{"product_id":"havana-coffee-works","title":"Coffee You Feel - Havana Coffee Works","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeat, wool, dairy – all classic products New Zealand was known for in the 60s’ and 70s’ – a time when there were milk bars and restaurants, and the time when it was BC: Before Coffee, before cafes. Thankfully, the rise and rise of coffee and our cafe culture began in the next decade, fostered by a fervent few. One of those coffee champions was, and still is, Geoff Marsland. Havana Coffee Works – the book of the likely soon- to- follow film – is the colourful story of this pioneering Wellington “Coffee Baron”, a real yet larger-than life character who became a cafe king and roasting entrepreneur. This is a no holds barred biography of Geoff, and of a home- grown business success with national and international connections. Across the pages of what is a ‘visual symphony’ of cars, cigars, cafes and coffee roasters, Geoff recounts and shows the rollicking rise of Havana Coffee Works, from its beginnings in Cuba Street, Wellington to importing Cuban coffee, setting up plantations in the Pacific through to its current coffee empire status, bringing “Coffee U Feel” – the brand’s strapline – to the people. The book tells the often astonishing story of Geoff’s life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter a challenging childhood and some tricky teen years, he spent time at sea on fishing boats and then in the fashion trade until, on a visit to Vancouver he was ‘hooked by the aroma of strong coffee’ and an alternative style of cafe. Marsland bought his newfound passion back to New Zealand and the start- up of Havana’s heady coffee-powered ride from the backstreets of Wellington into the heart of Communist Cuba then began. In 1989, when Midnight Espresso Cafe opened on Cuba Street, it launched real coffee into the bloodstream of the capital, setting the scene for what would later become Havana Coffee Works. Overnight, a bohemian cafe society was born, one that would soon revitalize the city’s heart, creating a ‘cool’ identity for the capital with espresso and flat whites at its core. This was the kick starter of a nationwide cultural change based around hissing espresso machines and growing coffee consumption. Like a runaway train, the Havana revolution took off. It hasn’t slowed for over a quarter of a century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Nook Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47397263900828,"sku":"9780987666772","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0682\/8484\/2140\/files\/2976-batemanbooks.jpg?v=1786676120","url":"https:\/\/thenookbookshop.co.nz\/products\/havana-coffee-works","provider":"The Nook Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}