Bonnie Lam has built The Coffee Dojo from a base of love. Love for Wānaka, love for her staff, and love for hospitality.
After opening a hole in the wall called The Coffee Shack from a converted garage in 2017, the former Aotearoa Barista Championship runner-up brought her newest venture to the stunning resort town on New Zealand’s South Island back in 2020.
“The big thing that differentiates us from other cafés is we are ‘us’ first. We really look after our staff,” says Bonnie.
“It’s like when you’re a kid and your mum tells you that she will always have your back. It’s the same here, because when you know your boss 100 per cent has your back, it’s incredibly empowering.
“That is something that is felt by our customers. People walk up and can’t figure out why they feel so included here. There are some things you can train, but you can’t teach someone to be genuine. You have to support them. Customers will often say they just feel like the place is so happy and lively.”
With coffee from Wellington specialty roaster Flight Coffee, Bonnie and The Coffee Dojo have access to some of the best coffees in the country.
The relationship with Flight Coffee extends beyond serving customers at the café, and into her history as one of New Zealand’s premier coffee competitors.
“Richard Corney from Flight Coffee has been behind us from day one. From a competition sense, it hasn’t mattered wherever I’ve finished, he’s believed in me as a human,” says Bonnie.
“The Coffee Dojo is often a point of entry for people discovering specialty coffee, we serve a lot of people who will usually drink a long black or a flat white with a sugar.
“I’ll often bring my competition coffees in, and they just don’t know what to do with it. They’re like ‘what is happening here’, and it’s great to see their responses to these coffees.”
Alongside its coffee, The Coffee Dojo serves what Bonnie calls “low fuss” counter food, focusing on keeping customers satisfied through doing the foundational aspects of creating a great café as well as possible.
“You can’t satisfy everyone, so just do the best version of what you offer, and you’ll attract the right customers,” says Bonnie.
“You need to be true to yourself and believe in what you’re doing, and that’s what we try to do at The Coffee Dojo.”
The Coffee Dojo
1 Umbers Street, Wānaka, 9305,
New Zealand
Open Monday to Friday,
7:30am to 2pm.
