BUBU Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster and cafe at 4/2 Mansell Road, Nukuhau, Taupo, founded by a Colombian-born, coffee farm raised family. As the owners describe it, there is always a pot on grandma's or mum's stove pouring coffee at any time of day - coffee is in their blood, from picking and depulping through to fermenting, washing, sun drying and roasting the beans.
In 2023, while working in technical careers and growing their family in New Zealand, the door opened to return to coffee, this time roasting green beans to craft their specialty Bubu blend and single origin coffees. More recently, their family back home has started a coffee farm from scratch, with the long-term aim of bringing and roasting their own Colombian beans in Taupo.
BUBU roasts its beans in-house and sells them for customers to brew at home, alongside savoury and sweet treats to pair with a Bubu coffee and Colombian-inspired cuisine, described simply as "just as we eat at home." The cafe also offers The Coffee Bar by BUBU, a self-contained mobile espresso bar available to book for events and venues.
At 4/2 Mansell Road in Nukuhau, Taupo, BUBU Coffee Roasters brings a genuinely personal story to every cup. The people behind BUBU are Colombian-born and coffee farm raised, and as they put it themselves, coffee is in their blood — there was always a pot on grandma's or mum's stove, ready to pour coffee at any time of day.
That connection to coffee runs deep. The BUBU team has lived through the full process — picking, depulping, fermenting, washing, sun drying and roasting coffee cherries — and understands firsthand the hard work and dedication it takes to turn a red coffee cherry into a finished cup. In 2023, while working in technical careers and raising their family in New Zealand, the door opened for them to return to coffee, this time roasting green beans themselves to craft their specialty Bubu blend and a range of single origin coffees.
The story hasn't stopped there. More recently, the family back home in Colombia started a coffee farm from scratch. It will take time before beans from that farm make their way to Taupo to be roasted, but it's a clear long-term goal for BUBU — closing the loop from their own farm all the way to the cup served in Nukuhau.
BUBU sums up its values in five simple ideas: Enjoyment, through savoury and sweet treats perfect for a Bubu coffee; Quality, in coffee that's silky and beautiful, roasted and poured on site; Community, as a spot for neighbours and friends to enjoy; Service, from a team focused on creating memories; and Traditions, through Colombian-inspired cuisine made just as they eat at home. Together, these values shape a cafe that's as much about connection and heritage as it is about the coffee itself.
For those who want to bring the experience home, BUBU sells its freshly roasted beans for customers to brew their own perfect cup, with the same specialty Bubu blend and single origin coffees available in-store. It's a way for regulars to keep the Bubu taste going between visits, using beans roasted by the same hands that run the counter.
BUBU also offers The Coffee Bar by BUBU, a self-contained mobile espresso bar available to book for events and venues. It brings the same crafted coffee BUBU is known for to weddings, functions or private gatherings, meaning the Bubu experience isn't limited to the Mansell Road location alone.
BUBU is open Tuesday to Friday from 7am to 1pm, Saturday from 7am to 12pm, and Sunday from 7am to 10am, closed on Mondays. Whether it's a morning coffee, a Colombian-inspired treat, or picking up beans to take home, BUBU offers a genuinely rooted alternative to the usual Taupo coffee spot.