The Reaper is a specialty coffee cafe in the heart of Newmarket's business district, part of the Anastasis Coffee Roasters family. Its story began by chance — founder Hernan had been using the previous owner's roasting machine when the opportunity to buy the cafe came up, and he jumped at it. Since then, The Reaper has built a reputation as one of Auckland's top coffee destinations, popular with corporate workers in the area looking for a quick, quality caffeine fix.
Anastasis itself means "resurrection" in Greek, a name chosen to reflect the belief that every batch of coffee roasted should be as vibrant and full of life as the last. Founder Hernan Barrionuevo first fell for coffee while studying in Argentina, where espresso culture is built around socialising with friends and family over a freshly roasted cup. That passion eventually grew into Anastasis Coffee Roasters, now with five stores across Auckland, all pouring the same in-house roasted blends: Rapture, Road Runner, Organic and House.
The Reaper carries that same commitment to quality into the busy Newmarket area, giving locals and office workers a proper coffee stop in the middle of their day.
In the middle of Newmarket's busy business district, The Reaper has become a go-to coffee stop for corporate workers looking for a quick, quality caffeine fix. It's part of the Anastasis Coffee Roasters family, and its story began with a stroke of luck rather than a long-laid plan.
Founder Hernan had previously used the roasting machine belonging to the cafe's earlier owner. When the opportunity to buy the business itself presented itself, he jumped at the chance. Since then, The Reaper has grown into one of Auckland's top coffee destinations, built on the same commitment to quality that defines every Anastasis location.
Anastasis means "resurrection" in Greek — a name chosen to reflect the belief that every batch of coffee roasted should be just as vibrant and full of life as the last. It all began roughly a decade ago when founder Hernan Barrionuevo was studying in Argentina, where he became fascinated with coffee and passionate about roasting. Argentina's strong espresso culture, built around socialising with friends and family over a freshly roasted cup, left a lasting impression on him.
The idea for Anastasis grew from an ingeniously simple deal: Hernan approached a local bakery and offered to buy them a coffee machine in exchange for free croissants every morning. That small partnership blossomed into Anastasis Coffee Roasters, which has since grown into five stores across Auckland — including the original Te Atatu South cafe, Matchbox Espresso House in Point Chevalier, The Activist Cafe in New Lynn, Alma Cafe in Grafton, and The Reaper here in Newmarket.
Across all five locations, Anastasis pours its own house-roasted coffee, available in four blends: Rapture, Road Runner, Organic and House. Each reflects the same obsession with quality that Hernan brought back from his time in Argentina, roasted to keep every batch as vibrant as the last.
The Reaper is located at 11b/23 Nuffield Street, Newmarket, Auckland. It's open Monday to Friday from 6:30am to 3pm, and weekends from 9am to 4pm — a reliable stop for Newmarket's office crowd looking for their next good cup of coffee.