Eighteen talented baristas have made it through the semi-final rounds of the South African National Barista Championships and will showcase their coffee-making skills at this year’s Hostex in a bid to be named the South African National Barista Champion. The winner will go on to compete in the World Barista Championships being held in Colombia later this year.

We have profiled these amazing personalities with the intention that our readers get to know the talent that is brewing in our country. So come support them at Hostex – the final round will take place on 10am on Tuesday, 15 March at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Ally Strachan – Ciro Beverage Solutions (Cape Town)

When Ally Strachan started in the coffee industry 14 years ago doing promotions, she never imagined that one day she would become a barista and trainer at Ciro Beverage Solutions. According to Ally, the barista profession requires passion, dedication to the craft and very high levels of patience. She loves to share her experiences in the coffee industry in order to teach and uplift others, with her main objective being to see people proud of what they do.

Azhar Khan – Continental Butcher Baker Deli in Durban (KwaZulu-Natal)

Azhar Khan is a part-time Barista and a full time I.T student. Azhar remembers watching the first regional Barista Competition in KZN at the Good Food and Wine Show – that was what drew him to coffee. He regards coffee as a challenge, and finds that every day is a learning experience in the barista profession. He is motivated by people who recognise the difference in good coffee and hopes to see the barista profession recognised as part of hotel and catering industries all over the world.

Casper Mncube – Ciro Beverage Solutions (Gauteng)

Casper was trained by Ciro in 2004. His goal is to be one of the top six baristas in South Africa, as well as to learn more about bean farming and harvesting and coffee-based products. He would eventually like to own his own roastery and coffee shop and to become one of the best barista trainers in order to promote upliftment programmes in the poorer communities.

Craig Charity – Go Coffee Mobile (KwaZulu-Natal)

Craig Charity fell in love with the art of making coffee and coffee machines 5 years ago, and has since been rebuilding machines and using them to make some of his best coffees. This young barista is very excited and proud to be in the coffee industry, especially in this era of quality coffee that South Africa is being introduced to. He believes that many other baristas are getting the opportunity to be well-trained and become more noticeable within the industry.

David Donde – TRUTH.coffeecult (Cape Town)

David Donde has been very instrumental in the establishment of speciality coffee in South Africa. After leaving his roots as a chicken farmer, David became involved in coffee some years ago, and went on to establish Origin. He later founded TRUTH.coffeecult, which he is currently running. He is also the founding chairman of the Speciality Coffee Association of Southern Africa (SCASA) and was one of the two people who brought the World Barista Championships to South Africa. He has competed in previous years, coming third in South Africa.

Dayne Larke – Gourmet Coffee Roasters (Cape Town)

Dayne Larke has been in the coffee industry for three years and is a huge coffee fan, making sure he drinks a cup every day. The industry has afforded him many overwhelming opportunities such as international travel, meeting new people and building relationships, as well as indulging people’s love for coffee through his coffee-making skills.

Dirk Maritz – Colombo Tea & Coffee Co (KwaZulu-Natal)

Dirk Maritz hails from Durban and is currently working at Colombo Tea & Coffee Co. He has been working in the coffee industry for three years and is excited to be one of the competitors in this year’s National Barista Championships.

Freeman Mhlanga – Bean There (Gauteng)

Freeman Mhlanga’s first coffee experience was not a good one – he had asked for a coffee at a restaurant but was given a small cup of bitter espresso instead, which resulted in a mental decision to never drink coffee again. Little did he know that he would one day be working as a barista at the Bean There Coffee shop. He has now fallen in love with coffee and would one day like to see the coffee industry grow into a profession with rules and regulations which ensure that only the qualified and most passionate baristas are able to stand behind the espresso machine.

Ishan Natalie – TriBeCa Coffee Company (Gauteng)

Ishan Natalie’s love for coffee began while he was still a university student and working on weekends at the Woolworths Café in Gateway, Durban. His job has afforded him the opportunity to travel to many countries internationally and meet many different people. One of his main objectives as a young barista is to create awareness and improve on the lack of training and education in the profession. He would also like to one day see South Africans placed amongst some of the most respected coffee-drinking countries in the world.

