BREWING: Melissa Campbell, owner of Red Bridge Coffee in the Tukituki Valley. PHOTO WARREN BUCKLAND
BREWING: Melissa Campbell, owner of Red Bridge Coffee in the Tukituki Valley. PHOTO WARREN BUCKLAND
Red Bridge Coffee owner Melissa Campbell has garnered a groundswell of support since opening her coffee spot recently. She tells Mark Story the Tukituki Valley corner is idyllic.
Why did you choose this corner as a coffee spot? The land is part of the family farm. We thought due toits location and how busy the roads are plus nothing available in the valley for the commuters/residents it would make a perfect spot for a coffee business. Plus it's a way to gather the locals together. I love coffee and love the art of making coffee. We thought, why not!
Roughly how many motorists stop per day for coffee? Lots! I'm busy consistently all day, even before I open until I close, plus cars arrive even when I have closed.
There's a chic design element to both the exterior and interior of your container premises - tell us about both. Due to the location being rural, I really wanted something that blended into the surrounding environment but had a classy spin to it. I wanted, at night time, the look of a rusty container sitting in the paddock with motorists driving past wondering what's inside. The mystery! Then during the day, a classy coffee spot. I have always been one for attention to detail and I spent a lot of time planning my layout, functionality, materials, colours and aesthetics. I even had an interior designer come in for coffee asking me who designed the container, It was all me from start to finish. She was impressed to say the least.
What's been the biggest surprise since opening? I would say "surprises". The continuing local support, my first bus full of people stopping for coffee, the visit of Al Brown two days in a row, the ripple effect of setting up my business. I had no idea that a simple idea to be my own boss and sharing the love of making coffee would create this ripple effect. It's very overwhelming I'm loving what I do everyday.
What's the best/worst thing about working in your remote location? Best: I've created a meeting spot for all the locals to catch up, share ideas and network, its like a little hive of information. Worst: rural courier delivery charges.
