23 June 2025
Acme Coffee want more New Zealanders to be proud of the fact we have world-class biomedical research right on our doorstep.
The Acme team, from left: Esra Imamoglu, Kubra San, Sophie Bartleet, Jeff Kennedy
Co-founder Jeff Kennedy and his team believe that more Kiwis should get behind medical research, in whatever way they can. Leading by example, Acme have created a custom ‘Malaghan’ brew – coffee that not only fuels the researchers at the Malaghan Institute, but also contributes to research, with 15% of every sale donated to the institute.
The coffee can be found in espresso machines across the capital, with whole beans for sale at Prefab Café and Moore Wilson’s, or online from acmeandco.co.nz.
Acme’s goal of their partnership with the Malaghan Institute is to create a community of coffee-lovers across the country who can enjoy their daily brew knowing that each cup they make is helping find a cure for cancer and other diseases.
“We want people who make their morning coffee to feel like they’re helping. They get great coffee, and the Malaghan can keep doing great research. Everyone wins,” Jeff says.
Customers can even subscribe to the Malaghan blend with weekly deliveries; more beans = more life-saving research.
Inspired by the likes of the Team New Zealand red socks campaign back in 1995, Jeff knows the collective power that can come from something as simple as socks – or coffee beans.
“The Malaghan has the potential to be on the world stage and add to the New Zealand economy, but it won’t happen if we don’t get more New Zealanders to back it. When people put on their red socks it was like they were getting on the boat with Sir Peter Blake. I want people to feel the same way with their coffee, that they’re part of something bigger.”
For the Acme team, the relationship is about supporting research that is looking ahead, to solve problems now and in the future.
“What we really like is the future thinking – not the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. As the world changes and health changes, the Malaghan are looking at how the immune system can be used to solve future problems – not just looking at the issues of now.”
Acme are just as committed as the Malaghan Institute to solving health problems, which is why the Malaghan blend is part of their core range – not just a gimmick or limited event.
“Anyone who buys this coffee is part of that commitment too.”