Sketchbook Coffee - now open!!
Get very f#@king excited for this one
Support The Magic Roast by subscribing and sharing this with all your mates - or even the people who you want to be mates with but don’t quite have the courage to ask for a coffee. What a way in! You could be like “Hi, here’s a cool new coffee spot that we could discover together and be friends forever.” Doesn’t seem creepy at all.
I’m not sure I’ve been as excited about a cafe opening than I am about this one - and I’m a 7-hour drive away.
Sketchbook Coffee opens its doors on 29 April, taking over the space recently vacated by Peoples Coffee - in the prime locale of Taranaki Street/Lukes Lane, Wellington.
Sketchbook is already creating a proper buzz, and with the talent involved it’s no wonder - it’s a who’s who of the best that the Aotearoa (not just Wellington) coffee scene has to offer:
Honoka Kawashima - the 4th best barista in the world, 2023 New Zealand Barista Champ, 2022 New Zealand Latte Art bronze medallist, former barista at Frank’s Coffee in Wellington.
Logan Collinge - co-founder of Hammerstone Coffee, coach to the 4th best barista in the world (Honoka Kawashima), New Zealand Barista championship competitor.
Long Nguyen - “star barista” behind one of Wellington’s coolest coffee spots, Cafe New Chapter, New Zealand Barista championships competitor and judge.
Tsubasa ‘Nico’ Nozaki - 2023 New Zealand Latte Art champion, legendary barista at Flight Coffee’s Hanger, recent import to Cafe New Chapter.
With that much talent at their disposal its no wonder Sketchbook Coffee already has hype.
Logan Collinge said that they’ve been friends for many years, united by a shared passion for the craft and a common vision for the industry. “It was only natural that we’d come together to build something special.”
“We've always been a competitive bunch and we'll always push each other to do better each and every day so whatever comes of that, we'll embrace.
“What we recognise is that community is global and so we'd love to be working alongside some of the best in the world.”
Sketchbook believes that coffee is an art form, for everyone.
“Each person’s coffee journey is like filling the pages of their own sketchbook, starting with a blank canvas,” Logan said.
“We also want our customers to experience the same excitement that comes with opening the first page of a new sketchbook — a feeling of possibility and inspiration.”
Opening a new coffee spot, in this economy, seems like a fool’s errand to some, however the Sketchbook crew are going into this with eyes wide open.
“We're certainly aware of the countless obstacles we face, sometimes those are the best times to push the boat out. We'll certainly be stronger on the other end of it and we certainly couldn't pass up the opportunity,” Logan said.
“We've done a lot of stress-testing, we've got a solid team and we're looking forward to being able to contribute to the Wellington cafe scene and be part of the community that turns it around.”
With links across so many of New Zealand’s best coffee roasters, the question on everyone’s lips is ‘who will supply the coffee?’ The Sketchbook Coffee team have made a deliberate choice not to go for the obvious.
“With everyone so intrinsically linked to certain coffee roasters so we wanted our core roaster to be separate from us all,” Logan said.
“For our milk drinks, we've linked up with Rich Coffee, a humble Wellington Local and all round great duo. In addition to our core roaster however, we'll be rotating bimonthly through a guest roaster and retailing a range of roasters' coffee
“We'll flesh out our reserve menu as we find gems that stand out to us but our coffee roster and signature beverage menu will be ever-evolving.”
If that doesn’t get you excited about this spot, I’m not sure what will!
On the tools most days will be Honoka, along side Harry Seyton (previous manager of Peoples Constable St, Newtown). You’ll also see Aoi Kobayshi (also from Peoples), Nico, Long and Logan down there pulling the occasional shots.
Sketchbook Coffee opens on Tuesday 29 April. Head down to check it out early, so you can say you were there at the beginning.
Thanks to Logan for taking the time out of his hectic schedule to share some thoughts with me. It’s always a pleasure.
What an all-star lineup! Thankful we have this talent staying in Wellington!