Daily Grind Vol. 1

This month marks Matt’s (that’s me) return to the helm of the Peoples ship. Over the past ten years, I have guided the business from the side while having three children, starting a prison trust, a bio-diesel cooperative, and training as a dance teacher and life coach. It feels really good to be back in the building, rolling up my sleeves, and digging in with the team. 

Back in 2004, when Peoples first opened its doors to the coffee lovers of Newtown, we created The Daily Grind newsletter. It wasn’t daily, but it was a small way of communicating with you, the people, what we, the Peoples, were up to.

So here we go again, reviving an old tradition and updating it for the digital age. My hope is to give you a peek behind the doors of our business and the people that make Peoples tick.

So brew up a cup of joe and hear what we've been up to.

New cooperative partnership

We’re excited to be partnering with fair trade coffee cooperative, SOPACDI, and their 11,600 small lot farmer members. SOPACDI promote 'Coffee for Solidarity' to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of its members.

Their coffee is grown in Congo, on the volcanic soil between Lake Kivu and the mountain range of Mitumba. This soil imparts a delicate and juicy flavours of mandarin, green apple and maple sweetness. And we've roasted it for filter to showcase these wonderful flavours.

Hello 👋

Meet one of our newest baristas, Harry.

A born and bred Wellingtonian, Harry started making coffee when he was just 16! His favourite People’s Coffee is the Honduras Natural.

Outside of work, Harry loves playing guitar, collecting records and finding new sounds. He is a fan of 90’s UK music like Portishead, Massive Attack and Slowdive. He’s also a big fan of the Kill Bill films and loves anything Tarantino.

When asked to describe himself in 3 words: cool, creative, interested. Stop by our cafes and tell Harry hi!

And goodbye 😢

But with the hellos we also have said a few goodbyes in 2024. We want to celebrate the work of a trio of Peoples stalwarts who move on to new adventures.

Gratitude to our GM, James Beyer who has done an incredible job taking the company to a new level over the last nine years. Rene Macaulay, our head roaster of seventeen years, has been pivotal in building our connection with coffee farmers via our green coffee importer, Trade Aid. And Hayden Wood, our sales manager for the last three years, bids us adieu while handing over the reigns to Isaac Campbell - a celebrated cafe owner from the famed Taper cafe in Levin.

From the wider Peoples whanau, we wish you all an Autumn of wonder and warmth,

-Matt Lamason 

Founder, and captain of the Peoples pirate ship