Making a splash in Strand, Ekhaya Coffee Roasters came out of almost nowhere to scoop the Best New Roastery Award at the 2024 Coffee Magazine Awards! Hear a bit of their amazing story, we love all the connections woven through coffee!
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Congratulations on your award! How did it feel to receive this kind of recognition in your first year of business?
Wow, thank you! It’s been one hell of a journey. We still can’t believe we won the award—we had only been trading for around four months at the time! None of this would have been possible without the support of the coffee community. Since returning from two years of travel in the UK, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have guidance from so many people on this side. That support has played a massive role in getting us to where we are today.
Tell us about the team behind the dream!
The dream team! There are three of us: Celine, Deon and myself, Tyron. We each bring different strengths to the table.
I (Tyron) am the “Brain behind the beans”, handling the roasting and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the roastery and café.
Celine (My Fiancé), a professional wedding photographer, has an incredible eye for detail. She makes sure every aspect of the business looks sharp and is also in charge of our marketing and social media—when she’s not slinging shots behind the bar, of course!
Deon is the business mind, keeping us on track financially and making sure everything makes sense. With his background running a successful logistics company, his experience has been invaluable.
Who is the roaster, and how did you happen upon this career path?
I (Tyron) handle the roasting. It all started just before COVID—Celine and I began visiting cafés, and my appreciation for coffee grew. I took my first course at Bean There, where Marcos taught me how to pull my first shots. That led to completing my SCA Intermediate with Stevo Kühn, which helped me land my first job at Bewley’s on Grafton Street in Dublin.
Celine and I worked in a few cafés during our two years of travel, and when we decided to return home, the name Ekhaya was born. Along the way, I realised that if I wanted to run a successful coffee business in South Africa, a roastery had to be at its core, with a café as the front-facing element. The roaster would be the heart of it all.
What is your favourite thing about being in the coffee industry?
For Ekhaya, it’s all about people—it goes hand in hand with community. We firmly believe that the barista plays a critical role in the coffee life cycle, yet it’s often undervalued. We want to change that.
Tell us about the name of your roastery and why you chose your location?
Ekhaya means “home” in Zulu and Xhosa. After traveling overseas, we realised that there really is no place like home—hence, Ekhaya Coffee Roasters was born.
Choosing a location was an interesting process. We had never been to Strand before! Originally from Jozi, we were searching for a space in Somerset West in May but had no luck. Then, one morning, an ad popped up on Property24 for an office space. We checked it out on Google Street View and were immediately drawn to the fact that it was right on the seafront. Without hesitation, I sent over our business plan, and within five minutes, the landlord called back—they loved the idea. Many doubted the location at first, but here we are, seven months in and going strong!
You’ve already built a strong community around Ekhaya in Strand! This looks to be an intentional process, more than just a coffee roastery, with events and gatherings. Tell us about some highlights on this journey and what’s coming up.
Absolutely! We believe community is one of the most important aspects of a coffee space. You can have the best coffee in the world, but if people don’t feel connected to the space, they won’t keep coming back.
Some of our highlights so far:
What is your favourite coffee in the roastery right now?
Right now, we’re loving our new Uganda Buka Bula. It’s a beautiful natural coffee—rich, flavorful, and something truly special. We’ve also added it to our Gnarly Blend, and the results have been amazing!
