Written By Zuko Komiso | Kaya FM
Monate Coffee is a proudly South African brand dedicated to producing high quality, speciality African coffee with a purpose. Tumi Khobane who is the General Manager of Monate Coffee spoke to Gugulethu Mfuphi about the coffee industry and how Monate Coffee is navigating the coffee space in South Africa.
“As young black South Africans, we can all admit we are not so familiar with coffee, we drink it in the morning, we drink it in the night time, trying to get through that assignment. But do we actually know what it’s about, where it comes from with Monate Coffee that is actually what we are trying to achieve, we are trying to educate people, educating ourselves, every time we put a cup to our lips.”
A proudly South African company Monate Coffee is owned and run by Mosong Capital, a 100% black-controlled company founded by Moss Mashishi.
“The landscape in South Africa is extremely competitive, but it’s a growing market, that’s what is really exciting about being part of it, that there is an opportunity to grow. We have obviously been exposed to your instant coffees, that is what we are sort-of used to, that is what we grew up with…. over the last few years we’ve seen growth in the speciality market, you see a lot of this in the Western Cape, a sort of a westernised model, but it’s starting to grow.”
With a commitment to sourcing and roasting coffee beans from the finest Arabica producing regions in Africa including Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, Monate Coffee is a glowing example of collaboration and promotion of African produced products.
They also pride themselves for creating a product that moves from farm to cup, sourcing premium beans from premium origins and ensuring the coffee on the cup is a reflection of the love it took to make it.
Asked what makes a great coffee this is what she had to say: ” Coffee should ideally be drunk black, because the idea is for you to taste the natural profile of the coffee, as soon as you start adding other elements you start changing the complexity of the drink itself. It’s the same as adding ice cubes in wine, you are changing the taste profile.”
They have recently opened their first physical location in Cedar Square at the Eighteen13 Boutique Wine Shop; a collaborative space where you can learn more about the harvest and consumption of both coffee and wine.
Listen to full conversation: https://www.kayafm.co.za/monate-coffee-freshening-up-the-coffee-business/