Columbus Coffee at Mitre 10 MEGA Te Awamutu pours fresh-roasted coffee and serves all-day café classics from its spot on Cambridge Road. It's part of a New Zealand success story that began in Auckland in 1995, when four coffee-loving friends set out to share a fresher kind of café experience — and grew into a network of more than 70 cafés nationwide.
The coffee is the headline act. Columbus' specialty blend is small batch roasted at the company's own craft roastery and delivered fresh to its cafés, so every cup is as fresh as it can be. Non-coffee drinkers are well looked after too, with chai lattes, matcha, Belgian hot chocolate, smoothies, frappes, milkshakes, iced coffees and a range of Tea Total teas.
The kitchen turns out Columbus classics from cooked breakfasts to hearty lunches, all freshly prepared in store by the local chef — think Eggs Benedict, the Columbus Breakfast, Brioche French Toast and an Angus Beef Burger, plus seasonal specials that change through the year and a cabinet range baked fresh daily. Families are well catered for with a dedicated kids' menu and the Columbus Kids Club, while free-to-join Columbus Rewards earns members free beverages and exclusive offers. The house blend is also available to buy online, with subscription deliveries for home brewers.
You'll find Columbus Coffee inside the Mitre 10 MEGA on Cambridge Road in Te Awamutu — an easy detour for a proper coffee and a freshly cooked meal built into the shopping run. Being attached to the hardware store makes it a handy meeting point for locals: one person can browse the aisles while the other orders. It is one of more than 70 Columbus Coffee cafés around New Zealand, all working to the same promise the brand puts above its name: great coffee starts here.
Columbus Coffee's story starts in 1995, when four forward-thinking coffee aficionados developed a burning desire to share a fresh kind of coffee experience with New Zealand. Their first café opened in Auckland's bustling CBD, and amid the heady aroma of roasting beans, customers discovered the sensory delights of the freshest coffees from around the world, learning the art of great coffee making through tastings and demonstrations.
This was, after all, a nation of devout tea drinkers. Columbus set new standards and started the conversation about premium coffee and true café experiences — a conversation that has grown into a nationwide network of more than 70 cafés, including this one in Te Awamutu.
The heart of the offer is the coffee itself. Columbus' specialty blend is small batch roasted at the company's own craft roastery and delivered fresh to its cafés, which is how the team can be sure every cup is as fresh as it can be, roasted just the way they like it. If you prefer something other than an espresso, there are chai lattes and matcha, Belgian hot chocolate (iced chocolate for warmer days), smoothies, frappes, milkshakes and iced coffees, plus a selection of Tea Total teas.
The baristas take their craft seriously, too. Every year, Columbus baristas from regions across the country compete in the Barista & Latte Art Championships, with one crowned National Barista Champion of the Year — the company trains, celebrates and showcases its coffee-making talent on a national stage.
The food menu is every bit as considered. Columbus classics, from cooked breakfasts to hearty lunches, are freshly prepared in store by the local chef. The kitchen menu covers the classics properly: a Supreme Omelette, Eggs Benedict, Creamy Mushrooms, the full Columbus Breakfast, Brioche French Toast, Free Range Eggs on Toast and an Angus Beef Burger for the lunch crowd.
A seasonal menu keeps regulars on their toes. Recent additions have included Plum & Apple Crumble Waffles, a Chicken Katsu Bowl, Chorizo Hash and Pumpkin & Haloumi Bruschetta. Behind the scenes, Columbus chefs compete annually to create their own recipes for the national menu through the Chef Competition, so the dishes you order often begin life as a chef's own invention.
For a quicker stop, the cabinet range is baked fresh daily — sweets, savouries and a rotating line-up of sandwiches, wraps and salads, with the exact selection varying by location. Younger visitors have a menu of their own, with an Eggy Breakfast, a Hungry Tummies Breakfast for bigger appetites, Banana & Caramel Pancake and Chicken Nuggets & Chips, while the Columbus Kids Club gives families extra reasons to return. Common dietary needs such as vegetarian, gluten free, keto and dairy free are covered on the menus too — just ask the team what suits.
Regulars can join Columbus Rewards for free, with free beverages and exclusive membership offers among the perks. And if one cup isn't enough, the Columbus House Blend can be ordered online — as a one-off or on subscription — for fresh coffee delivered straight to your door, with brewing tips on the website for plunger, filter, stovetop or espresso at home.
Whether it's a flat white and a cabinet treat between hardware aisles, a leisurely brunch with the kids, or a bag of freshly roasted beans to take home, Columbus Coffee Te Awamutu delivers the fresh-roasted, freshly cooked café experience the brand has been refining since 1995.