Beloved by speciality cafes and restaurants alike, Acme Cupco’s Megan Wyper and Patrick Kennedy are building on the brand’s success after purchasing it last year.
Megan Wyper and Paddy Kennedy had the ideal lead-up to forming their business partnership. The duo spent several years working alongside each other at Acme
Jeff and Bridget approached Megan and Paddy (Jeff’s nephew) about buying Acme Cupco after deciding to streamline their business operations. They wanted to focus on Prefab, their award-winning Wellington cafe and coffee roastery business. Megan and Paddy seized the opportunity, confident that they had the right chemistry for a business partnership.
The Wellington-based company produces carefully considered coffee cups with an international fan base. Acme Cupco has established itself as the cup brand favoured by speciality cafes and restaurants around the world. Now Megan and Paddy are building on that success, with their own unique blend of creativity and commerce.
Megan Wyper
I first met Paddy when he interviewed me for a sales role at Acme Cupco. He was very tolerant of my 19-month-old daughter. She came to the interview with me and — for the first time ever — she was not interested in her fluffy! My role at Acme was my first proper desk job. I’d come from a specialty coffee background, working with coffee right through the supply chain.
I really enjoy working with Paddy. A couple of months after I started, we went on a work trip together to Europe. There’s nothing like travelling overseas and building a stand at an expo to really get to know someone! Paddy and I have a similar sense of humour and an unspoken understanding of each other. He’s very quiet and we can work in silence for ages but it always feels very comfortable.
I admire Paddy’s ability to really listen before adding his voice to the conversation. He always sees the best in a situation before making a judgment. He’s also got the patience of a saint with numbers and software, something I don’t have. I’m quite strong-willed — being a Capricorn and the oldest of four children!
We have been working together for six years and we lean on each other for support. I’m creatively driven, a visual person, and Paddy’s a very analytical creative — that combo works to our advantage in our business. We balance each other. We haven’t clashed over anything big. We generally just talk through a difference of opinion and resolve it together.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.We have clear goals for how we want the company to evolve. So far so good! Next year we will release new products that will show an evolution of our vision. Working in the cup design business has turned out to be my ideal job. I get to help design products that make a barista’s job easier and the customer experience in cafes better.
When I’m not working, I enjoy hanging out with my family, travelling, gardening and eating things that other people cook.
I also enjoy cooking and hosting gatherings.
Paddy Kennedy
My first impression of Megan was she was very motivated and passionate about coffee, but apprehensive. It was an intimidating environment to come into; her co-workers, including myself, had decades of working with Jeff and Bridget. She was new blood.
I knew she had some really good experience in the coffee industry; what on earth was she thinking accepting an entry-level customer service role? She would have been better running a coffee roastery, not answering emails about coffee cups.
Megan is a great communicator and negotiator, with an impeccable eye for style. We complement each other when it comes to our roles in the business. I’m usually much happier to be head down in a spreadsheet than having a long conversation with clients, she’s the opposite. She’s the optimist and I’m the pessimist in most situations. Megan’s in charge of sales and marketing, and I’m in charge of finance and logistics.
Our business partnership is still in the early stages. Although we’ve been working together for six years, much of this was under the direction of Jeff and Bridget.
Our vision is for Acme to be an established brand that is still going strong in 100 years. Short term, our sights are set on growing our presence in Europe and the retail homewares market.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
It’s great to have Megan there to challenge me, and to back me when I need that extra push. We’re both invested in getting the best results for the business, which is great, and much better than if I were a solo operator looking for support from elsewhere.
I didn’t know Megan before working with her, and our working relationship hasn’t really changed much since becoming business partners. We hang out sometimes outside of work, but it’s good to have our own space. I see enough of her at work and at work-related social events. I have two kids and I like to spend time with them, but outside that, I like simple things. I’ll occasionally get away hiking in the hills around Wellington, which is a great way to clear my head.
I’m generally inspired by people that have fashioned their lives, businesses or careers around an ethos of community and sustainability. I’m against hyper-consumerism, fast fashion and short-term trends. I hope that the people who buy our products will keep them for a long time, and I want our designs to be enduring. People need to slow down, sit down at a cafe and enjoy a cup of coffee, appreciate the environment it is served in and the people who have served it.
