Three Llamas Gourmet Coffee is a roastery cafe on Main North Road in Woodend, North Canterbury, where 100% Peruvian Arabica is roasted in small batches just steps from the espresso machine. The coffee comes from a single place: Cajamarca, a mountainous region in Northern Peru recognised for its exceptional and distinctive quality. You won't find beans from other countries blended in — no confusion, just the finest single origin Arabica from the best growing region in Peru.
The founders did the groundwork themselves. They sourced the beans, met the growers personally and, during harvest season, regularly walked the fields the coffee comes from to make sure it is the best it can be. Everything is 100% ethically sourced, and the values of flavour, health and wellbeing — 'good for your body and mind' — run through the whole range, from the certified organic roasts to the organic decaf.
At the cafe you can settle in for an excellent espresso, order a bite to eat, and browse a wide selection of freshly roasted beans to take home. Beans are ground any way you like — plunger, stove top, filter, pour over, espresso, AeroPress — and if you time it right, you may catch the roaster in action. There is also an online shop with subscriptions, coffee equipment, organic extras and Bullet Cups, with free NZ shipping on orders over $75.
Draw up outside Three Llamas Gourmet Coffee on Main North Road in Woodend and you'll know straight away you've found something a little different. This is both a working roastery and a neighbourhood cafe, where 100% Peruvian Arabica is roasted in small batches just a few steps from the espresso machine. Order a coffee, grab a bite to eat, and browse a wide selection of freshly roasted beans on your way out — if you time it right, you may even catch a roast in progress.
Three Llamas is proudly, exclusively Peruvian. Every bean comes from Cajamarca, a small mountainous region in Northern Peru recognised for its exceptional and distinctive high-quality coffee. The selection is so good, the team says, that it doesn't need blending with coffees from anywhere else — no confusion, just the finest single origin Arabica from the best growing region in Peru. Expect the flavours Cajamarca is known for: sweetly aromatic, rich and creamy.
The people behind it didn't just pick a country off a map. The founders sourced the beans themselves, met the growers personally and, during harvest season, regularly walked the very fields the coffee comes from to make sure it is the best it can be. Every lot is 100% ethically sourced.
Those three words — flavour, health and wellbeing — are the company's core values, and they run through everything on the shelf. Alongside the specialty range sit certified organic roasts: a medium, a dark, a Viva organic espresso, a Wellbeing roast and a certified organic decaf, all from the same Cajamarca source.
Whatever you buy, it is roasted in small batches and ground any way you like — plunger, stove top, filter, pour over, espresso, AeroPress and more. Tell the team how you brew at home and they'll set you up.
The cafe side is simple and welcoming: an excellent espresso, a flat white or latte poured from house-roasted beans, and a bite to eat — think breakfast muffins and morning-tea treats. Regulars rave about the freshness of the beans and the service; one fan calls the coffee 'liquid gold', another praises a subscription that is always on time.
One thing worth remembering: this is a real roastery first. Opening hours are 7am to 2:30pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on weekends, so plan your visit for earlier in the day rather than the afternoon. Roasting happens on site, and watching a batch drop is part of the charm.
The retail range runs deep for a small-town roastery. Signature roasts include Essence Espresso, Inca Gold light roast, Lima and a medium dark roast, alongside the certified organic line-up and an organic sampler pack for tastings. There's cold brew concentrate too, plus everything to brew and pair at home: coffee equipment, organic sugars, chai and drinking chocolate, the roastery's own Bullet Cups and gift cards.
If you find a favourite, you don't have to drive back for it. Three Llamas runs a coffee subscription with delivery on repeat — reviewers call it the best they've ever had — and the online store ships free across New Zealand on orders over $75. Cafes and offices can arrange wholesale supply as well.
Whether you're after a serious espresso in Woodend, organic beans you can trace back to the growers who grew them, or just a friendly flat white on a North Canterbury morning, Three Llamas makes it easy: come in for the coffee, leave with a bag roasted on site.