It's wonderful to see the younger generations making strides in specialty coffee with amazing energy. We asked the team from Ramkat Coffee to tell us a bit about their journey!
The seed of Ramkat Coffee Co. was planted in our third year of Mechanical Engineering, when we delved into the rabbit hole of specialty coffee The business took off when we received support, both financial and from people in the industry.
The roastery has three pillars that make up the Ramkat dream: Marco Steyn, Dietrich von Benecke, and Jan Cilliers. Together, we combine business experience, a passion for coffee and people, a hunger for knowledge, and a strong technical foundation.
The name Ramkat Coffee comes from the Afrikaans word “Ramkat,” meaning to be good in the field you are in, but we translated it from the original name given to us as by Matsobane and Karabelo — “Remapara”, meaning that you have made it in Sepedi slang. Used when you and the boys are celebrating an achievement.
We are currently focused on two coffee streams. On one side, specialty coffee from all over the world, symbolizing our love for specialty coffee— complex, ever-evolving flavours shaped by each step from roasting to brewing. On the other side, ungraded African coffees that reflect the rising, fresh businesses we support.
Just because a coffee hasn’t “been tested in the fire” does not mean it lacks quality. It
represents our journey as underdogs taking on a tough, gatekept market in South Africa.
Together, these coffees express our mission: to offer exceptional specialty coffee
alongside an affordable, up-and-coming African coffee that can expand the palates of
South Africans.
We come from an industrial part of Gauteng, where coffee is somehow a
vital yet overlooked part of our communities’ lives. We at Ramkat serve as pioneers and
educators in our market, with one goal, which is to make our community more conscious
of their choices: moving beyond just “buying coffee for drinking coffee” to truly
appreciating the craft. We support emerging shops, host podcasts with industry leaders,
and serve as a bridge between the gatekept world of South African specialty coffee and
everyday consumers.
We have so many people who taught and inspired us to the point where we are today. Xander, Robin Chat Coffee, has played an immense role in our journey from the start to now. His first sentence to us was “Before we start, if you are doing this for the money then we are doing it for the wrong reason.” Sipho, who started
our barista journey, taught us that talking with coffee in hand makes you x100 wiser. Paul
Tinhout, ITC Netherlands, opened our eyes to the whole truth of specialty coffee and not
just focusing on what we think is important. Shewaan, Yellow Jacket, taught us how to be
humble in all successes and setbacks. Santiago Morales, Tinoc and Clandestino Café
Mexico, taught us to innovate and never submit to how things are done.
Our craft consists of many more people who have added to and spoken into our lives, creating the way we roast and approach coffee today. We would love to have you a part of our journey and to share our passion with you. Let’s become more educated and drink coffee consciously.
This is the Zambia coffee from the Chingola District. This SL28 variety is grown at 1400msl and is grown by Copala Coffee, Stefan Viviers. Tasting notes as milk drink: milk chocolate, mandarin, and hazelnut. Espresso: dark chocolate, citrus (orange zest) and lingering nuttiness. Filter: citrus, honey, chocolate and roasted nuts.
You can get this coffee in our latest Discover Great Coffee Club Box right here, along with 5 other incredible coffees that we've curated for you!
