the future
as Mr Harris did in the 60's Robert Harris have invested plenty of
money in state of the art roasters, training centres and regular
upgrades of the Robert Harris Cafe chain. Ensuring their baristas
win awards along with the gold and silver medals its coffee blends
have won are other ways the company have kept ensuring the brand is
as fresh as its coffee.
Today you will find the extensive range of Robert Harris coffee
in all supermarkets nationwide, along with around 50 cafes
from Whangarei to Invercargill.
Robert Harris never lived to see the grand success of his early
vision for his cafes but one can't help feeling that he would have
been pretty happy with the outcome.