Meet Levi, who heads up our New Zealand sales team. We recently caught him on a break from the daily grind to chat about work, and also not work.
Levi clocks his days visiting cafes, chasing great coffee and backing some of the best spots in Aotearoa. His role is all about people. Connecting with owners, supporting their teams and making sure our coffee shows up Supreme, every time. When he’s not out on the road, you’ll find him parked up outside our Auckland office with a mug of Big Joe in hand, chasing some rays.
Q: Hey Levi, can you walk us through a typical day in your role at Coffee Supreme?
A: If I'm not dropping into one of the many amazing cafes around town first thing, I can be found dragging a stool outside of our wholesale office to (hopefully) get some sunshine and caffeine into me while I gather my thoughts and scroll through emails. Once thoughts are very roughly together, emails are squashed, and I can see the 'see you at the bottom' message on our stacker mug — I'm usually out and about.
The role is very human-facing, so there's lots of connecting and planning with cafe owners, potential cafe owners and the internal team. I'm really fortunate to be in a position where I'm out and about drinking coffee all day. But there's a reason for it all. We want to make sure we have our coffee in the best spots in the country, support them really well with service and product, not only for them and their business, but for the masses of Coffee Supreme fans that seek out our coffee.
Q: What are you drinking at the moment?
A: Big bad Joe. I get into a yum filter coffee, and our Big Joe filter blend is about that life.
Q: Describe your ideal coffee ritual? How do you like to enjoy your cup of coffee?
A: I often have a toddler tugging on my shirt first thing in the morning, hitting me up for Weetbix; however, we have a Moccamaster, so I tend to load it up the night before so I can just flick it on when I wake and let it brew. Weetbix sorted, and young mates stoked. I’ll sneak off to a chair in the sun and enjoy. Feel like I'm forever chasing a coffee in the sun.
Q: Where is your favourite spot to have a coffee in Auckland?
A:
There are so many, this is a tough one. But if I have to pick a single spot, Burnt Butter in Avondale. The food and coffee are next level, and the people are great. There’s always a really warm reception for their customers, which makes it feel so inviting. They’re great at upselling me a second cup of coffee, too.
Q: What are you doing when you're not at Supreme?
A:
Typical parent response would be 'chasing my kid around'. Quite a bit of truth in that, to be honest. But I try to spend my time creating cool memories for him. At the moment, I'm pretty into playing guitar, I try to stay fit, so some form of exercise or sport, love going out for food and coffee on the weekend, a bit of DIY around the house and trying to build things.
Q: What’s something you are looking forward to this year?
A: The Single Fin Mingle. We play a big part in supporting the event, and I’ll be heading down this year with some of the crew to help out. Will be fun, heaps of shakas.
Q: And lastly,if you could switch roles with anyone at Coffee Supreme for a day, who would it be and why?
A:
The prince of the south, Steve McGregor. I’d pick to switch roles on a cold winter's day when he’s off on a road trip. Steve connects with some of the best operators in the business, and his trips to see them often involve him travelling through some of the most scenic locations in the world. Beats Auckland traffic.
Thanks for the chat, Levi. We'll see you out there.
