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Local couple serving up coffee with a smile

Locals Shell Cannons and Ant Rigter are the proud new owners of the Kerbside Coffee Cart in Gordonton village. Number 8 Network finds out more from Shell.

So you took over the coffee cart on Friday?
Yes, opening Friday 1st April (no joke!)

When did this come about?
At the beginning of this year the previous owner, Chris, mentioned she’d like to retire and was considering selling the coffee cart. I said to her if she did ever sell to talk to me first since we may be interested. Our son has gone to university in Auckland and we are now empty nesters and needed a new focus, so the coffee cart seemed the ideal opportunity for us. We are both early risers since Ant has to be up early to milk the cows anyway. I will work most days and Ant will help for weekends and events when he can.

What attracts you to running the coffee cart?
I love making coffee, and I love the conversations with our customers. You get to meet a variety of people and they have such interesting things to share. All our customers are neat people, and many come every day which is even more special.

How long has the cart been there? And have you been an avid customer?
The coffee cart has been parked up at the Gordonton Village for seven years. I’ve helped in the cart, as well as been a regular customer.

Is it actually called Gordonton Coffee Cart? Where is it, and when is it open?
The cart is continuing to be called Kerbside Coffee Cart since the previous owner had already built up a great reputation, so why not continue. It will also continue to have the same baristas, same coffee beans so that the regulars continue to get the same quality, friendly service. As a coffee drinker, when you are paying for a coffee you want it to be consistently great.

The cart will continue to be parked up in the Gordonton Village near the community hall. It’s an ideal spot for customers to park, stretch their legs/dogs’ legs/kids’ legs, use the toilet, grab a coffee and something to eat. It will be open from 6am-1pm Monday to Friday, and we are going to open Saturdays as a trial. We’ll also be available for some weekend events.

What coffee will you sell?
We sell Red Cherry Coffee which is sourced from the roaster in Cambridge. We like Red Cherry Coffee because they consistently produce exceptionally tasting coffee, and are lovely people to work with. Fin from Red Cherry Coffee has ties to Gordonton as well, so it’s great to keep things local.

How seriously do you take your coffee? What is your favourite?
We both take our coffee seriously. You can pay the same price for an average coffee as you would a fantastic coffee, so it pays to be choosy about where you go. If we find a café that makes coffee how we like it, we will return.
We like to drink either a long black or a trim flat white, always double shot and in a small cup! However, come winter we do like a nice warm spicy chai latte as well.

Have you had to take coffee making courses?
I have always been interested in making coffee and when our son was only a baby, I did a barista course through Weka Coffee which was just to use my home machine properly, and three years ago I completed my Barista training course. I have also trained students to make coffee for a café.

Are you aiming at locals or folk passing through? How many customers do you reckon you’ll serve?

Right now, we will be serving both locals and those passing through to, or from, Auckland, but once the motorway extension opens we will be servicing mainly locals. However, we have been told by those going to and from Auckland, if they can’t get a better brew elsewhere then they’ll continue to divert through Gordonton for their regular fix!

What are you most looking forward to?
I am looking forward to the warm smell of coffee in the morning while the sun is rising and getting to know our customers. I’d say Ant is looking forward to having barista made coffee whenever he wants it. He’ll be able to milk the cows in the morning, then pop down for a caffeine hit before continuing with his farm jobs.

Anything else?
If you want to keep up to date with what is happening at the Kerbside Coffee Cart please Like, Share and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We also have a text service where customers can text in their Name, Time of pickup, and Coffee Order to 0273 656 649.