Kōkako: how connectivity helped a Kiwi coffee company
Mike Murphy, a lifelong coffee enthusiast, purchased Kokako Organic Coffee Roasters in Auckland 15 years ago to fulfil a long-held dream of supplying New Zealanders with ethically sourced, locally roasted coffee. The company, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, has undergone two of its most transformative years, embracing e-commerce and targeting new customers, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kokako, which has supplied Fairtrade, organic coffee to New Zealand cafes for years, has digitised during the pandemic. Customers can now monitor, evaluate, and order coffee beans and stock online, courtesy of a new online sales portal. Communication with suppliers has become increasingly digital in recent years, with video calls and status updates playing a central role in daily life.
The pandemic has also spurred innovation at Kkako, as an increasing number of people opt to work from home. Kokako launched a new coffee brand in March 2022, selling it directly to consumers and through retailers, thereby expanding its customer base, increasing revenue, and becoming a more resilient enterprise over time.
Kokako uses Business Fibre for a dependable, high-speed connection.
Their coffee now appears on the shelves of an increasing number of independent grocers and supermarkets under the Everybird brand.
“We needed new channels to sell our products,” explains Murphy. “Our team and equipment are exceptional, but Covid has had a significant impact on the hospitality industry. We needed a new project to propel us forwards and complement our work in the hospitality industry, so we developed Everybird, a platform dedicated to the grocery and supermarket industry.”
Murphy and the Kkako team created Everybird to capitalise on the growing number of New Zealanders who work from home and desire supermarket-priced speciality coffee.
