The Story
Michael Allpress founded Allpress Espresso in 1989 after being inspired by the specialty coffee revival he witnessed in Seattle during the late 1980s . As Allpress recalls: “I was about 29, 30, travelling through Seattle and saw this mobile espresso cart that a Boeing engineer built. I thought, That’s a good idea. I moved back to New Zealand, got a government grant, borrowed money off my dad and was in business.”
What began as a single coffee cart in Auckland’s Victoria Park quickly evolved beyond its humble origins .
Driven by an obsession with flavor, Allpress began researching not only coffee but roasting equipment: “I was always obsessed with flavour and started researching not only coffee, but coffee-roasting equipment too. I bought a roaster out of Sydney, dragged it home and rebuilt it. That’s where I learned my craft.”
His focus quickly shifted from cart operator to specialty coffee roaster as his fresh approach to flavor generated interest from cafes and restaurants across New Zealand . From that single cart, Allpress has expanded to roast specialty coffee in Auckland, Dunedin, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, and London, with their signature flavor becoming globally recognizable .
In 2021, Allpress was acquired by Japanese beverage giant Asahi for an undisclosed sum, reportedly upwards of $50 million . The company now employs over 240 people globally, including nearly 100 in New Zealand, and holds a 20% share of the wholesale fresh coffee bean market there . They sell more than 1,500 tonnes of coffee beans annually worldwide—around 120 million cups .
Sourcing & Relationships
Allpress buys the majority of their green beans directly from origin through long-standing relationships with exporters, sourcing from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Honduras . Their commitment to relationship-building is evident: 60% of their sourcing relationships span more than five years, with over 45% lasting 10+ years, and their longest partnership now stands at 20 years . They began sourcing direct from origin in 2001 because they weren’t satisfied with the quality and flavor of green beans available locally, wanting to source coffees of incredible flavor and quality that weren’t available to competitors .
Their standards are uncompromising: 100% of their coffee is specialty-grade arabica, scoring at least 83 points or higher on the SCA grading scale . They buy 87% of their coffee through 15 partnerships across 7 countries, with most relationships spanning over 5 years since they started buying from origin in 2001 . To deepen these relationships, they visit origin yearly to taste coffee with partners, meet farmers, and assess economic, social, and environmental initiatives .
Notable partnerships include work with Racafe on the fully traceable Pescador project in Colombia, demonstrating their commitment to transparency and community impact . All new suppliers must agree to Allpress’s Supplier Code of Conduct and Guiding Principles, with exporters matching them to coffee from farmers and co-ops based on their specific flavor, quality, and quantity requirements .
Roasting Philosophy
Allpress’s roasting philosophy centers on hot air roasting, a discovery Michael made in the late 1980s when he traced exceptional coffee from Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel to a nearby roaster using this superior method . They’ve designed their own hot air roasters from the ground up, looking beyond industry orthodoxies to create fluidized-bed systems that achieve their desired flavor profile . This hot air roasting creates consistently sweeter, cleaner flavor enjoyed at over 1,500 independent cafés worldwide, with roasters operating five days a week in Auckland, Dunedin, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo, and London .
Their philosophy is precise: “Great flavour sits on a knife edge. The precision of Air Roasting allows us to take our coffee to the very edge of flavour development, while keeping the roast clean and sweet.”
Hot air roasting allows them to bring out natural sweetness, unlocking flavors often masked in harsher roasting methods, resulting in balanced, smooth, and sweet coffee . As Michael notes: “There is a lot of convention surrounding traditional drum roasting, and in my opinion, hot air roasting is a far superior way to roast. I find it surprising that the coffee industry hasn’t more widely adopted it.”
Consistency drives their approach—each blend has a flavor profile “set in stone,” with roasters continually sourcing coffees and tweaking roasters to honor that profile, wanting coffee drinkers to form intimate relationships with dependable experiences . They believe in preparing coffee beautifully but simply, with sophistication in simplicity refined over thirty years .
What to Try
Their flagship Allpress Espresso Blend epitomizes their philosophy: “Sweet, balanced and complex. This is it. We’ve been refining this blend since day one and it’s everything we think espresso should be; sweet, balanced and complex. It’s the flavour Michael Allpress built a business on and it’s still our signature coffee.”
The blend combines Brazil for body, sweetness and smooth aftertaste; Colombia and Guatemala for juicy apple acidity, caramel and milk chocolate notes; and wet-hulled Sumatra for body, spiced notes, fruitiness and sweetness .
Their coffee portfolio includes around 10 proprietary blends, with the flagship Allpress Espresso Blend and A.R.T Espresso Roast comprising over 80% of sales . A.R.T stands for Air Roasting Technology, their signature roasting system that uses hot air to deliver significantly more consistent flavor profiles . The range also includes Three Bells (a second espresso blend), a decaffeinated option, and rotating single-origins for filter brewing .
Their single origin program showcases a continuous rotation of favorite coffees from around the world, available for limited times and roasted specifically for filter and alternative brewing methods . Their refined and simple range features five unique flavor profiles available year-round, with individual coffees changing seasonally while maintaining constantly delicious end results . As one industry observer notes, their Redchurch blend serves as “the workhorse of speciality coffee”—you know you’ll get a solid cup that might not excite everyone but provides exactly what much of the specialty industry needs .