Barista Brothers: brewing a career out of quality coffee
'Coffee culture' in the city is growing slowly but steadily with the help of Ben Schempers and Smit van Zyl, owners of Barista Brothers.
POLOKWANE – For some people coffee is just a warm beverage, for others it is essential to help them get through the day.
Many will agree it is the juice of life that gives them the freedom and ability to rhyme. Catching up over a cup of coffee is a common practice, be it between friends, family, or new acquaintances.
Ben Schempers and Smit van Zyl realised this several years ago while enjoying a delicious cup of good quality coffee at a local restaurant.
“Since there are so few places where you can enjoy good quality coffee at a reasonable price in the city, we decided to open a tuk-tuk coffee shop,” explains Ben.
They bought a bright yellow tuk-tuk and converted it into a coffee shop which Ben uses to travel through the city to a new spot everyday where he sells good quality coffee at very affordable prices.
Barista Brothers sells eight different types of coffee, hot chocolate and tea and are considering adding iced tea to the menu, but only in summer.
“Everything served is freshly brewed. I grind the coffee beans myself, right before it is served.”
Smit is a silent partner and that is why Ben travels the city in the tuk-tuk on his own. He starts trading in a new location at 08:00, where he remains until 13:00 when he returns home to catch up with administration and to check his e-mails.
“There is a definite ‘coffee culture’ in Johannesburg and Cape Town and with our help, it is slowly but steadily growing in Polokwane. I have a Whatsapp group that I use to inform people on where they can find me on the day. Usually within 10 minutes of arriving at that day’s spot, my first customer will stop by for a steaming cup of coffee,” he gushes.
He says he is fully booked until the end of September to make beverages at events in the city.
“We plan to open another tuk-tuk coffee shop at Gateway Airport soon as the demand for our services is rapidly growing. All the cups and spoons we use are biodegradable and we sell the leftover ground coffee beans as compost, reducing our carbon footprint even more.”
A coffee connoisseur himself, his favourite coffee is the Americano and he says the Flat White and flavoured latté’s are popular among his clients.
He says the best part of the tuk-tuk coffee shop is the opportunity to network, travel and introduce new people to their delicious coffee.
“People meet up at the tuk-tuk to do business. They exchange ideas and engage with each other and we plan on adding three tables with benches where people can sit and talk to eachother over a cup of coffee.”
The tuk-tuk coffee shop even has a “zapper” payment option where people can pay for their coffee with their cards for added convenience.
