Brightside Coffee: The hot opportunity brewing in Wiri
‘Life begins after coffee’ – that’s certainly the case for many people every morning. It’s also created the next chapter for Janine and Terry Sorensen from Wiri’s latest addiction, Brightside Coffee Roasters. WiriLink sat down with Janine to chat about the leap into the coffee roasting business, the move to Wiri and what the future holds.
An idea that started brewing…
You might be surprised to learn that the husband-and-wife team didn’t come from a coffee background.
“We weren’t from the coffee industry; we’ve always loved coffee and been passionate about the craft of roasting as well as the post roast process from bean to cup” admits Janine.
The opportunity came when Brightside Coffee, originally based in Tauranga and established in 2012, went up for sale. It was an opportunity that was too good to miss.
From there, the journey began – learning everything from sourcing beans to roasting techniques.
Today, Brightside Coffee operates across two key areas: wholesale supply to cafés and a growing retail arm.
“We’re mostly supplying cafés at this stage, but the retail side has grown a lot, we also contract roast for individual cafes. We offer an easy online subscription model for customers to receive fresh whole beans or ground coffee direct to your door regularly without the hassle”.
“Our House blend is truly divine, roasted to a medium to dark profile and perfectly balanced with notes of chocolate and berry. Everyone needs to try it!”
The Art and Science of Coffee
At the heart of Brightside Coffee is the roasting process. Brightside’s newly appointed head roaster has extensive experience having been in the industry for over 15 years across many large coffee roasting and supply businesses. His expertise from cupping (coffee equivalent to wine tasting) to blending and brewing is outstanding, bringing excellence into every cup.
The journey from green bean to cup is more complex than many realise. Beans are sourced from different regions around the world, each bringing unique characteristics. Brazil, Colombia are some of the more common areas, but some of the East African nations like Ethiopia and Kenya have amazing and more delicate fruity flavours which truly lift your morning ritual to another level.
“Where coffee beans are grown, the altitude, the season, the wash process – all these factors affect the flavour.”
Brightside currently offers four blends, including a house blend made from four origins, a newer chocolate-forward blend, an organic option, and a Brazilian decaf. Each has been carefully developed to achieve a distinct flavour profile.
The roasting itself is a hands-on process, both a science and an art.
“It’s all manually controlled on our Italian Petrocini Roaster. These roasters are known for bringing out the flavours of the beans more than the larger commercial roasters. You have to manage the airflow and the heat throughout the roast, which is all carefully controlled and monitored through software programmes. One degree can make a big difference to the flavour profile so everything is tracked very closely.”
A typical roast takes around 15 minutes but that’s only part of the process. After roasting, the beans need time to rest.
“The beans de-gas for a few days, during this time the flavour keeps developing. Around 15 – 30 days after roasting is when they’re really at their best.”
Freshness is one of Brightside Coffee’s biggest points of difference. Unlike supermarket coffee that may sit on shelves for months, their beans are roasted regularly and packed to order.
“We are obsessed with producing high quality coffee, delivered fresh, and consistently good.”
More Than Just Beans
Beyond roasting, Brightside Coffee also supports cafés with equipment and expertise. The business supplies coffee machines under contract, helping cafés maintain consistency while serving their blends.
They’re also exploring opportunities in events, corporate supply, and coffee carts.
“There’s definitely room to grow. Now we are based in Wiri, we’d like to get into supplying more businesses as well – to help them up their coffee game.”
Despite being relatively new to the industry, the learning curve has been rewarding.
“It’s been a huge learning experience, particularly when it comes to roasting and developing blends. It is a real art and science right through from roasting to extraction.”
Looking Ahead
For Janine and Terry, the future is about steady, sustainable growth.
“We’ll also look to expand our product range to include teas, drinking chocolate, syrups and other café essentials, to become a more complete supplier for our customers” says Janine.
We are looking forward to helping businesses in the area up their coffee game – better coffee at work = better business.
If you want to learn more about Brightside Coffee, check out their website www.brightsidecoffee.co.nz/ or email he***@*****************co.nz. Otherwise drop into the roastery between 9am and 12pm on weekdays at 2/68 McLaughlins Road, buy some beans and they will shout you a coffee to go!
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