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When Jason Harvey was in his twenties, he followed the path that most Kiwis do and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. To keep traveling across the country, he started selling ice at music festivals with a friend, but he knew it wasn’t quite working. At the same time, he gleaned that a neighboring stand at the festival was selling “terrible coffee” but “making a bunch of money.” It was all the motivation he needed to give the coffee business a go. Today, Harvey serves as the founder and chief executive of Common Coffee, a Scottish-born roastery that's rooted in the community around coffee.
The segue into coffee wasn’t too far of a stretch for Harvey. Working as an outdoor instructor in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, his routine would start with beans, a percolator and brewed cups of the stuff, most of which he would prepare daily for colleagues. Back then, it was less about the taste and more about the communal ritual.
“I thought I did it because I liked coffee. But really, what I did it for is the conversation that happened at the start of the day,” he says.
At the recommendation of a friend, Harvey moved to Scotland to begin building out his coffee business. There, he came across Jock, a jack-of-all-trades who owned a farm with an old coffee roaster. Harvey decided to cold-call Jock after his London coffee pop-up failed to discuss refurbishing his roaster and starting a business out of his workshop. Jock said yes and Common Coffee was born in 2018 with the purpose of building community.
“I focused on this idea of connecting with coffee and bringing people together,” he says.
“There's the people part of it, but then there's also the ideas that are shared over a coffee. Cafes and marketplaces—even if it's just yourself with a cup of coffee and a journal.”
And now the small business founded by a Kiwi and originating in Scotland can be found in New York. That’s right, you can find Common Coffee’s community-minded, flavor-led beans at Time Out Market New York, Union Square.
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Served exclusively for drip coffee, the Sweet blend shares notes of chocolate eclair, marshmallow and dates. Common’s Strong varietal is also available for specialty drinks, like espresso and cappuccinos, lending chocolate cherry and roasted almond flavors. And if you need to refill your own stash at home, the roastery is selling bags of its beans right on site, with options to purchase the Strong, Sweet, Decaf or Festive blend.
Following the successful launch of their instant coffee in the States, Harvey is excited to bring his beans to the Time Out brand. “It’s an iconic brand, and there are so many creatives and artists and entrepreneurs that have had their connection and their start through Time Out,” he says. “I'm really happy to be part of this community.”