Zarraffa’s Coffee has announced its first foray into the South Australian market through the “multi-million dollar” acquisition of drive-through specialty coffee chain First Things First.
The coffee retailer will take ownership of First Things First’s four existing sites in the Adelaide suburbs of Enfield, Salisbury Downs, Woodville Park, and Holden Hill ahead of the opening of its first Adelaide store at Munno Para.
It currently operates close to 80 stores across New South Wales, Western Australia, and its home market of Queensland.
Zarraffa’s Coffee Managing Director and Founder Kenton Campbell says the business’ move to South Australia is part of the company’s target to launch in new regions over the next 12 months.
“Our journey into South Australia has been a long time coming,” Kenton says. “We have had our sights set on Adelaide from the very beginning, and now that we have reached the right stage in our growth plans, we’re excited to finally make this moment happen.
“This move has been thoughtfully considered and a way to align and accelerate our expansion into the state, integrating with a team that already shares our passion for good quality coffee and community. We will be opening the doors to our first flagship Zarraffa’s Coffee store in the northern suburb of Munno Para later this year and look forward to introducing Zarraffa’s to a whole new region of coffee-lovers.”
Kenton says the ethos of what has made First Things First successful will not change under the new ownership.
“We’re entering humbly,” he says. “We are not here to change what makes these stores special. We respect what the team at First Things First Coffee have created, and we are here to build upon it to ensure continuity and a seamless experience for customers.
“Just like South Australia has some of the finest wines, we believe Zarraffa’s brings with it an ethos that blends seamlessly with the local community, and we look forward to becoming an integral part of Adelaide’s coffee culture.”
First Things First was founded in 2015 by James Carrigg, Hana Carrigg, and Aaron Box.
In a joint statement, the trio says now is the “right moment” to hand over the reins of the business.
“First Things First Coffee was born from the ambition to combine absolute convenience with excellent coffee,” they say.
“Since 2015 we have strived to exceed our customers’ expectations, and we’ve enjoyed every moment of it. The decision to hand over the reins wasn’t made lightly, however it was the right moment and the right opportunity. We’ve built something really special in our local communities, and we wanted to ensure our stores could flourish and our customers and team would continue to thrive under new leadership.
“We found a perfect synergy with Zarraffa’s – a business that not only shares our passion for coffee but also values its people and communities. We’re confident that they will take what we created and see that it turns into a lasting staple in Adelaide.”
The expansion into South Australia has followed a previous commitment from Zarraffa’s to dramatically boost its Queensland presence ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. It has set the lofty goal of expanding to over 200 sites around Australia over the next seven years in time for the Games.
