23 July 1956 to 14 January 2023
Nigel was one of my buddies in the coffee industry. He was also well-known and respected by many others.
As one of the pioneers of our fledgling coffee industry, he rode the wave of its burgeoning popularity.
Nigel started with Robert Harris in 1986 and left when they were sold to Cerebos Greggs in 1990.
He and Kathy, his wife set up Garden City Coffee in 1990 and established a strong reputation that enabled significant growth in the central South Island. Along with the other independent roasters of the early 90’s Garden City Coffee contributed to the high-quality coffee that NZ enjoys today.
Kathy states “…these were very happy times with many of our customers in ‘hospo’ becoming good friends. We also enjoyed getting to know and befriend the small group of independent coffee roasters, who were part of the New Zealand Coffee Roasters Association (NZCRA later became the NZSCA), and John Burton from whom we bought our green beans…”
“…We sold Garden City Coffee (which later became Hummingbird) in late 1995 to New Trade.
Nige, always a restless spirit, was ready for a change. We first spent a year living in a tent and traveling around Europe with our daughters and on our return, Nige either worked in or set up a business in a variety of industries. Coffee was never far from his heart though and it seemed that everything he did was somehow related. He worked for Burton Hollis and later was offered a year’s contract with Bell in 2010 which took us to Auckland and while there he also worked as Development Manager for Peru for a time helping them expand….” Kathy
Our thoughts go out to Kathy and her family
David Burton
18/5/2023
