For Shunsuke Kamoda and his wife, a chef and barista by trade, opening a café was the perfect way to combine their talents and passions.
So when the pair started Kohitsuji Café in downtown Wellington, they had the necessary knowledge on food and coffee covered.
However, they were still new to owning and operating their own business, and named their shop Kohitsuji – Japanese for “lamb” – to reflect this.
Thankfully for Shunsuke, his wife knew exactly which coffee she wanted their little café to serve – from Toasted Espresso, a specialty coffee roaster in Auckland.
“We really wanted to introduce their beans into the Wellington market,” Shunsuke says.
Toasted Espresso sources beans from Kenya, Colombia, and Indonesia. While the couple have tried a few coffees, Toasted Espresso’s AA7 Blend remains their favourite because of its black forest and dark chocolatey flavour.
While Shunsuke says the venue is packed out most mornings by the business people of Wellington, the store lacks the dining space to accommodate a large menu.
However, within the next six months, Shunsuke would like to add more Japanese style food to its menu.
“We want to try and add poke bowls and raw fish to the menu as well as some more breakfast food,” he says.
An even bigger plan is to eventually relocate the café altogether. Shunsuke says this would give him the ability to further expand the menu and add a bar.
“The move would also require a name change,” Shunsuke says. “This time maybe Hitsuji [Japanese for “sheep”] to represent the growth of the business.”
Kohitsuji Café
60 Queens Drive, Lower Hutt, 5010, New Zealand
Open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 2:30pm
+64 4-909 0227