August 16, 1993, was Coffee Supreme’s first day of trading – but the genesis of Supreme began a year earlier, when our founders, Chris Dillon and Maggie Wells, decided to build Reds Café at 49 Willis Street in Wellington. With perhaps a dose of Antipodean naivety, Chris and Maggie believed they could do better than what other cafés were able to offer at the time. With an inner-city location secured, the pair enlisted the help of Chris’ good friend Dean Cato, with whom Chris had worked in the film and television business, to design their better vision of a café. And Dean delivered. He created a theatrical space – somewhat like a stage set – with slanting walls, a sweeping curved bar and angled header, hidden filmic lighting and piles of moody atmosphere. Reds Café was warm, dark and otherworldly – quite unlike anything else in Wellington at the time. Then, a week before opening, Maggie and Chris had an eleventh-hour change of heart. The duo had originally intended to partner with the recently established coffee roaster Caffe L’affare, but at the last minute went with Belaroma. Maggie knew Belaroma owner Tony Gibbs from her days working at the Buttery café, which neighboured Belaroma, and, most importantly, Maggie was swayed by the taste of Tony’s coffee. L’affare’s Jeff Kennedy was not impressed, but this proved to be one of the most significant choices Chris and Maggie would make. Over the months following its opening, Reds’ business built up, keen punters returned day after day, and the café enjoyed a golden period of being the talk of the town and furiously busy. Everyone seemed to love the coffee, the food, the space and the staff. However, a crisis was just about to come over the horizon …
• 15 Aug, 1993
