Cafe and coffee distributor raises $250k for Christchurch rebuild

Hummingbird Cafe in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied

On the anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake a Kiwi coffee company says it has raised almost $250,000 for the Christchurch rebuild.

Hummingbird Coffee which distributes to supermarkets and cafes across New Zealand, has raised the money through selling almost 850,000 bags of a unique blend of its coffee, with 30c from every 200g bag going to the fund.

30c from every 200g bag of Hummingbird coffee goes to the company's charitable fund. Photo / Supplied

One of the largest coffee distributors in the country, Hummingbird supplies more than 170 cafes in the South Island alone.

Co-founder Nick Cowper said the Christchurch business had seen the effects of the earthquake, which hit seven years ago, and were in a position to give back.

"We were lucky to be invited to be a part of the Re:start project which was the initial reopening of the Christchurch CBD," Cowper said.

"It was meant to be a short-term project but when we started, we realised we could use our national reach in terms of retail distribution to raise awareness, but also support a good cause and help an icon of Christchurch get back on its feet."

This "icon" was the Court Theatre which Hummingbird donated $121,000 to for its reopening.

The theatre company in Addington suffered significant damage during the 2011 quake, and was forced to move location.

With help from fundraising and other donations including Hummingbird's, the theatre reopened in an old grain silo, now commonly known as The Shed.

With another roughly $100,000 in a fund, Hummingbird is on the look out for its next project.

Cowper said while it was great to give back to the community, the social responsibility aspect had always been a major for the business.

"We were the first company with TradeAid to start bringing organic fair-trade coffee into New Zealand back in 2002 or 2003 so that social piece has always been a big component for us," he said.