Bean There may be one of South Africa's best known coffee brands. With roasteries in both Cape Town & Johannesburg, a network of its own shops and dozens of independent cafés across the country using its beans, lots of South Africans know and love Bean There's delicious coffee.

But Bean There is more than just a brand or even just a coffee roaster. It's an important part of South Africa's speciality coffee heritage, as well as a uniquely specialised importer of some of the best African coffees. They have been roasting coffee since 2005 in Johannesburg, and in the Cape Town branch that we work with since 2011.

African Single Origin Specialists

Some people don't even realise, but one of the things that makes Bean There special is the fact that they only import, roast & sell African coffees. In fact, one of the driving forces behind Bean There's creation was the desire of its founders - brother & sister, Jonathan & Sarah Robinson - to showcase some of the best coffee the continent has to offer.

This focus allows them to provide a unique variety and quality of African coffee beans throughout the year, which in itself is a great reason to get to know them and their coffees. However, it's not only what coffees they source, but how they source them that makes them particularly special.

Supporting Farmers Through Direct Fair Trade

Bean There are pioneers in direct fair trade in South Africa, and in fact, they were the first roasters of Fairtrade Certified coffee in the country. They have personally developed relationships with the people that grow and process the coffees they roast which helps them to ensure that their purchases are benefiting the communities that the coffees come from, while also maintaining a very high standard of quality.

Bean There actually pays a premium, above market price for the coffees they buy, as a way of ensuring that the producers of the coffee are fairly rewarded for their work. This represents part of their commitment to supporting African coffee farmers.

A Coffee & People Culture

One of the things that we love about Bean There is their culture, which seems to shine through in every member of their team that we've met. From founder Jonathan Robinson, to Rojeanne who leads the Cape Town roastery, to their baristas, packers and admin staff, they all have an uncannily similar warmth and kindness about them, as well as smiles that seem to reveal a genuine love for what they do.

If you're in Cape Town, be sure to pay them a visit at 58 Wale Street, and if you're in Joburg, take the opportunity to visit Bean There's original home at 44 Stanley. We're also thrilled to be able to offer all of their African fair trade coffees for delivery anywhere in South Africa, right here at Cape Coffee Beans.