Robert Harris Coffee Roasters
just the place for a COPPER-CCINO

The Whakatane and Eastern Bay of Plenty community is a tight-knit one. When local policeman Floyd Pratt decided to leave the force, he didn’t want to leave the area too so he decided to invest in a business locally. After looking around, he and his wife Kathryn decided that café life appealed and, once they discovered the local Robert Harris Coffee Roasters in Whakatane was on the market, their search was over. The café is a busy one that’s a hub for locals and visitors alike.

As a decorated policeman, Floyd is a well-known figure locally. He and Kathryn are also very involved in local clubs and especially love fishing, so after a busy life in the service he wanted a quieter life, ‘but not too quiet!’ that would give him more time to indulge in his hobbies. He also saw the café as a chance to keep in touch with old friends and colleagues (although hopefully not too many ex-clients! –Ed.). Meanwhile, Kathryn had run small businesses with Floyd in the past and had the right acumen and personality for her new role.

Everything fell into place. The couple passed the Robert Harris interview process, which helps ensure that new franchisees have the necessary talent for the business, and negotiated a fair price for the café. ‘The Robert Harris people were helpful to deal with from the start and the training we got from them, and then working with Sandie Dunsford in her Lower Hutt franchise, put us in a great position to run the café on our own,’ says Kathryn.

Several months into their new life, they are both getting to grips with it and are very happy. Floyd admits to missing the police and the thrill of the chase occasionally but with training and ongoing support, the couple have learned to handle the demands of a busy café and Floyd still plays his part in community life – just recently, a lady who came in to borrow the phone when her car had a puncture was delighted when Floyd changed the tyre for her.Guess which café she’ll use in future!

Several Routes To Success

Rod de Lisle, the business development manager for Robert Harris Coffee Roasters, would like to meet more people like Floyd and Kathryn. ‘We feel this opportunity is perfect for ex-service personnel and the like,’ he says. ‘The disciplines and ability to think on your feet required in the police and similar services stand people in good stead for the job of running a busy café with a young team of staff. Detail is important in our business, but it’s equally important to understand customers’ needs and desires and help them feel comfortable so they want to come back.’

Rod says there are two or three ways to enter the Robert Harris Coffee Roasters franchise. ‘Buying an existing Robert Harris café, as the Pratt’s did, is one. Other franchisees have been equally successful establishing a brand new café in a ‘green-field’ site, or buying a non-branded independent café and converting it into a Robert Harris. The latter is becoming more popular as the costs are invariably lower, although of course any site has to be carefully inspected by our experts to ensure it meets Robert Harris standards and is likely to be financially successful.’

Robert Harris are looking for new franchisees right now, with good sites available in places like Dunedin, Hawkes Bay, Tokoroa, Te Kuiti and Auckland. They also have one or two existing cafés for sale such as Ashburton, where the successful franchisee is selling in order to invest in a new site in another town. ‘Contact me now if you’d like to discuss these locations or any other opportunity to invest in your very own Robert Harris Coffee Roasters café,’ Rod invites.  

And if you are into coffee or fishing, pop in and see Floyd and Kathryn next time you’re in Whakatane. Should you ask for a copper-ccino? ‘I wouldn’t,’ grins Floyd. ‘I still have my baton…’ 

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 20 Issue 4 

Contact details for Robert Harris Coffee Roasters

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