GREEN BEAR COFFEE
Located in the very heart of South New Brighton, Green Bear Coffee is a small family run business that began with a vintage mobile coffee trike and has now expanded into a repurposed shipping container. It is based in Common Ground’s gardens – a welcoming space made available with help from Life in Vacant Spaces and Sustain South Brighton Community Group. Co-Owner and director Mandy says, “We want our container to be an integral part of the community, and we couldn’t do that without being a part of this amazing space”.
Green Bear Coffee offers barista-made hot and cold drinks using Fairtrade organic coffee beans from Christchurch-based Underground Coffee Roasters. And by taking the time to choose the right suppliers, like Hope River Pies, The Brownie Company NZ, French delights by Elodie, and Good Honest Products, it has built a reputation as a supporter of local business and a quality brand.
With a ‘Green’ ethos at its core, the team are always looking at ways to reduce their impact on the local environment and are currently working on a seedling project reusing their compostable cups.
After opening their doors in mid-March, Green Bear was forced to close after only a week for COVID-19 lockdown, raising doubts and uncertainty for its immediate future business. But after some tremendous support from the local community and beyond, those involved are optimistic about their future and are looking ahead to a great summer with some exciting projects and plans for expansion in the coming months.
Green Bear Coffee is a family run business, With mum Mandy, dad Gus, and their youngest daughter Meg at the helm. Their oldest daughter, Hollie, is a graphic designer and branding strategist based in Wellington.
They originally bought the business back in 2017 after Mandy was diagnosed with a rare condition (Spasmodic Dysphonia) affecting her voice and ability to speak. She struggled to carry on working at her job as a receptionist on the Paediatric Surgical Ward at Christchurch Hospital. She decided to combine both their passions of coffee and bikes and bought a vintage electric coffee trike. The plan was for Guy to do the talking while Mandy made the coffee.
But after receiving ongoing six-monthly Botox injections into her vocal cords, Mandy is back to speaking relatively normally. They have spent the last three years building their business and brand by attending events and markets throughout Christchurch and beyond.
The family then expanded their business with the container back in March 2020 and brought their daughter Meg onto the team. She now manages the container alongside her best friend, Tyler. They have quickly become a very popular pair and can be relied on for amazing coffee, great banter, and excellent customer service.