Why Hong Gil-dong's name is on New Zealand's version of McKenzie Coffee
Did you know that Queenstown Mackenzie Coffee is named after a sheep thief? Why would a coffee company name their coffee after a real person named Mackenzie when most coffee brands prefer to have a clean, cool name? Let's take a look at New Zealand's Mackenzie Coffee.
Separation | Contents |
Brand name | MacKenzie Coffee Co. (Legal Name: James Friday Ltd) |
Brand Origins | Named after the legendary 19th century sheep thief James Mackenzie and his dog Friday. |
Founding background | Founded in 2016 by the Wyatt family, fifth-generation South Islanders, with a mission of ‘strong energy for South Islanders |
Core Values | Mainlander pride, pioneering spirit, and the ability to overcome tough conditions (Fuel for the South) |
Place Features | Located on Cow Lane in downtown Queenstown, with sleek bifold window design and a cozy local feel |
Mackenzie Coffee, New Zealand, out the window
Summer in Queenstown is a slow season for the restaurant, so when we don't have customers, I often look through the window to see what's going on outside, because in Queenstown summer weather, especially when the sun is shining, you can't stay inside.
The first thing that caught my eye out the window was the Mackenzie coffee shop in New Zealand. I'm an architecture student by trade, so I'm interested in building design. I thought it was cool that they had a big retractable window that connected the inside and outside of the coffee shop. When the window folds up, it's like a big table inside and outside.
As a coffee lover, I've always wanted to try it, and today is the day.
Mackenzie Coffee, New Zealandis in downtown Queenstown, and if you're expecting a big coffee shop, you're wrong. There are no tables, just long tables against the wall like that, maximizing the space.
If there's a lot of people sitting there, maybe half a dozen people, some of them drinking coffee inside like me anyway, but most of them seem to be doing a lot of takeout.
1000 Sheep and James Mackenzie
Before I walked into the coffee shop, I saw these words on the door, which would have prevented me from writing my story today.
“1000 sheep, blah, blah, blah...”
Anyway, with all that incomprehensible text behind me, I walked into the shop, which was a really cute cafe. I ordered a Flat White at the counter, got my coffee, and sat down.
Sitting at my favorite big folding window table, drinking a flat white, I started, but my head was still filled with these strange combinations of James Mackenzie and coffee.
James Mackenzie, New Zealand's legendary rugger
The curiosity about Mackenzie begins with the story of this wall: In 1855, James Mackenzie, a Scottish man, stole 1,000 sheep from another man and drove them over a rugged mountain range where no one knew them.
He didn't know it at the time, but the area he led his sheep to was a fertile plateau, and that's how he became known to the world.
Funnily enough, the nearby ranchers didn't even know this fertile plateau existed at the time. Because of this, the area is now called Mackenzie Country. It's about a two to three hour drive north of Queenstown.
But why is he a doctor and not just a thief?
This is also the reason why the coffee brand is named after Mackenzie, which is probably a similar story to Hong Gil-dong in Korea.
Hong Gil-dong is technically a thief, but in a way, he's a bad guy, or he took money from the rich and gave it to the poor. In that context, I think the people of the South Island of New Zealand looked at McKenzie in a good light.
Why a coffee brand is named after Mackenzie
This is where I got to know Mackenzie briefly, and the next thought in my head was, “So what does she have to do with coffee? “
There are three main reasons for this
- Man's coffee, wild energy Mackenzie crossed the rugged Southern Alps where no one else had gone before, not alone, but with 1000 sheep. This requires a certain level of physical strength and mental toughness, and I connected this to the wakefulness of coffee.
- Rebellious images The people of the South Island of New Zealand loved him because of his pioneering spirit, and the reason why he's called a doctor instead of a rogue is because he didn't give in to the system and carved out his own path. And it's the same for us in the modern world, because we face challenges every day of our lives, and coffee companies capture that and say, "Let's get through the day with this coffee.
- Regional symbolism The founders wanted to make a coffee that was unique to the South Island of New Zealand. In that sense, Mackenzie Country, located in the South Island, is one of the most beautiful and rugged alpine regions in New Zealand. What could be more representative of the South Island than to use the name of the region as the name of a coffee?
1. founder of Mackenzie Coffee in New Zealand
The brand is owned by the Wyatt family, who call themselves mainlanders and are so proud of the South Island of New Zealand that they've lived there for five generations.
I realize this, and I look again at the Mackenzie logo on the wall, and I see the words in a rounded shape.
“Crafted with pride by 5th gerneration mainlandes”
I could tell that these people really loved the South Island of New Zealand and wanted to show it off. Their families were originally dairy farmers on the West Coast of the South Island.
You know, dairy farming requires you to get up early in the morning and work really hard, and these guys knew firsthand that hard work requires a powerful fuel (coffee).
The brand was eventually founded in 2016 by Aaron Wyatt, who wanted to make a coffee that was uniquely South Island, for the reasons mentioned above, and used the Mackenzie name for that reason.
The funny thing is, the company name of this coffee brand is James Friday Limited, and you know, James means Mackenzie, and you know what Friday means? It's the name of the sheepdog that Mackenzie had when she was sheepdogging, so she's really serious about this coffee that she named her company after Mackenzie and her dog.
2. mackenzie coffee shop
For those who love Queenstown coffee tours, I'll also show you the inside of Mackenzie's coffee shop. I think they only sell coffee and simple sandwiches. Given the small space, most people took a lot of takeout, but it was really busy in the morning!
My favorite is the folding window table and chairs. If you want to come in for coffee, I think it's great for a solo or a couple, but I think it's especially great for a solo to order a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere like this.
The idea of using rubber boots, which you wear a lot when you're working on a dairy farm or shepherding, and knowing Mackenzie's story made me think differently. I realized how much thought went into each prop.
Mackenzie is from Scotland, so there's a lot of Scottish-inspired photos throughout the cafe.
I gulped down my coffee while learning about Mackenzie and her coffee, and it was gone in no time.
As a side note, McKenzie was eventually arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison, and while he was in jail, he tried to escape three times.
I'm told he was Scottish, but he didn't speak English very well. But he always maintained his dignity during the trial, even in prison, so the South Islanders thought of him as a free spirit who didn't bow to authority.
In the end, he was pardoned by the prime minister less than a year later, and there is a theory that he left for Australia after that, but that is not confirmed either. Doesn't it really sound like the story of Hong Gil-dong in Korea?
Finalize
Today we learned about Mackenzie Coffee in New Zealand. I thought it was just a coffee shop, but the name Mackenzie and the story behind it make it seem so much more special.
I think I might find myself being a little more adventurous when I drink coffee here in the future. Is it just me? Anyway, if you're looking for a Queenstown coffee tour, be sure to check out Mackenzie's coffee shop in the city.
Plus, we'll tell you what you must do when you're in Queenstown.
