Head Office

CHRIS HOUSTON

Founder and Managing Director, Chris Houston, has unrivalled experience within the group and has been the driving force for its continued growth and development.

Famous (or at least notorious!) for having high standards, Chris is passionate about delivering a top quality product with outstanding service to everyone who visits a Coffee Culture store. He loves getting onto the tools when he gets the chance. Chris is excited to have opened the very first North Island store in the metropolis that is Hamilton. Outside of work, Chris’s kids keep him busy and he manages to slot in the odd game of golf and tennis.

Managing Director
chris@coffeeculture.co.nz

SACHA COBURN

Sacha is the driving force behind the culture of Coffee Culture. As our Chief Operations Officer she oversees the integrity of everything we do to make sure that our guests experience some good old-fashioned magic every time they visit. She also handles all our in-house legal work, runs the franchise team and takes the lead on delivering our strategic plans.

If you have any questions at all about anything to do with Coffee Culture, Sacha is a great place to start. In her spare time, she enjoys tennis, and dance and is actively involved in her local community by supporting families in crisis.

Director & C.O.O.
sacha@coffeeculture.co.nz

+64 27 475 0390

MIKE KING

Mike has spent a heap of time in the coffee industry and has experience in every facet of coffee store ownership (including juggling a couple of stores at the same time!). Mike brings expertise in leasing and project management, and works with all our new franchisees to get their stores humming. If you’re thinking about owning your own Coffee Culture store, give Mike a call.  

Commercial Director 
mike@coffeeculture.co.nz

+64 21 709 234 

MURRAY WALSH

Murray's love of coffee knows no bounds. After years in store serving our famous espresso to guests, Murray has taken it a step further and taken on the challenge of roasting our blend to perfection.

Between that and lending his wealth of knowledge to the teams at The Palms, The Crossing and Rangiora stores, Murray still finds time to keep up with all the news and clock a few km's on his bike.

Business Manager 

+64 3 377 2605

MARK YAGMICH

Mark joins the team with multi-channel experience across prominent New Zealand retail and service brands. He is building his Coffee Culture knowledge from the ground up and we're excited to see where he takes our wholesale & eCommerce channels. Mark lives in North Canterbury with his wife and three sons. During the Summer you can find him with his sons boogie boarding, and during Winter he's in 'Uber-mode' taking his boys to their various sporting and social commitments

General Manager of Coffee Partners Ltd. 
mark@coffeepartners.nz 

+64 27 289 8748

HAMISH BORGFELDT

Best name ever right? Sounds serious and Hamish is super serious about his coffee. After years in the vibrant Melbourne coffee scene, Hamish is back in his native Christchurch and plays an integral part in making sure our coffee is roasted to perfection every time. In addition to his passion for roasting he's also a skilled barista with a ton of knowledge in all facets of coffee production and preparation. When he's not on the roaster or keeping up with his young family you'll likely find him working on his short game at one of the local golf courses. 

Head Roaster

info@coffeepartners.nz
+64 3 377 2024

TERRI BAKER

As our Head of Operations & Store Support, Terri leads the team supporting our Owners and Managers. From the day-to-day questions to the bigger-picture stuff, she’s there to problem-solve, support and help our stores be the best they can be.

Outside Head Office, Terri loves cooking and getting out for walks and adventures with her dog – who, we suspect, has a pretty good deal.

Head of Operations & Store Support
terri@coffeeculture.co.nz
+64 3 377 2605

Leanne Wright

With more than 20 years in hospitality, Leanne brings plenty of experience to our Store Support team, working alongside our Owners and Managers to keep things running smoothly. She loves order, structure and has a slightly obsessive eye for detail. 

Outside work, Leanne is mum to three sports-mad sons and their biggest sideline supporter. When she’s not cheering them on, you’ll find her gardening, walking her German Shepherd or enjoying a good coffee.

Store Support 

leanne@coffeeculture.co.nz
+64 3 377 2605

AMANDA ROBINSON

Amanda is the Head of Marketing at Coffee Culture and spends her days making sure you're in the know about the latest and greatest Coffee Culture happenings. This super mum of two also finds time in her hectic schedule to compete in multi-sport events as well as lead group fitness classes. With that much energy, clearly, this someone never says no to a coffee! 

Head of Marketing - Franchise
amanda@coffeeculture.co.nz
+64 3 377 2605

ZOE BLACK

After years of tutoring and working in the high-pressure graphic design industry, Zoe has brought her artistic talents to our in-house marketing team. For those graphics geeks reading this, she’s an Adobe ace and can conjure up exceptional illustrations in the blink of an eye. Get Zoe talking, and you’ll soon learn she’s a proud parent of two and has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and Simpsons quotes.

Graphic Designer
zoe@coffeeculture.co.nz
+64 3 377 2605

DAWN BALLAGH

Dawn brings a wealth of experience to our team from her extensive travels, time cheffing, and food distribution. She walks the talk when it comes to menu development, spending time on the floor with the bakery crew to make sure our muffins are magnificent and our bagels are Bellissimo. Outside of the kitchen, Dawn is a lady of the land with a farm of foster animals and paddocks of produce to keep her busy.

Head of Food & Menu Development
dawn@coffeeculture.co.nz

RALPH BALDEMORO

Ralph is a numbers guy who loves finding ways to make things more efficient and organised – which makes him pretty popular around Head Office!

Outside of spreadsheets, Ralph keeps busy running, playing badminton, snowboarding and bouldering. He’s also involved in his local community and youth group and is always keen to learn something new or take on his next challenge.

Finance Administrator 
+64 3 377 2605

MERCEDES PIGGIN

Mercedes is one of those people who keeps plenty of things ticking along behind the scenes. Alongside looking after the day-to-day finance admin, she’s always happy to lend a hand, chase something down or help wherever she’s needed.

Life is just as busy outside of Head Office. Mercedes is mum to three and can usually be found involved in their sports. When she does get a spare moment, she loves baking – although we’re yet to complain when that hobby makes its way into the office.

Finance Assistant 
+64 3 377 2605

KAREN MCARTHUR

Karen joins Coffee Culture as a Finance Administrator, bringing more than 12 years’ experience across administration, finance and office management. She loves working with people, keeping things organised and being part of a busy team – so she’s landed in the right place!

New to Christchurch, Karen is making the most of exploring her new home. Outside work, you’ll find her walking, hiking or pottering in the garden, or catching up with friends and family over good food and, naturally, good coffee.

Finance Administrator 
+64 3 377 2605

KEIRA SEWELL

Keira helps keep the coffee flowing at Coffee Culture. From making sure our stores have everything they need, to packing online orders and getting freshly roasted coffee out the door to coffee lovers all across New Zealand, she’s one of the people making sure the good stuff gets where it needs to go.

Outside of work, Keira loves spending time in the great outdoors and with her two horses. She’s also a keen hiker, tackling everything from day walks to overnight adventures. For Keira, there’s not much better than getting into the mountains for a while.

Wholesale Assistant 
03 377 2024