Beverages

5 Amazing South African Coffee Facts That You Probably Didn’t Know

Coffee is on the rise in SA! Here’s what you need to know!

Published

8 years ago

May 8, 2017

There’s no doubt about it — South Africa is one of the coffee hotspots of the world. According to a recent report, coffee consumption and production has skyrocketed down here in the Republic, which is a good thing, because we’re massive fans of the delicious caffeine-infused goodness.

To celebrate South Africa’s coffee-mug shaped mark on the world coffee map, here are 5 amazing South African coffee facts you probably didn’t know:

Third time’s the charm

South Africans love instant coffee… a lot! According to the Insight Survey report, statistics shows that South African demand for instant coffee – something alien to coffee shops – has remained stable for the past three years. The survey asked respondents how many cups of instant coffee they had drunk the previous day and 36% said they had drunk one cup. Incidentally, a stable 29% said they had drunk three cups. This is said to be due to a number of reasons, mainly cost and ease of use.

Keep ’em coming

The survey also reveals that the average independent coffee shop in South Africa sells about 300 cups of coffee per day, even more in the denser city areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Take into account that each cup is sold for between R20 and R35 – usually accompanied by a meal or snack – and you can imagine that coffee shops deliver a healthy turnover.

A healthy appetite

How many coffee drinkers are there in South Africa exactly? Well, a recent report claims that there are five to six million South Africans fuelling the high-end coffee market. That’s over 10% of our population and that’s just considering the upmarket products!

Booming business

In 1993, traditional markets consumed 67% of the world’s coffee, while emerging markets consumed 12%. Twenty years later, traditional markets consume 50% and emerging markets consume 19%.

New consuming countries have registered growth of 2.7% since 2010, compared with about 1.3% growth in traditional markets over the same period.

Statistics South Africa has recorded steady growth in the “restaurant and coffee shop sector”. Income from the sector had increased by 4.5% in May 2016 compared with a year earlier. Growth on the month was similar, up by 4.7% from April.

The best coffee is brewed IN Cape Town’s CBD

While you may think the best quality coffee is out in the mills in the industrial areas, the highest-quality coffee is actually being brewed right in the epicentre of the coffee explosion, Cape Town’s CBD. Dando Coffee, located in the Ideas Cartel building on Loop Street produces the highest-quality coffee in South Africa, right in the mix of the hustle, bustle and leisure of Cape Town’s city life. Evne though it was said it was impossible, Dando has managed to install its very own roaster right in the centre of the building, giving customers who visit the Dando coffee shop the freshest coffee they can get.

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