The Brewers, Bakers, Roasters and Picklers of the Kāpiti Coast

If Duncan’s Brewing Company has a personality, it’s playful and curious, the kind of brewery that reverse-engineers desserts into beers and then cackles with delight when it works. Housed in a colourful warehouse in Paraparaumu’s de facto food precinct, Sheffield Street, the taproom and off-licence is where you can find their latest pastry stouts, sours, and neon-can creations, and settle down with a tasting flight. It’s local, loud, and a little bit surprising, exactly the kind of place Kāpiti loves to brag about.

Waikanae’s North End Brewery leans into old-world technique with local personality, featuring European-style brewing that nods to the coastline’s foraged bounty. Their small-batch approach feels intentional: classic styles reinterpreted in a way that connects you to place, whether you’re filling a flagon at the brewery or taking a four-pack home. Pop in for a tasting and you’ll leave with something seasonal and interesting.

Tiny but mighty, Seriously Pickled is the kind of deli and catering kitchen that brightens a picnic platter and makes home meals sing. Based right by Paraparaumu Beach, their lineup of house pickles, relishes, sauces, artisan products, and pantry goods sits alongside ready-made meals and a friendly counter service. It’s the perfect spot for grabbing something sharp to cut through beach-day grease or to tuck into a cheeseboard later. A true, local hub for flavour boosters and sensible, delicious catering.

An institution on the Coast, Olde Beach Bakery does the classics very, very well. Here you’ll find butter-rich croissants, crusty sourdough, and proper meat pies, arguably the best in the wider Wellington region, that just hit the spot. With outlets in both Paekākāriki and Waikanae, it’s the place locals send visitors for a morning coffee and something flaky to go with it. Expect fresh aromas, good coffee, and the sort of pastries that make you linger.

The Roastery has grown from a shared roasting space into a proper local coffee hub, equal parts craft roaster and community spot. It’s a busy little outfit, roasting small batches, running hands-on tours, and happily sending you away with a bag of beans you helped choose or watch transform on the roaster. It’s coffee with craft cred and a friendly face; perfect for anyone who likes their morning ritual explained in detail.

The Bond Store is the Kāpiti Coast’s colourful, slightly irreverent distillery: a place that makes gin, vodka, and bright liqueurs, then invites you in for tours, tastings and wood-fired pizza in the courtyard. It’s theatrical without ever feeling precious, think copper stills, quirky labels, and a tasting room that’s as good for an afternoon with friends as it is for discovering a local bottle to take home.

Dark Horse Coffee has quietly become a roastery and espresso-bar anchor for the Kāpiti Coast. With a sustainable-minded ethos and a lineup of approachable single-origins and blends, Dark Horse supplies locals and cafes across the region while keeping a buzzing espresso bar in Paraparaumu for commuters and weekend wanderers alike. Expect consistently good coffee and a thoughtful approach to roasting.

Based in the Kapiti-Horowhenua area, Elemental has been putting Kāpiti cider on the map, thanks to their careful blending of apples (and sometimes local botanicals), which has picked up national awards and praise for finesse and balance. If you like your cider with a real sense of place and harmony with nature, dry, floral, or gently experimental, Elemental’s bottles are an excellent introduction to the region’s orchard craft.

Barlovska takes old-world Polish family technique and dresses it in fresh Kiwi fruit: feijoa, blackberry, and spiced-honey flavours are bottled with tangible pride. Handmade, generous, and utterly drinkable, their liqueurs work neat, over ice, or in elevating a simple cocktail. A lovely example of how immigrant foodways and local produce can create something new and delicious on the Kāpiti Coast.