Jessica da Silva – Avanti Caffé (Gauteng)

Jessica da Silva’s journey with coffee began while working as a brand ambassador for Buondi and Sical. But it wasn’t long after working for Avanti Caffé that her true passion and appreciation for locally roasted coffee developed. She then moved to Limpopo where she lived in a Kibbutz community that grew coffee trees. Her fascination for coffee as a commodity has prompted her visits to as many different baristas as possible, learning more and helping where she can. One of her dreams for the coffee industry in Johannesburg is for more attention to be paid to the cleanliness of equipment, and for people to realize the importance of having well-trained and motivated baristas.

Joanne Sarah Berry – Origin Coffee Roasting (Cape Town)

Joanne Sarah Berry has always enjoyed drinking good coffee, but had little knowledge or understanding of what made a good cup. After moving to London she found a coffee shop in Soho and was convinced that she had found her perfect cup of coffee. She befriended one of the baristas and that’s how her love and passion for the coffee industry began. Her dream is to one day help as many people as possible appreciate coffee in the same way she does.  For the barista profession, she would like for employers to acknowledge the importance and skill of a barista and to reflect this financially.

Luyolo Ndandani – TRUTH.coffeecult (Cape Town)

Luyolo has been making coffee for about three years now and can pour just about anything in a cup you ask him to! In fact, he even has a YouTube video which shows him creating the TRUTH.coffeecult logo in foam! All those who work with Luyolo agree that he has the greatest, most infectious laugh.

Mikhael Bou Rjeily – Woolworths Cafe (Cape Town)

Mikhael Bou has been in South Africa for the past four years and is now a permanent resident from Lebanon. He started working in the coffee industry as a barista in 2006 and after six months of extensive training, he came third in a Lebanese barista competition. Mikhael thoroughly enjoys his job, and also enjoys sharing all his training and experience with eager up-and-coming baristas who have no previous experience in coffee-making. His dream is to one day assist NGO’s with their skills and development programs.

Pauline Leschinsky – Ciro Beverage Solutions (KwaZulu-Natal)

Pauline Leschinsky’s first break in the coffee industry was as a rep selling beans. She fell in love with the bean, then coffee and then the people in the coffee industry. She finds that since there is so much one can do with coffee, the industry allows for the creativity of the individual. The company she is currently working for, Ciro Beverage Solutions, has invested in a barista upliftment program which helps baristas develop skills and share them with others in the industry. 

Phumlani Sibeko – Stil.Coffee (Gauteng)

Phumlani’s first experience with coffee was of the instant variety – something that just doesn’t do it for him anymore! He believes that it’s natural that baristas want to tell customers what their coffee tastes like and that it’s important to be spot on because it’s like the fulfillment of a promise.  He would love to see more customers come to chat to the barista and ask about what they’re drinking or see how their coffee is made.

Samantha Jocelyn Moodley – Woolworths Café (KwaZulu-Natal)

Samantha Moodley’s first job and real experience with coffee was at WW Café at La Lucia where she worked as a waitress back in 2005. She then moved on to work at the Woolworths Café. One of the main reasons Samantha loves her job is that it allows her to meet many different people, and also gives baristas the chance to learn from one another. Samantha has been able to visit many different places and experience the diverse cultures around South Africa. She sees rapid growth for herself in the barista profession and is adamant that she will one day represent South Africa at the World Barista Championships.

Travis Cunningham Scott – Woolworths Cafe (KwaZulu-Natal)

Travis Cunningham Scott’s first real experience in the coffee world dates back to 2007, when he worked as a café manager at WW Café at gateway. That’s where he was first introduced to the term ‘barista’. Travis’ passion came as a result of him being able to learn new things everyday within the coffee industry. He would one day like to become one of the biggest baristas in South Africa and then go international. One of his proudest moments as a barista was when he won the KZN regional barista championships – this made him realize that nothing is impossible.

Wayne Burrows – Ciro Beverage Solutions (Gauteng)

Wayne would not trade being a barista for anything in the world, as the industry is very young and always changing, and for him there is never a dull moment. His dream is to see the coffee industry on par, if not better than that of Australia and New Zealand. He believes that these two countries currently set the benchmark for coffee as they focus on the quality of coffee rather than the price. Wayne would also like to become one of the voices for baristas by raising awareness for better working conditions and educating consumers on the profession and the product.