NZ$5,000 for a Cup of Zoffee. But the Real Story Is What’s Brewing in New Zealand

An ambitious start-up is turning native New Zealand plants into a coffee alternative. And one American professor has just paid NZ$5,000 to taste the future.

Coffee might be one of the world's most familiar beverages, but a small New Zealand company is challenging what goes into the cup.

Paeroa-based Zoffee has attracted international attention after a University of California, Davis professor paid NZ$5,000 at auction for the first serving of its native plant-based coffee alternative.

The winning bidder, Dr Luis Peña-Lévano, has followed Zoffee's development for four years. His purchase secured batch #001 of the company's pre-release product, along with a rather expensive place in New Zealand's emerging food innovation story.

But there's more here than a record-priced brew.

Founded by Jack Keeys, Zoffee uses native New Zealand plants belonging to the same botanical family as conventional coffee. The company is developing an alternative to the familiar bean while exploring the potential of naturally occurring bioactive compounds.

It's an interesting proposition at a time when the global coffee industry faces mounting pressure from climate variability, production costs and supply chain uncertainty.

And Zoffee isn't simply trying to replace coffee. It's exploring whether New Zealand's own botanical resources can create an entirely new beverage category.

The connection between Jack Keeys and Dr Peña-Lévano dates back to the 2022 IFAMA World Conference in Costa Rica, where Jack Keeys was part of a New Zealand team that won the Young Professionals agribusiness case study competition.

Four years later, that relationship has translated into a remarkable early endorsement.

Zoffee also has an environmental dimension. The company says it is committed to dedicating at least 10% of planting at each growing site to additional biodiverse species, supporting native ecosystems alongside commercial production.

Its initial pre-sale has sold out, with early customers receiving their products across New Zealand. Orders are now being taken for the first commercial production run in 2027.

Of course, a NZ$5,000 auction bid doesn't establish a commercial market. The real tests will be taste, repeat purchases, production economics and whether consumers see Zoffee as a credible everyday beverage rather than a botanical curiosity.

The PFN View

New Zealand has spent decades exporting agricultural commodities. Zoffee offers a glimpse of something different by taking native botanical knowledge, developing a consumer product and potentially building a premium international brand around it.

The first cup might have cost NZ$5,000. The more interesting question is what consumers will happily pay for the second.

And that could be where Zoffee's real story begins.

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