Famed, award-winning café property for sale
The land and buildings belonging to an award-winning Kaipara café, which has also been the venue of a popular cooking
show, have been placed on the market for sale.
ElleCee Café is located in the town of Ruawai, 30 km south of Dargaville in Northland. Arguably the top café in the
area, it services locals and visitors travelling through the region, and is well-known for the quality of its food and
drinks. It is easily identified by passing traffic travelling the West Coast Highway, State Highway 12.
Started 14 years ago by the current vendor, the café has been named Best Northland Café 2010 and runner up in the
Northland Naturally Business Awards 2006. It was also the venue of cooking show Café Secrets, hosted by prolific chef
and author Julie Le Clerc.
As part of the popular TV3 show Ms Le Clerc travelled the country, stopping to cook at cafes of special interest. Filmed
over five days, the three episodes featuring ElleCee Café was during the Junior Trans-Tasman Rugby tournament, and
captured the involvement between the community and rugby. Ms Le Clerc helped out with extra dishes to feed the visitors
and joined the Ruawai supporters at the big match.
The freehold land and buildings, which are currently leased, have been placed on the market for sale through Bayleys
Whangarei by auction on April 8, and has a CV of $90,000. It is being marketed by salespeople Leah O’Driscoll and Ross
Blomfield.
The street-frontage property is centrally located in the main street at 23 Freyberg Road, on the northern edge of the
Ruawai town centre. The location offers customers easy access and has good profile, said Ms O’Driscoll.
Originally a service station, the property underwent a full conversion into a café by the owner in the early 2000s. The
building occupies 88sqm, with the balance of the 433sqm square section including a covered dining courtyard and a
customer parking area.
The building is currently leased to established business, the ElleCee Café for $10,400 plus GST. The lease commenced in
December 2013, with one three-year right of renewal in December 2016.
“The sale of this property is an opportunity for a new owner to take over an investment providing a passive income. The
ElleCee Café is a well-known, established business in a prominent location that enjoys repeat custom, and is a great
support for the local dairy farming community,” said Ms O’Driscoll.
Zoned Commercial, the building’s cladding comprises mixed concrete block, hardiplank and corrugated iron with a colour
steel roof, concrete foundations and lino and tile flooring.
“Inside, the building features a commercial kitchen, office, storeroom, indoor seating for up to 25 customers, and
outdoor seating for another 25 people. There are two customer toilets with disabled access and on and off-street parking
to make access easy,” said Ms O’Driscoll.
“Situated in the heart of Ruawai, the café offers a full menu of mains, salads, sides and cabinet food, in addition to a
wide range of hot and cold drinks. The café is open six days a week from 9am till 4pm,” said Mr Blomfield.
“This property offers a buyer the opportunity to take over a tenanted investment with an established reputation.
“There is plenty of scope to develop the operation, including extending opening hours, obtaining a liquor license
hosting private functions and events, or to revive the theme evenings or hobby groups that were once a popular
attraction.”
ends