Our Story

Altezano Brothers was started by brothers born and raised in Latin America during a turbulent time in the region’s history. These were days of revolution and this was where our passion for coffee began.

Our school trips to coffee farms provided an early exposure to growing, harvesting, and preparing coffee. Some of our friends were families growing coffee in the region, and to this day we source coffee from them whenever we can. Fast forward a few years and we found ourselves in Tamaki Makaurau at a time when lattes were served in bowls. Altezano Brothers was born to rectify this, with the lofty goal of providing Kiwis with the most enjoyable cup of coffee. More than twenty years on, we’re older, better, and still on the same mission. Ka pai! Today we roast daily in Mt Eden and have a handful of espresso bars around central Auckland. More importantly, we have become a team of passionate people from New Zealand, and the world, that are just really, really into coffee. Ay caramba!

Our Process

Coffee roasting is part science, part sensory art. It’s in our name: 'Altezano' is a combination of two concepts. 'altitud' is the Spanish word for altitude, because as a general rule great quality coffees come from higher altitudes. 'artesano' is the Spanish word for artisan, because no matter how sophisticated roasting software becomes, it will also rely on the expertise of human sensory analysis.

We choose our coffees by blind-tasting samples from origin. We are looking for the best exemplars from each origin: some will be tea-like, or nutty, or citric, or fruity. Some will have heavier body or brighter acidity. Through a process of experience, trial and error, and ridiculous amounts of cupping, we settle on an ideal roast profile for the coffee… and its intended brew method. Some coffees are roasted darker, and some are roasted lighter depending on the brew method they are intended for. For the calibre of coffees we are buying, it would be a sin to roast them too dark. The hallmark of our coffees are clean, distinctive notes that emphasise each origin’s characteristics.

For espresso preparation, look to our blends or contact us for our opinion. For a lighter roast, look to our featured soft-brew coffee. Above all, we want you to enjoy the coffee we care about so much.

Our Packaging

Packaging is a dynamic area and finding increasingly sustainable
solutions is extremely important to us. Our coffee bags are made from layers of the same plastic, and this monomaterial is fully recyclable! Our bags are now being turned into something new and useful again ... and again, from fenceposts to building materials. Winning!

You can dispose of our bags in your local soft plastics recycling bin, or return it to us and we'll do it for you. One of the most convenient locations for your local soft plastics recycling bin is at the entrance to your preferred supermarket.

If neither of those two options work, for $7.00 NZPost sells bags that take lots of soft plastic items and they deliver these to the recycling plant.  Check out this link to use this option:
https://www.nzpost.co.nz/shop/soft-plastic-recycling/soft-plastic-recycle-bag

In conjunction with our recyclable bags, we are shifting towards recyclable shipping cartons, labels and tape.