5 November 2007
Popular Rural Café For Sale
One of Canterbury’s favourite lunch spots is for sale.
Pukeko Junction, on State Highway 1 south of Leithfield near Amberley, has long been a stop-off spot for travellers but
news of its great food and atmosphere has spread, so many Cantabrians now travel there for lunch on a weekend. Simes
business broker Geoff Smart describes himself as “a foodie from way back”, has had food businesses himself and says, “I
know a great food business when I see it and I sure see it at Pukeko Junction.
“The food is delicious, the servings are generous, the coffee is good and the Waipara wine is great. It used to be a
local secret, but the word has spread and people drive miles to eat there. Consequently it’s very profitable.” Geoff
Smart says the property trading on the very edge of the main highway is a great example of making over a building for
its best use at the time.
“This building started out in the early 1950s as a service station and workshop,” he says.
“The two couples who own the property and business now have given it a truly Kiwi style. I describe it now as a
celebration of the modern Kiwi café, alongside a wine and craft store.”
The café is brightly coloured and has a bustling happy rural kitchen feel, complemented by the extensive breakfast and
lunch menu. More than 100 diners can be seated inside or out and every seat is often taken at weekends.
The adjoining regional wine centre is truly parochial – it stocks only Waipara wines, though has about 40 labels on
offer, including some short run hard-to-find ones. Upmarket Kiwi crafts and gifts sell in the gift gallery. The freehold
going concern includes the property and business. It is for sale by deadline treaty on December 10, with the price
expectation exceeding $1million.
ENDS