Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your role?

I’m Caitlin, the café manager here at Maranui. I took over in February and have been loving it ever since.

 

So tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.   

I’ve been in hospitality for over 15 years. I was living in the UK and moved here because my family’s based in New Zealand. I wanted to see if I could settle here, so I came on a three-year working holiday visa. I sent my CV out to lots of places and got plenty of job offers, which was great. I chose Maranui because of Bronwyn and Katie—being woman-owned, and the systems they had in place really appealed to me. I just really liked their vibe.

Can you tell us a little about the local community and why this location is special?

 The local community is amazing. We have a lot of regulars—lovely people who are just constant and easygoing.

There are lots of kids, local schools coming in for milkshakes and fries, and the surf club—especially the nippers—come up too. It’s a really lovely atmosphere where everyone knows each other. You’ll always see someone stopping for a chat.

I haven’t done the swim club myself yet, but I know that the upstairs space used to be a surf lifesaving club.

Maranui has been around for over 20 years. They’ve always moved with the times. When COVID hit, they started the prep kitchen and the deli. The regulars there are the same ones we see at the café.

There’s just a really strong sense of community. We know the regulars’ names, we get them their paper, we remember their coffee orders. They know our stories, and they really love being part of it.

 

Wellington is known as the coffee capital of New Zealand. How does that influence your café?

Coffee is a big part of what we do, and we serve Havana. They’ve been a great partner for a long time.

They support us with training, merch, anything we need—they’re straight on it. We’ve built a really strong relationship with them. We take staff on tours of their roastery, where they share the history, sustainability practices, and how everyone involved is paid fairly. We share that with our customers too.

Jack, our Havana rep, pops in regularly to check on us.

I believe, Bronwyn and Katie actually worked with Havana years ago, so the connection runs deep.

Our baristas are also amazing—very patient and great at training new staff. A lot of our team have had no formal training aside from Havana’s. Althea, especially, is super patient. Our head barista, Gio, is fantastic—he used to work for Mojo Coffee at the airport.

 

What can someone expect when they visit Maranui?  

Stunning views, for starters. We always say, “Why is it so busy here?”—it’s the views!

But also, the food offering. We cater to everyone: gluten-free, vegan, and meat options, so the whole family can find something.

The pricing is fair. The service is consistent. The food’s consistent. Some of the team have been here for 14 years.

There’s a great team culture, especially front-of-house. They’ve got each other’s backs, and that really shows in the service.

The decor’s fun too. There’s something for everyone.

And occasionally, Fred Again pops in. We’ve also had Jermaine Clement was here the other day—he was lovely!

Is there one thing Maranui wants to be known for?

That’s a hard one—we’d say lots of things! Personally, I’d say great service. The chefs would definitely say the food.

I think overall, it’s about being a lovely experience for families or groups. If you’re happy to wait in the queue and go with the flow, you’re going to have a good time.
We want it to be memorable. People come here for birthdays. We often see people opening presents at the table.

One of our staff, Isla, worked here for ages. Then someone new started and it turned out they were best friends as kids—there are even photos of them at Maranui.

It’s just part of people’s childhoods. We want to keep living up to that—just being an iconic, classic spot.

Why did you choose to partner with The Alternative?   

 I wasn’t here when the original partnership started, but I know our customers appreciate that the coconut milk doesn’t contain soy. That’s a nice selling point I mention often.

Also, delivery is easy—which is a big deal for me. It’s just really simple.

Someone dropped off samples from another brand the other day, and the containers were awful. The lids were tricky, and they stumped our baristas.

With The Alternative, everything’s easy. They stack well, drinks are easy to make, and we’ve had no complaints from customers. It just works for us.

If you could have a coffee with anyone in history, dead or alive, who would it be and why?  

Maybe Frida Kahlo, or a cool artist.

Actually, I’d say Nelson Mandela. I’m South African and we all love him. He just seemed like a very gentle, sweet man.

I always wanted to meet him but never did. So yeah, I’d have a coffee with Nelson Mandela.