Located in the inner-city Shades Arcade in Christchurch, my store, The Caffeine Laboratory, is closed whilst repairs continue on the arcade. Having spent four months dealing with the closure of my café, I decided to rent an 8 ft shipping container from Royal Wolf to continue serving my loyal customers.
Our ‘Minicube’ has been operating as our earthquake displaced coffee shop, The Caffeine Laboratory, since mid June this year. The ‘Lab’ was situated within what is known as the Red Zone, which is still off limits to the public, and it is our understanding that the shop will be demolished at some point.
We were very lucky to be able to gain access to retrieve all the shop fittings; it was a great feeling to retrieve our precious La Marzocco; although, entering the central CBD with so many buildings damaged beyond repair was emotional and quite devastating.
It was then a case of trying to find somewhere to reopen, as there was a sudden surge in the need for rentals after the quake. I wanted to stay close to the city and so we managed, thanks to Stylus Furniture, to receive permission to place the shipping container in their parking lot, just a few minutes from our original location.
Due to the demand for storage after the quake going through the roof, the 8 ft Royal Wolf shipping container was the largest available to us, so our fit out is a rather simple one. We have suspended a bench from the ceiling with steel wires and lined the roof to help protect the machinery (and customers) from condensation. We are powered by mains power and we are also plumbed in – although we use a water filter, as Christchurch’s once ‘spring’ like water has been chlorinated since February.
The container’s location within the car park of Stylus Furniture is within the CBD boundary alongside a busy one way street. We are really happy with how this has worked out for us, with plenty of traffic and lots of workers within walking distance.
As the name may suggest, our primary focus is coffee, or even more specific, ‘take away espresso; however we do offer a small amount of very fresh locally produced/baked food items such as baguettes, toasties, salads, muffins, slices etc. We strive to bring the dining in coffee experience to the takeaway cup and put a lot of pride and effort into every cup.
Our coffee is supplied by local experts The Lyttelton Coffee Co – a coffee company that has a reputation second to none around this town! Thankfully they are currently roasting from a car garage not far from their original café/roastery that was also claimed in the earthquake.
The minicube has been great for getting our business back up and running; even though we are not operating to the capacity we once were, it is most definitely showing that we are heading in the right direction.
Looking for positives in life after such loss and devastation can be hard, but we are now looking forward, with ideas and opportunities that we may never have had.
Currently we are trying to find a home for a second container, a 10 footer this time, that we have fitted out. It has been operating for the previous few weeks at the Rugby World cup Fan Zone. All things going to plan, we will be able to find a suitable spot within the CBD soon.
Christchurch as a city will never be the same, but it is very exciting to see how it will evolve. With the right people in charge, Christchurch will become a world leading, state of the art city, and the Caffeine Lab is looking forward to watching it all unfold.
The Caffeine Laboratory (minicube) is located at 198 Montreal St, Christchurch Central.
www.caffeinelab.co.nz
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