The Auckland Pantry: where to find local honey, coffee, chocolate, wine and preserves

Across the Auckland region, beekeepers, coffee roasters, chocolatiers, winemakers and small-batch producers are turning what grows here into things worth seeking out. Here’s what to look for – and where to find it.

Taste local Auckland honey

At Catalina Bay Farmers Market in Hobsonville, look for Earthbound Honey, a small artisan beekeeping business based in Bethells Valley. Its sustainably produced honey reflects the native flora of Auckland’s west, and buying directly at the market gives you the chance to meet the people behind the jar.

Go closer to the source at Kairangi Honey in Waitākere. The family-run farm manages hives across west Auckland and Northland, producing raw, single-source honeys that vary according to where the bees have been foraging. You can often spot the honey at markets throughout Auckland but you can also visit the farm shop or arrange a honey tasting in advance. Bethells Beach is only around 10 minutes further down the road, so pack a picnic and pick up some honey for your spread along the way.

Then there’s Tirimoana Honey, a family operation based in Te Atatū South, with apiaries across West Auckland and the Mahurangi Coast. Look out for mānuka, kānuka, rewarewa and bush honey, as well as honeycomb and beeswax. You can also find Tirimoana at Grey Lynn Farmers Market on most most Sundays.

Follow the smell of locally roasted coffee

Coffee is serious business in Auckland, and buying beans from one of the city’s roasters means you can replicate that cafe-quality flat white at home.

Allpress Espresso started as a coffee cart in Auckland in 1989 before growing into a roastery with a following well beyond New Zealand. Visit its Freemans Bay roastery and café for a coffee and pick up a bag of its signature blends or single-origin beans to take home. 

Atomic Coffee Roasters has been roasting in Auckland since the early 1990s. At its Kingsland roastery, you can drink your coffee while watching the roasting team at work, then pick up a bag of blends or single-origin beans for later.

Over in Parnell, Red Rabbit Coffee Co serves its locally roasted coffee on St Georges Bay Road, with beans prepared in their Māngere-based roastery.

Want to go behind the beans? Common Coffee Roasters in Ōrākei is a shared commercial roastery where coffee brands and independent roasters work side by side. It also runs hands-on courses where beginners can learn the basics of roasting or sharpen their barista skills – a chance to explore Auckland’s coffee scene from the other side of the counter.

For something ready to drink, add Daily Daily on Karangahape Road to your coffee crawl. The small neighbourhood spot is known for carefully made coffee and a changing line-up of beans.

Find Auckland-made chocolate

At Cocoa Wilds on O’Connell Street, the chocolates are made right in its central Auckland kitchen. Browse handcrafted chocolate bars, try their infamous toasted marshmallow hot chocolate or get your hands on the viral Dubai Pistachio Knafeh Chocolate Bars.

At Commercial Bay, Honest Chocolat brings its Matakana-made creations into the heart of the city. Alongside hand-painted bonbons and single-origin chocolate tablets, you’ll find their signature Dark Chocolate Macadamias, chocolate-coated caramels and ethically sourced vegan chocolate.

For another chocolate-making neighbourhood, catch the ferry to Devonport. Devonport Chocolates has been crafting chocolates on the North Shore for more than three decades, and at its Wynyard Street shop you can watch the chocolatiers at work through the kitchen viewing window. There is also a store in Commercial Bay for when you need a break from shopping.

You’ll also find Miann Chocolate Factory in Ponsonby. Order the s’mores and they arrive ready to toast at the table, with house-made graham crackers, marshmallow and Miann chocolate. There are plenty of chocolate bars and treats to pick up from the store, too. Across town, Parnell’s Chocolate Boutique Cafe combines a chocolate shop with a café serving hot chocolates, fondue and a formidable dessert menu.

Bring home a bottle of Auckland wine

You don’t need to travel far from central Auckland to find wine country. Head west to Kumeū or catch a ferry to Waiheke Island and you can taste at the source before choosing a bottle to bring home.

In Kumeū, family-owned Kumeu River Wines is particularly renowned for Chardonnay, with tastings and wine sales available at its cellar door. Nearby Soljans Estate Winery showcases five generations of family winemaking. Its cellar door is open daily for tastings and purchases, and short winery tours offer a look behind the scenes at their award-winning wines.

At the far eastern end of Waiheke Island, Man O’ War Vineyards has beachfront cellar door at Man O’ War Bay, where you can work your way through a wine flight or guided tasting with the Hauraki Gulf almost at your feet. 

Stock up on Auckland preserves, jams and chutneys

In rural East Auckland, Whitford Merchants packs a surprising amount into its little cottage shop. Shelves are filled with preserves, relishes, chutneys, honey, oils, cheeses and other gourmet finds from local and New Zealand artisan producers.

The great thing about farmers’ markets is that they let you go straight to the people growing and making the food. Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market takes over the Clevedon Showgrounds every Sunday morning, with a huge variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, preserves and other locally produced provisions. Arrive early: some of the most popular produce can disappear by mid-morning!

Closer to the city, the Britomart Saturday Market is is another place to browse locally made food and pantry staples. Make a morning of it, stocking up your weekly supplies with a fresh cup of coffee and a sweet treat in hand.