Episode Nine : Raglan Roast - Brown Lightning
Reel Tails with Sweens - Podcast By Dwayne Sweeney
Episode Nine :
I catch up with some of the awesome crew at Raglan Roast Coffee. We discuss how a couple of like minded dudes turned a hole in the wall coffee store into a cult like figure with 12 locations spread across New Zealand. This podcast is with two of the company directors Tony and Bobo but we also have a couple of special guest’s drop in. As well as talking coffee and business the lads share some of their life experiences and challenges, from only being awake for an hour a day for six years, creating the world’s largest indoor skate park, receiving the late great Jerry Collins All Black test jersey and so much more.
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Show Notes:
2:12 - Introductions and the soccer playing dog Bebe.
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4:27 - The birth of Raglan Roast and why customers feel like they belong.
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11:47 - Who is The Don (Tony) and how he created the world’s largest indoor skate park.
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17:59 - The beauty in roasting the coffee beans on site.
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20:21 - How Tony teaches the staff to drive, houses them and is a true father figure.
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28:27 - Good George and Raglan Roast Coffee IPA Beer and how that partnership was formed.
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33:14 - The Tron city of the future and how the local businesses are thriving.
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36:23 - The birth of Brown Lightning, their signature espresso blend.
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43:20 - What is success in terms of business.
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47:45 - The strength of being your own landlord.
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51:10 - Raglan Roast friday lunches, X-Factor Quinn, Tony being the Damian McKenzie of Raglan.
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54:40 - The high achieving customers and how relaxing the environment is for them.
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59:08 - Bobo’s introduction to Tony and dealing with his illness.
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1:01:28 - Special guest number one JC : Volcom CEO, hanging out with Andy & Bruce Irons, Jerry Collins All Black jersey.
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1:12:09 - Back to Bobo…
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1:14:17 - Side ventures, taking on the government and winning.
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1:19:36 - The loyalty book and the value they place on it as a company.
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1:23:32 - Tony and JC head off to Gisborne, Bobo shares what he learns from them.
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1:29:42 - Special guest number two : Ross Filipo.
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1:30:12 - Everyone has a story, Bobo valuing life and the strength of their business.
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1:33:23 - The mentoring role Bobo plays now and how we value boundaries.
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1:37:30 - The importance of working for what you want.
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1:41:24 - Lockdown online sales boom and the uncertain times of 2020.
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1:51:38 - Tony has a coffee machine in as soon as he gets the keys.
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1:53:46 - Ross Filipo joins the podcast and shares why he enjoys Raglan Roast.
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2:04:44 - Quinn Tupaea burning his hand and Bobo’s connection to the team and the players.
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2:07:13 - The importance of being genuine.
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2:12:28 - Final thoughts.