Black Lab began in 2020 when the world stopped.

Pol and Andy spent their time in the wedding and music industry so when the lockdowns were implemented business took a big hit, and like many of us they had ample time to contemplate. They decided to take the plunge and do what they had always wanted to do, which was to start their own coffee business. They used their savings to convert their garage and buy a small 2kg roaster to get started.

After many months of online training sessions, combined with lots of practice and feedback from numerous guinea pigs, they eventually started selling online to the local community. Cut to today and they have their own wee roastery and wholesale shop in a beautiful little boutique retail village called Country Lane, where they roast onsite as well as sell all your household coffee needs. From such humble beginnings they have grown the business into full time work alongside being back into all things music and weddings.

The ethos from the start was to be an eco conscious business and focus on sustainability as much as possible. This started with a weekly swap in / swap out subscription service in which customers would be provided a tub of coffee to start and would leave the empty one out every monday to be swapped with another fresh, full one. This has proven to be great for Black Lab and their local customers to eliminate some of the waste normally associated with coffee. To this day Pol still travels the region every Monday without fail covering more than 100 households and offices.

Queenstown has a massive issue with waste and Single Use Cups and so you will never see Black Lab branding on single use cups. They always recommend people stop and take the time to sit and enjoy coffee as it was meant to be. If you must take it away you need to bring your Keep cup. They encourage all the cafes that use their beans to recommend this also, believing that leading by example with respect to doing the right thing will help implement the change they wish to see in the World.

Tāhuna Blend is the Black Lab staple. They named it Tāhuna as homage to the Maori name for the beautiful place they are so lucky to call home, Queenstown. They felt it was the best way to show thanks to the community that has given us so much and which they are so very grateful to be a part of.

Tāhuna is a blend of 4 beans from Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador and Honduras and is the one you will find in the cafes that use Black Lab coffee. It is designed for Espresso as it is a very workable bean but gives you a beautiful smooth plunger or pour over also. You will get a good initial hit leading into a smooth body and lasting finish. Aromas of chocolate and malt, a smooth caramel body with a lovely almond finish that lingers in a good way.