Michael Ballentine, founder of Ballentines Coffee and Natural Juices, is an extremely passionate businessman who has been blending his own coffee for over 19 years.

With the financial help of the JWMT he was able to purchase a new grinding machine for the coffee beans. His original machine used to blend 14kg of beans in 2 hours and now he can grind the same amount in 15 minutes which is a significant difference. In turn, this has meant he can meet a higher demand from customers and has become much more efficient in meeting deadlines.

The secret to good coffee is the blend. Michael explained that he imports raw beans from countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil to name a few. He then roasts these beans for between 12 and 14 minutes, the faster you roast the more bitter the flavour. The process involves the beans being blended, ground, packaged and ready for delivery. Michael's plans for the future involve expanding into coffee capsules and branching into another sector of the coffee market.