Richard McLeod (25), James Arnott (25) and David Bulling (26) saw a business opportunity after leaving university when, aged just 21, they decided rather than boosting bar takings at the Captain Cook Tavern, they would put money into the business itself.
The trio bought the popular establishment and in doing so formed the Cook Brothers group.
It didn't take long to find a recipe for their hospitality success, adding to their assets by opening a second bar, Alibi, in the Octagon, and Velvet Burger - Dunedin's version of the classic Queenstown "Ferg" - which now has two outlets in the city.
Mr McLeod said the move home was part of their long-term strategy.
"We want to live [in Queenstown]. The sun shines in Queenstown.
"It's not a bad place to live . . . and we're all from there."
While there was no definite time-frame to the firm's Queenstown expansion, they were constantly on the look-out for any premises that would be suitable for a Cook Bros bar in the resort, he said.
"We'd always start with one [bar] and grow organically from there.
"It's hard to say [what kind of bar it would be] . . . it's a pretty competitive market in Queenstown, and we want to make sure we're pretty confident of anything we did, as opposed to coming in and trying to make a splash.
"It could be anything; to be honest we're very open in the hospitality industry . . . but I don't think a Cook is going to work in the Queenstown market.
"We haven't got our eyes on anything at the moment, but we will look to see if there's anything available," Mr McLeod said.
While opening a bar in the resort is one of the company's top priorities, bringing the construction side of the business to Queenstown is also on the agenda, with an aim for the owners to return to their roots.
Cook Brothers Construction, whose first project was the development of the Central Chambers in Bond St, Dunedin, was born from the success of the trio's first venture and their desire to diversify in commercial construction.
"Long-term, there is definitely the desire to move back to Queenstown . . . it's just about not over- expanding, Mr McLeod said..
"We'd probably split our time [initially], but long-term we want to be based in Queenstown.
"Our parents all live there, so we'd just kick them out of their houses and send them off to retirement homes," he joked.
