Phew!!! Awards being loaded as you read, please refresh at intervals.
Nominations closed last week and we have spent the time since then collating and researching. It has been a fulfilling and difficult process! We take this process very seriously and invest a lot of time in it. We know all Awards are flawed and subjective in some way shape or form, but we try to focus on the positives of recognition and benefits to businesses who receive that recognition.
In that spirit, we use our discretion, as The Coffee Magazine to share the love as much as possible. We will make mistakes, we may not be able to reach every person who deserves recognition, but we are doing our best to spread positivity! This is a platform to celebrate the wonderful industry of coffee in this country that we have had the privilege of serving for the last (almost) 13 years.
We are proud to be a part of this industry and we are grateful for each and every human that makes it a dynamic and inspirational sector of hospitality.
Thank you to the supportive and incredible Sponsors who make this platform possible. You are appreciated more than we can express.
Important notes:
Distinctions between categories: Dedication to Education and Coffee Instructor of the Year
Dedication to Education does not necessarily mean your job is in training, rather the nominees in this category are involved in the pursuit of knowledge and investment in people that goes beyond what your job description is. This could be caring about the humans beyond what you teach them in a coffee sense, educating a global community on a proudly South African coffee varietal, providing a platform for those without easy access to opportunities, trying to change a culture through education that goes beyond a product, creating pathways within companies to uplift humans.
Coffee Instructor of the Year specifically celebrates excellence and skill in the humans whose job description involves training in any sphere of the industry.
On Outstanding Woman in Coffee Award:
We noticed a pattern in the Nominations and have been speaking to women coffee professionals. All the women nominated in the Outstanding Woman in Coffee category, were also nominated in the respective categories in which they excel. This does not mean that there is gender equality in the industry, rather that trying to single out one woman in that (growing) group is near impossible. But they are still a minority overall, so we are trying a new tactic. I (Mel) said I would remove the Award when it was no longer necessary. I still believe that acknowledging and supporting women in coffee is hugely necessary, but as ever, we need to evolve. So, this year we are removing the category as a separate award and I have put an asterisk* next to every female nominee. You are all OUTSTANDING. This is to recognise you as being a group who are pushing this industry forward and also so that we can all clearly see that there is still work to do as a community to encourage women to be in more leadership roles, both in thought and business and in the spotlight. Onwards and upwards!
- On Best Supplier to the Industry:
Our original intention here was to celebrate the extremely hard and generally thankless task of supplying equipment and services to the coffee industry. And we really do salute you all. But, it is both a narrow and a broad category and has become repetitive each year. This year on the celebration of our 50th Edition, we are beginning The Coffee Magazine Hall of Fame/Honour Roll (name is a work in progress). This will, in the first year be very personal, the humans who helped us to start and sustain a magazine about coffee culture and these are largely the suppliers to the industry.
We are also looking at instituting a new category from next year, Best Coffee Technician, as these are for sure some unsung and overworked heroes.
- We are also human :)
Just humans who love coffee people and who are doing our best to spread a little joy! If we have made any errors (spelling, location and the like), please forgive us! If you are unhappy with the Shortlists or feel someone or someplace has been left out, please get in touch, there's always next year and we're always keen to hear from you!
Best New Cafe
Cafés are meeting places, they are spaces of community, business meetings, collaborations and first dates. We see new Café’s opening every month and the standard is increasing year on year – from better equipment, higher quality beverages, better service, to choice of design and outfitting, to creative seating, flow and ambience. Great toilets and bathrooms (everything counts!), and a fitting menu. The criteria for this is based on the Café that opened in the last 18 months that has created something special where before it there was nothing.
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Best New Roastery
This category seeks to recognize Roasteries that have opened in the last year (up to 18months) and are gaining reputations as up and coming in the South African scene. They bring new flavour to the industry in more ways than one!
Best Cafe Design
The spaces created for coffee add equally to the experience of enjoying that coffee. They have been designed with great attention to detail and keep us coming back for more, a visual feast.
Best Coffee Packaging
Have you seen a bag of coffee on the supermarket shelves or at your local roastery that made you go, oooooh! Roasters put a lot of thought and effort into representing their coffees in the best possible way and packaging design has become more and more important over the years. Packaging is a way to express creativity and core values for each roastery and we love to see SA making big strides in this department.
