Black & White Coffee Cartel Timaru is part of a New Zealand coffee franchise founded in Christchurch in 2014 by Bink Bowler, alongside his brother Luke Bowler and Canterbury rugby's Reuben Thorne. The first store opened on Victoria Street in February 2015, part of the city's post-earthquake rebuild, quickly becoming an iconic, loved local cafe.
Black & White became New Zealand's first micro-roasting coffee franchise, meaning coffee is roasted on-site at each full cafe in full view of guests, rather than supplied from a centralised roastery. The house blend, Boss Blend, combines Brazil Cerrado and Honduras La Flor beans — one natural, one washed — for a rounded personality of sweet fruit and nut notes against heavy cocoa and balanced acidity.
Each store offers a wide range of Western-style café food, including an all-day brunch menu that varies by location, a cabinet of sweet and savoury options prepared largely on-site, and dietary choices including gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan and keto in most stores.
Black & White Coffee Cartel Timaru is part of a New Zealand coffee franchise with roots in post-earthquake Christchurch. Founder Bink Bowler arrived in the city in 2014 with a vision to build a new kind of coffee shop, and alongside his brother Luke Bowler and Canterbury rugby figure Reuben Thorne, opened the first Black & White Coffee Cartel on Victoria Street in February 2015. It quickly became iconic among locals, helping kick off a new cafe culture for the rebuilding city.
What sets Black & White apart is its approach to coffee: rather than sourcing from a centralised roastery, each full cafe roasts its own coffee on-site, in full view of guests. This micro-roasting model, a first for a New Zealand coffee franchise, cuts out a key middleman and keeps the experience genuinely authentic from raw bean to roasted cup.
The house blend, Boss Blend, is built from just two beans rather than a crowded mix — Brazil Cerrado and Honduras La Flor. Brazil brings soft, sweet and fruity notes with a classic nutty overtone, while Honduras contributes heavy cocoa notes and balanced acidity. Together, one natural and one washed, they create what the company describes as a unique, full and rounded personality suited to Black & White Coffee.
Each store offers a wide range of Western-style cafe food, with an all-day brunch menu that varies according to the local market. Stores with a full brunch offering typically serve classics like a Bacon Benny and a BOSS Breakfast, alongside other cooked options. The cabinet rounds things out with sweet treats — caramel slices, friands, bliss balls, muffins, scones, cheesecakes and brownies — and savoury options including pies, sandwiches, filo pastries, wraps, sausage rolls, croissants and vegetable frittata, much of it prepared on-site.
Black & White caters to a range of dietary needs, with food made without gluten or dairy, plus vegetarian, vegan and keto options available in most stores. On the drinks side, beyond the Boss Blend coffee, the menu includes hot chocolate, free fluffy's for younger customers, and a selection of premium cold beverages.
Since recruiting its first franchise partners, known as "Cartel Bosses," in 2016, Black & White has grown into one of New Zealand's fastest-growing coffee franchises, while keeping the personality and charm of an independent coffee shop at each location — different music, personal service, and food unique to each store.
As part of the wider Black & White Coffee Cartel network, the Timaru store follows the same model of on-site roasting, an all-day brunch menu, and a well-stocked cabinet, with the specific product range and hours varying according to the local store.