Couple roast coffee in woodshed

BY EMMA DANGERFIELD

Stepping into the woodshed of Hussain and Noriko Burra you are met with a smell to awaken your taste buds.

The smell that wafts out is not the expected one of freshly chopped wood, but rather that of freshly roasted coffee beans, the result of the couple's new business venture.

With a brand new shiny machine, not dissimilar to a pristine steam engine, the Burras are the latest spoke in the wheel of the popular coffee culture which has long been intensifying around town.

"We are both big coffee drinkers," says Hussain, "and we've been buying fresh coffee from around New Zealand for a few years now.

"We thought it would be ideal to have something like this in Kaikoura and when we got some positive feedback on the idea we decided to get stuck in."

Working with a variety of different beans, the couple say the initial results from the equipment have been fantastic.

However, it is not a case of simply pressing a button and getting a bag of roasted, ground coffee.

It is apparently very technical in a couple of areas in the process which means it is very much a hands on experience.

"It's a bit like making wine. You have to know your beans as well as the point you are roasting to."

The beans being roasted in the Hapuku shed are all Fair Trade, organic beans, which can be sourced from 14 or 15 different countries.

Hussain and Noriko are happy to be supporting the fair trade scheme and say it is good to have the reassurance that the coffee is coming from sustainable sources, which of course fits in well with Kaikoura's image.

Although the couple will initially be concentrating their efforts on 100 per cent Arabica beans, they say they are happy to experiment with blends and will be able to tailor blends to suit individual tastes. And they are taking it very seriously.

"We are working on consistency and producing a good product – that's what we are all about."

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to roast a batch of the freshest coffee in Kaikoura, which can produce 20 bags of 200g.

The roaster itself comes from Turkey, and they have been trained on it by an expert who came from Auckland to show them the ropes, so they are confident it is in perfect working order and they are producing the finest blend possible.

The coffee will be marketed for home use to begin with, although they would be happy to expand to businesses if there is the demand for it.

The venture is a far cry from Hussain's other many talents – he runs the Kaikoura Night Sky tours, is an occasional rafting guide, builder and is also a professional photographer, but of course his eye for detail is a great advantage in ensuring a consistent product.

As for Noriko, she is just happy to be doing something for someone else.

Having worked in the tourism industry both in Australia and New Zealand she then worked for Trees for Travellers here in Kaikoura, a job which she loved as it gave her a great sense of satisfaction in helping out.

"After that I really wanted to do something for someone else, so going with Fair Trade is a really good feeling."

The freshly roasted coffee can be bought from Hussain and Noriko and they are hoping the word will get out and it will become increasingly popular.

After all, even the hardened coffee drinkers in town have not necessarily experienced roasted coffee quite as fresh as this.

- © Fairfax NZ News