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Dedication to Education
This award is handed out to the person or company who has dedicated their time and passion to coffee education, over and above what is required from their 9-5 responsibilities. Always willing to share knowledge with those who want to learn.
Coffee Instructor of the Year
This category has been adjusted slightly to include all instructors in the various stages of coffee. This excites us, because it means that the industry is growing! And that more people are wanting to learn about everything from green beans, to roasting, to brewing. These humans teach and inspire, they train and they serve. They impart wisdom learned from thousands of hours and their subject matter is technique, science, aesthetic and service and mostly getting better coffee to the consumer!
Coffee Team of the Year
One of the most coveted awards in the industry! The Coffee Team of the Year Award recognizes that it is people that make a coffee company great – From the Owners who create a happy, respectful and creative ethos, to the staff who live the brand daily. A successful team is one in which all the people in the space uphold the same values and consistently serve with excellence and are rewarded well for doing so, creating a diverse and healthy team culture.
Excellence in Coffee
These humans strive for and achieve excellence in their chosen area of the Coffee Production Chain. They are innovative, recognised as leadership figures in their field and are constantly inspiring others around them.
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Best Alternative Brewing Experience
So, not on an espresso machine! AeroPress, Chemex, Batch, Siphon or V60 pour-over to name a few! Who makes a black coffee seem like an adventure into a far-off land and creates a flavour explosion like no other? Here are your nominees for the best alternative brewing experience in South Africa
NEW CATEGORY: Best Mobile/Takeaway/Coffee Bar
Well, we certainly opened a can of worms with this one! So, some coffee spots can't be judged on the Cafe of the Year criteria because they are on the road and ready to roll, creating community wherever they are. Or they are a creative whole in the wall that provides deliciousness and smiles on your way to to work. Or they don't offer food and focus just on the coffee. They deserved to be recognised too! This category is a work in progress, but very necessary work!
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
To acknowledge the efforts of entrepreneurs who may have started on barista salaries, but built their dreams from there. Starting and running a business is really, really difficult, for anyone who attempts it, whatever their economic standing. This particular category is dedicated to those entrepreneurs who have, against all the odds and challenges come out swinging. We salute them. Coffee culture is still a fledgling and elitist one in this country. It is growing and we hope becoming more inclusive everyday, but we have a long way to go with black-owned coffee businesses. Congratulations to these inspiring nominees.
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Cafe Community Award
This Award is to the teams who have created a loyal base of regulars who would ride-or-die for their favourite cafe or roastery. We decided to introduce this award a couple years ago, because although it was not a category in the nominations, through the thousands of people who took the time to fill in the Nominee form in years past, it is clear to see that some cafes have people that just absolutely love their work, and we LOVE that.
Franchise of the Year
Where would be without these reliable brands scattered across the Nation? Employing the bulk of the barista work force and satisfying tens of thousands of coffee lovers everyday, the Franchise coffee companies are an integral part of the coffee landscape and because it is such a competitive market, they are pushing the boundaries of innovation, at scale. Having had the opportunity to travel, we have an exceptionally high standard of franchise coffee. Limited to Top 5 who received most nominations as we would otherwise list them all!
Barista of the Year
We know. It's impossible to choose right?! But like we said in the beginning, the idea to keep spreading joy! These baristas epitomise what it means to understand, to respect and to serve up amazing coffee experiences. They are masters of extraction, technique and technical understanding, but most of all they cherish that it’s not just about the coffee served, but in the serving. This category is specifically for baristas who work behind the bar everyday and always make their customers feel like they're special, we salute you!
Roastery of the Year
Does this list look like the best roasteries in the country? That's because it is. And yes, you've seen them in this category before, that's because they keep pushing themselves and each other to be better and better and it makes us proud. They continue to push the boundaries of coffee roasting by sourcing the best coffees, investing in the latest technology, by collaborating, sharing and engaging with the global roasting community, by educating, informing and inspiring their customers – wholesale and retail and finally, by putting the highest quality coffee into the market that can make South Africa stand amongst the best coffee roasters in the world.
Cafe of the Year
This is also a tough one! There always tends to be a bit of repetition too, but credit where credit is due!
This award goes to the establishment that has consistently created an amazing cafe experience for its patrons, serves great coffee along with exceptional food, excellent service, great ambience, design and most importantly, a loyal community of patrons. This is a bustling cafe that can take the pressure of being consistently packed and still producing the same sterling quality of food and coffee, with an outstanding level of hospitality.
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