Isn't it just lovely to discover a new, cozy cafe? Somewhere that when you walk in you feel immediately cocooned in good energy and the smell of delicious coffee fills the air. Slow Brew Quality Coffee has that kind of charm in spades! We chatted to Ruben Fourie, one half of the husband and wife duo behind this beautiful cafe.
Tell us a little bit about the town of Middelburg and why you felt it needed Slow Brew Quality Coffee?
Middelburg is a small farm and mining town, where both my wife and I grew up and went to school. There’s a lot of young & vibrant people, looking for places to go and things to do. Whenever my wife and I used to travel we would source out independent specialty coffee shops, and soon we realised that Middelburg’s people will benefit from having a coffee shop which feels like something completely different than what they are used to.
Who are the humans behind the dream?
My wife and I are the owners of Slow Brew. We both went to school in Middelburg, and started dating in high school, got married in 2020, and are blessed with an extremely cute 9 month old baby boy. We are both health professionals by trade, but coffee lovers by heart. We decided to create a space where we can join our working environment with a community hub where people can come and enjoy high quality coffee.
You have a stunning Astoria espresso machine on bar, tell us all the details of this beast and why you think it’s important to invest in equipment!
We were on a trip to KZN when we first saw the Astoria, we were extremely impressed with the amount of detail and precision that goes into every shot. The following week we were back at home and saw that the machine was on the market and decided to buy it. Our goal was always to showcase what a high quality coffee is to our community, and high end equipment enables us to brew a perfect shot each and every time.
What coffee do you serve and why?
We use Bluebird Coffee Roastery for our beans. We have been following Dario and his team since their early days and really felt drawn to their vibe and passion for all things coffee. They were our first real introduction into specialty coffee and they enable Slow Brew to produce a cup of coffee that you would expect at high end coffee establishments around the world.
How has the first year of business gone? We know it’s no mean feat to open and sustain a cafe!
Ain't that the truth! The first year has really been such a great learning experience in real time. We have been growing nicely each month and this gives us the opportunity to evolve as we go into year 2. It's been amazing to see how our Slow Brew community has started to grow and regulars using our space as their own, things you love to see!
