How did Brew Co. come about?

K: At the time, we had De Bier Haus (later reworked into La Mexica) on The Strand in Tauranga. Matt, in his wisdom, was like ‘We need to get something in the Mount’. 

Matt: On The Strand, it was a very serious, grown-up, Belgian beer cafe-style venue. Brew Co. is more us; t-shirts, shorts and jandals, and drinking beers in the sun.

K: When we took over the Brew Co. site in 2012, it was the Stock Exchange where the price would go up and down on each drink depending on how many people were buying it. Because we wanted the doors open as fast as possible, we launched a party bar called Summer Club with palette furniture, jam jar glassware, a limited menu and we whitewashed the place. 

Craft beer was really growing in New Zealand at the time, so after Summer Club, we relaunched our bar and promoted local Mount Brewing Co brewed beer as a point-of-difference. After five years we rebranded to Brew Co. to follow our own path.

Brew Co. wasn’t first on your radar though?

M: Back in 2011, we were trying to buy where Hide is now, which was Mundo Mexicano at the time. Then the Rena oil spill happened and that changed the plan and we didn’t go ahead with it. 

K: Even later, when we started Brew, we always had that old art deco house and courtyard in the back of our mind. Hide has something that no one else has on the street. You walk down that alleyway and it has glorious sun, sheltered from the wind. Eventually the timing was right and we took over from the Japanese restaurant Mr Miyagi, giving us the opportunity to bring our vision to life.

Hide is everything I love about the Mount, relaxed with really good food. It’s not rowdy, everyone kind of knows each other, and people are up from their tables mingling. 

What led you to open Sailor last year?

M: Sailor brings alive the idea of being on a yacht, if you had a private chef, and access to the greatest food and drink in New Zealand. 

K: The idea of sampling some stunning cocktails and eating the freshest of local ingredients is something we love. Our most popular items on the Sailor menu are our Caribbean Mule, made with local Millenhall rum, and our crayfish and prawn roll. The crays come in live and the milk buns are baked fresh in house.

Hospitality is not for the faint hearted. How do you keep motivated?

K: I’m hugely passionate about creating great experiences and showing everyone a good time. I love when people walk in and my team can really look after them and have them leave saying ‘Oh my gosh, that was amazing.’ I want to give my customers something they will remember, that’s special and unique. 

What do you feel sets your venues apart?

K: We prefer it when a server is really real and gives you an insight into what it’s like to live in that town… We’ve always told our team to be attentive but be themselves. A great night out should include people and stories, and we believe that hospitality should be much more than a transactional experience.

What’s special about Mount Mainstreet?

K: The street’s charm is being the antithesis of a mall. You come to the Mount to experience individual owners sharing their unique passions and products. It’s got soul.

M: Everyone knows each other, it’s relaxed, and we collaborate. That’s the atmosphere I love about this town. I want the Mount to stay unique, like it is now. It is such a great village. 

You’ve tried your hand at lots of ventures, including a kiosk fish and chippery, a burger bar, a four-seater bike rental business, and a container bar. What’s made these three venues work?

M: Our successes have one thing in common: they have all become places for our community to feel they belong. People celebrate life milestones at our venues and we share in that. We love that connection with people. 

Also, pure stubbornness. This industry is hard work but I can’t let it go, can’t let it fail. Hide, especially, is the ultimate version of where I want to go for a beer. Our executive chef Perrin Yates is a genius at smoked meats! Instead of sweating over a BBQ at home, come and have a BBQ at Hide. 

Brew trucks away. We have some awesome gigs, it’s a great spot to watch the world go by, and our burgers and BBQ platters are next level. We’ve got something new on every other day.

Considering all that, what’s next?

K: We love travelling and experiencing new places, so every time we go away on holidays we’re always inspired with new ideas.

We are always looking to what’s next. I am pretty sure it won’t be boring.

We love a meet-cute, so we’ve got to know how you two met?

K: We both went to high school in Dunedin, lived on the same road and hung out with the same crowd. After a bit of overseas travel as friends, we got together in Queenstown where we started our hospitality journey in many different roles. 

Finally, when you venture out, where do you go? 

M: We eat everywhere. Our newest discovery is Mexa, a pop up that was at Solera for a time. Those guys are really cool. We are excited for their new venue coming soon.

Brew Co.

109 Maunganui Road 

www.brewco.nz

Hide Thirst & Hunger

147B Maunganui Road 

www.hidethirstandhunger.nz

Sailor

107 Maunganui Road

www.sailormount.nz