Nestor Lasso, Colombia - Natural Thermal Shock

Dove Chen, a two time New Zealand Barista Champion who represented the country at the 2019 World Barista Championship, founded Grey Roasting Co. and opened the roastery in October 2023 inside The Sheds at the Made Market in Hamilton East. The tasting room sits on Grey Street in Hamilton East, and the operation supplies both wholesale coffee to cafes and retail beans for home brewing, all roasted with an emphasis on transparency, quality, and consistency that reflects Chen's competition trained palate. Chen sources beans from top coffee growing regions worldwide and brings the same precision that earned him national barista titles to every roast profile, treating each origin as an opportunity to express terroir rather than impose a house style. Grey Roasting Co. grew from what Chen initially ran as a side hustle alongside his competition career into a full time operation, making the leap to main game status within its first year as Hamilton's specialty coffee community rallied around a roaster led by one of the country's most decorated baristas. The roastery has quickly established itself as a serious addition to New Zealand's specialty scene, proving that world class coffee does not require a Wellington or Auckland address.