On The Up: Hastings cafe’s 26‑hour coffee marathon raises $19,000 for local dad with cancer

Rory Aroa's partner Bex Howie (left) helps Chris Jarvis brew coffee for customers at Bay Espresso in Hastings as part of the Roast-a-thon for Rory. Photo / Charlotte Anderson Photography

With 11 cups of caffeinated coffee to keep him going, a Hastings cafe owner raised nearly $20,000 in 26 hours for a young dad going through cancer.

Rory Aroa is the father of Archie, 4, Olive, 2, and partner to Bex Howie.

Earlier this year, Aroa was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread across his body.

But Aroa and Howie have Chris Jarvis of Bay Espresso in their corner.

Howie formerly worked for Jarvis and his wife Jonelle at Roosters Brewhouse before she met Aroa, and Jarvis calls her an amazing human being and wanted to do everything he could to help the family.

Caitlin Doran (left), Pauline Rasmussen, Bex Howie and Chris Jarvis at Bay Espresso Cafe on Ellison Rd, Hastings.

So, between 10am Saturday and midday Sunday, Jarvis along with his staff Caitlin Doran and Pauline Rasmussen, served 700 coffees, 121 sweet treats, 92 hot meals provided by Paella A Go Go, and sold 281 raffle tickets from Bay Espresso Cafe on Ellison St, Hastings, to help raise $19,234 for the family as part of the Roast-a-thon for Rory.

Customers at the cafe during the time could pay what they wanted for food or coffee, with all proceeds going to the family.

Some customers happily paid upwards of $100 for their orders.

When spoken to on Monday morning, Jarvis said he was doing surprisingly well, despite his long shift.

“It just went amazingly. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in anything like it. There were heaps of people,” he said.

“The community was just incredibly generous.”

Jarvis had people arriving on Saturday morning to get their coffee fix, only to return later that afternoon and then again on Sunday.

People were even showing up in the graveyard hours between 11pm and 7am.

“I had some late-night decaf drinkers, who had put their kids to bed and then came to see me about 11pm,” he said.

“Members of the police and ambulance were doing laps to come and see us, hunters heading off somewhere in the middle of Taupō, sober drivers.

“I kind of had one person every 45 minutes and all of a sudden the sun was rising.”

To keep himself alert during the 26-hour slog, Jarvis bought his bike trainer to keep the endorphins pumping, along with drinking 11 cups of coffee.

“I got to 11 cups at 1am and then almost every cell in my body said, ‘no, mate, that’s it. You’re not having any more’,” he said.

“I woke up this morning and made myself a couple of cups, so it certainly hasn’t put me off drinking coffee.”

Rory Aroa and his daughter Olive playing together.

Aroa was unable to make it to the fundraiser because of migraines and fatigue caused by his treatment, but said the support and generosity of people was going to go a long way.

“It feels so surreal to know that so many people care so much,” he said.

“This disease has really stripped me of my independence and ability to provide for my family. To know that we have this much support from the community is just so humbling.

“The funds raised are providing such an alleviation of financial stress for us, which has been the secondary confronting issue to deal with.”

Aroa had a simple message for Chris and Jonelle Jarvis.

“I have only ever known you by proxy of Bex and from the occasional lager I used to enjoy at Roosters,” he said.

“What you have done for our family is beyond incredible and I can’t thank you enough for your support. Really means a lot.”

Donations are still open at the family’s Givealittle page.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Britain, Germany and New Zealand.