After winning the New Zealand Barista Championship in 2017 and 2019, Dove Chen was given the opportunity to travel the globe for the World Championships.
He returned home eager as ever to make his long-term dream of owning his own roastery a reality.
“Grey Roasting has been a dream of Dove’s for many years now,” says Grey Roasting Social Media Manager Jassher Clayton. “He always wanted to have his own roastery, and the physical space is unique in that every component of the roastery’s Hamilton location was custom made and handpicked to fulfill Dove’s vision.
“Our mantra has always been about providing a full coffee experience, from seed to cup.”
Jassher says the space allows Dove to experiment with new blends and preparation strategies, and he hopes to include coffee tasting events in the future.
“The other day, Dove had a customer ask if a particular coffee could taste different in varying temperatures, so he quickly crafted a method that could effectively demonstrate the difference,” he says.
Grey Roasting Co sources its coffee beans from all around the world, from Central America to Africa and even Indonesia. Jassher says the company has a rotation of single origin beans that customers can experiment with when ordering a coffee at the Hamilton location.
“We’re giving people an experience with different coffees made with varying processes,” he says. “As with roasting, we don’t just pick a roast profile and stick with it; we experiment and roast again until it is perfect.”
Grey Roasting’s coffee beans are available for purchase in store, online, or at any of its wholesale accounts. The team is hoping to expand across New Zealand and abroad to give coffee lovers everywhere the chance to experience one of the more unique tasting experiences New Zealand has to offer.
“There are a lot of plans in place to share our coffee with the rest of the country,” he says.
Grey Roasting
401 Grey Street, Hamilton, New Zealand, 3216
Open Monday to Saturday 8am – 2pm
This article appears in the December 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
