The Bean Merchant Story

How a Sunbeam machine and curiosity created New Zealand's coffee discovery platform

Chapter 1

It Started with a Sunbeam

G'day, I'm Jono.

Like many Kiwis, I thought I knew coffee. Every morning, my trusty little Sunbeam machine would hum to life, brewing supermarket beans for my fiancé and me. It was perfectly adequate. Functional. Forgettable.

Then came Christchurch, 2018.

I wandered into a local café and spotted beans I'd never seen before. The packaging was different. The roaster's name was handwritten. Something made me buy a bag.

"That first sip wasn't just coffee. It was a revelation."

Suddenly, coffee had flavours. Notes. Character. My mind was blown, and there was no going back.

Chapter 2

Down the Rabbit Hole

What followed was pure obsession. My fiancé and I became coffee detectives, hunting down every New Zealand roaster we could find. Each new bag was an adventure:

Origins Explored

Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala - each country telling its own story through beans

Processing Methods

Washed, natural, honey-processed - who knew coffee could be so complex?

Roast Profiles

From light and fruity to dark and chocolatey - a spectrum of possibilities

We ordered from individual roasters, joined mailing lists, drove hours for special releases. It was thrilling but exhausting. And that's when we noticed the gap...

Chapter 3

The Missing Piece

We searched everywhere for a single place that brought together all of New Zealand's incredible roasters. It didn't exist.

Roaster Roaster Roaster Roaster Roaster ?

Here was this incredible coffee scene happening across New Zealand, but you needed to be a detective to find it all. Great coffee was out there, but it was hidden, scattered, hard to discover.

That's when the idea hit: If it doesn't exist, build it.

Chapter 4

Bean Merchant is Born

2020

The Launch

Started with 1 roaster who believed in the vision

2021

The Quiz

Created the Coffee Quiz to help people find coffee they'll love

2022

The Community

Grew to 10+ roasters and hundreds of happy customers

Today

The Overhaul

Rebuilt and refined the Coffee Matchmaker. Thousands of happy coffee drinkers

What started as a personal quest became something bigger. Bean Merchant became the discovery platform I wished existed when I first tasted that life-changing coffee in Christchurch.

Chapter 5

More Than Just a Store

Bean Merchant isn't just about selling coffee. It's about discovery, connection, and supporting the passionate people behind every roast.

I Believe in Local

Every purchase directly supports independent New Zealand roasters, helping them create new flavours and grow their craft.

I Believe in Discovery

The Coffee Quiz isn't just clever tech — it's a bridge between curious coffee drinkers and roasters they'd never find on their own.

I Believe in Quality

I taste everything. If it's not great, it doesn't make the cut. Your morning ritual deserves that.

Today

Where Things Are Now

My old Sunbeam unfortunately gave up the ghost last year, but I'm still brewing beans from roasters across New Zealand. Every morning brings a new flavour, a new story, a new adventure.

Bean Merchant has grown beyond what I imagined, but the mission remains simple: help every Kiwi discover coffee that makes their mornings better.

Whether you're just getting into specialty coffee or you've been brewing for years, I'm here to help you find your next favourite cup.

Jono
Founder, Bean Merchant

Join the Community

500+ Coffee Explorers

10+ Partner Roasters

1000s Coffees Matched

Every week, hundreds of Kiwis discover their new favourite coffee through Bean Merchant.

Not Sure What Coffee to Try?

Take the quiz and I'll pick something you'll love

Take the Coffee Quiz or Browse All Coffee