About
Hi, we’re Prima Roastery.
For over 25 years our team has been dedicated to their craft, customers, and community, tucked away between the Port Hills and the Pacific in Otautahi. We roast high-quality, ethically sourced and sustainable coffee. Our coffee is really good... for everybody.
Earth First
- Our roastery cafe has been single-use-cup-free since 2017.
- We deliver coffee to our central city customers in reusable tins.
- All of our fresh coffee packaging is compostable and made here in New Zealand.
- We offer compostable packaging collection at cafes throughout Otautahi, Christchurch.
- We’re measuring our waste and emissions to help us improve year after year.
People First
- We’re a Fairtrade Licensed roastery which helps ensure farmers get treated fairly.
- We provide our employees with a living wage.
- We think and act local, working with those around us to build a vibrant community.
Coffee First
- Our super passionate roasting team batch roast our coffee daily.
- We offer a wide range of 100% arabica blends and single-origins to suit every taste.
- We are always experimenting with new origins, processing methods and roast profiles.
- Along with great coffee, we’ve got equipment and knowledge to help you get the most out of every cup.
"Our team is the heart of Prima Roastery. They are passionate about great coffee, sustainability, and community."
— LEE MCDERMID, PRIMA ROASTERY
Our History
Caffe Prima was established in 1995, in Otautahi, Christchurch [95 . 03] by founder Geoff Johnson. Initially focused on contract roasting, the name Prima stayed hidden from view in the depths of industrial Woolston. Nonetheless, the business was a success, owing to great tasting coffee, a positive can-do culture and, even then, sustainability considerations.
Locally roasted, ethically sourced coffee
Freshly roasted every day right here in Otuatahi, Christchurch
We are proud to be roasting our coffee, fresh every day, right here in Otuatahi, Christchurch. Our roastery and cafe is located in Sydenham, and all of our coffee is roasted on-site. So it’s as fresh as you’d like it, come and try.
Ethically Sourced Coffee
Our people-first philosophy means we are committed to sourcing coffees from ethical suppliers around the world. One of the ways we do this is supporting and promoting Fairtrade products and our Certified Fairtrade Organic coffee range. Fairtrade ensures farmer cooperatives are paid the Fairtrade Minimum price plus a Fairtrade Premium to be used for community and economic improvement projects. They also ensure sustainable farming practices, fair treatment of people and prohibit child and forced labour.
We’ve been a Fairtrade Licensed company since 2008, which means we are audited by Fairtrade and contribute Fairtrade License Fees to fund their operations and international Fairtrade projects. It also means we get to use the Fairtrade mark on our products, so you know it’s good.
Compostable Bags - 10 years ago!
At Prima, we are conscious of our environmental impacts. We were the first in New Zealand to use compostable packaging for coffee (from a New Zealand company, Convex) back in 2011, over 10 years ago.
Now we have a compostable packaging collection service set up. So you can drop used Prima bags or compostable takeaway cups into the custom bins at our roastery or at several of our cafe partners around the city, and we’ll make sure it gets commercially composted.
Order beans and
equipment online
