My Team Is Amazing
When I first started Cape Coffee Beans, back in 2013, it was very much a solo endeavour. I envisaged everything operating virtually. I wouldn’t have a physical location or handle stock, let alone have employees. It was quite naive but it did work that way for a short while. The realities of running a business made themselves apparent pretty quickly and it wasn’t long before the couch turned into a shared office space, which turned into a private office space, and eventually turned into a shop. I went from never even seeing the stock to packing coffee orders, to holding inventory, at a similar pace. It took me a while to start hiring though, and thank goodness I eventually did.
Building a team definitely had some fits and starts. There were short term interns, quite a few mis-hires, and a steep learning curve on what managing a business, including the all-important human element, was really all about. With time, I started to figure it out, and before long the team started to come together.
Today, in the midst of the South African lockdown, I have six people who work with me full time. You can see them in the photo below, which we took just before the lockdown started. They range in time at Cape Coffee Beans from three months to two years, but each and every one of them has been amazing in the face of the current, very challenging circumstances.
The Cape Coffee Beans Team, March 2020
From left to right: Michaela, Theseus, Daleel, Me (Phaedon), Benry, Nicholas, Matt
I’m writing this on May 1st, 2020, Workers’ Day, which feels like an appropriate time to reflect on the importance of the people who work for me. Just yesterday, the South African Treasury released an estimate that up to 7 million South Africans might lose their jobs as a result of the lockdown. Even if that proves to be an overestimate, I believe that even a fraction of that is something to mourn. I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that my six colleagues aren’t among those people.
Cape Coffee Beans has been hit quite hard by the current government-imposed restrictions, and one of the most difficult parts of that reality for me is the potential threat to my ability to take care of my team. I am very lucky though, because every one of them has risen to the challenge we are facing and as a result, after 35 days of lockdown, I feel pretty optimistic about our ability to get through it all together.
My team has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically in the face of economic uncertainty. They’re all working by themselves, either at home, or at an empty CCBHQ for the team member who is packing all the coffee orders by himself. They’re a young bunch (I’m definitely the old guy) but they’ve demonstrated incredible maturity in how they have taken this situation in their stride. I shouldn’t be surprised; they had already demonstrated their resilience in working with a pretty demanding boss. It’s thanks to their efforts that I feel much more confident that we can navigate these uncharted waters.
So today, on International Workers’ Day, I’d like to say a public thank you to all of them. I’d also like to reiterate my commitment to seeing each one of them through the economic crisis ahead. It’s a commitment I feel much more able to make, because of their collective work and help. Please join me in showing them some appreciation. They deserve it.
Phaedon
Founder of Cape Coffee Beans
You wake up, and you want coffee. It's as simple as that. You want it fast, you want it simple, and you want it to taste damn good. Well, now is the time to dig out that dusty old french press in the back of your cupboard! The french press is like that old uncle at family gatherings who, despite being quite dated and a bit dusty, he always brings a spot of joy, and everyone loves him!
So, you've dabbled in coffee a fair bit, you have your favourite roaster, you love your Aeropress, and you understand that, with a little bit of attention to detail, your coffee can be amazing! You have nailed your recipe; it's part of your daily routine, and it brings you a little bit of joy every morning! The Aeropress is your best friend, and it delivers, without fail, every time!
You are really into coffee! You probably have quite a few different brewers at home. You love getting into the minutia of each and every brew. You've probably thought about competing the brewers cup or the Aeropress championships - maybe you even have competed. No doubt, this love affair with home brewed coffee began with the Hario V60 dripper.
Let's be honest with ourselves here; a lot of the coffee equipment you see out there is gorgeous. While each of the items on the list below is no doubt at the top of its class in quality and will definitely add value to your brews, there is almost always a more affordable option. Having said that, if you are the type of coffee brewer who is looking for the best of the best and a designer brew set up, to match your designer kitchen, then look no further.
From the moment you received that first flat white with a perfect rosetta in it, you wanted more. You had your first sip and the sweet and delicate but deliciously creamy drink was almost overwhelming. This is now all that you drink, and you have been spending your days perfecting those espresso shots and that latte art!
You remember the good old days back in college when this coffee obsession started. At first, it was just to keep you awake through exams, but 6 months later, you were wearing flannel shirts and slinging espressos in your local corner cafe. It was the early days of the third wave coffee revolution, and everyday was exciting. Unfortunately, college came to an end, and you had to get that career rolling, but there is a little corner of nostalgia in your kitchen in the form of a nice little espresso set-up. You already know all the tips and tricks, and you love to impress your dinner guests, but at the end of the day, this is your little corner of joy.
I have yet to come across one of you but I have no doubt that you exist! You are mad about coffee and nothing will get in the way of your pursuit of the perfect shot of espresso. You don't drink milk in your coffee, and you don't mess around. This is business.
As an intern at Cape Coffee Beans from the beginning of June to August, I learned more about coffee than I ever expected. As your stereotypical college student who is always on the go, I never got to spend time brewing speciality coffee. I always just grabbed a cafe latte or americano to go, thinking that was all I would ever need. After spending hours on hours working with different types of coffees and brewing styles, I realized I was doing it all wrong! I decided to create a little blog post about my experience working at Cape Coffee Beans and share a couple of the things I’ve learned about the world of coffee.