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Free delivery in SA on orders over R500

Frequently asked questions

You'll find answers to the most commonly asked questions below. If you can't find the answer to your question below, please contact us - we'll do our best to respond to you quickly!

Do you deliver pre-ground coffee?

No - we really believe that to enjoy coffee at its best, you need to grind it right before you brew. Pre-ground coffee loses its flavour incredibly quickly whereas whole beans can stay fresh for a few weeks. As such, we've made the decision only to deliver whole bean coffee.

If you'd like to learn why we don't sell pre-ground, please read this blog post, and if you don't have a coffee grinder, have a look at this article or this detailed guide on how to choose a grinder.

How fresh are the coffee beans?

This is an issue near and dear to our hearts! We do our very best to ensure the coffee beans you receive are as fresh as possible and place orders with our roasters for new stock almost every day. This ensures that what you receive is only a couple of days older than what you would have bought if you'd visited the coffee roaster yourself. Generally, this means you will receive your coffee beans very close to roast date and always within a time frame that the coffee roaster considers them good to drink. They will almost definitely be fresher than anything you could find in a grocery store!

How will you get my order to me?

We partner with some of South Africa's leading courier companies. They will deliver your order directly to you. Please make sure that all the address and contact details you've provided us are correct to ensure they can get to you quickly! Please note, we cannot deliver to PO Box addresses as someone needs to sign for the order.

If you live in central Cape Town, we may also deliver to you using WumDrop, an up and coming door to door delivery service that helps us get Capetonians their orders even faster!

How long will it take to get my order?

Once we've dispatched, deliveries to South African main centres are quite quick - usually within 2 working days for free or economy delivery. Outside of main centres, the time may vary and can sometimes take up to a week.

Our Express delivery option usually will reach main centres in 1 working day from dispatch!

The typical time to dispatch for each product is listed on the product's page and we will only be able to dispatch your order once all items are ready. Coffee beans may take 2-3 working days to dispatch because we only hold limited stock, to ensure that what we dispatch is very fresh. Most orders that include only equipment will dispatch more quickly but there are some exceptions so please do refer to the product pages.

How much does delivery cost?

Economy delivery (by road) is free on all orders in South Africa over R500!

Order size Regular SA
delivery fee*
Western Cape
delivery fee
Below R500 R70 R60
Above R500 Free! Free!


Express delivery options

We also offer express delivery options (by air). The fees for this option are calculated based on the weight of your order and will be suggested as an option at checkout.

*Please note that if the delivery address is in an area that incurs a surcharge from our couriers, we may need to pass on that charge or ask for an alternative delivery address. If we aren't able to find a solution using either of these options, we'll refund your order. We will always contact you before processing your order should this situation arise.

Can you deliver to my home?

We can deliver to any residential or commercial address in South Africa where a person is available to receive the order. If you aren't at home during the day, we would suggest having your order sent to your place of business or somewhere where you know someone will be available as the order will need to be signed for.

Can I collect my order to avoid a delivery charge?

Yes! You can collect your order from the Cape Coffee Beans office in the Cape Town Southern Suburbs during our business hours (Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 & Saturday 9:00 - 13:00).

You just need to select the collection option on the cart page before checking out. This will ensure you don't pay for delivery. We will then alert you when the order is ready for collection and send you our address details.

Do you have a shop?

We're primarily an online retailer, so we don't have a shop as such, but we do welcome visitors at our Claremont HQ and have card payment facilities (though we don't accept cash). We're open Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 and Saturday 09:00 - 13:00.

We hold only limited coffee bean stock, because freshness is very important to us, though we usually have a few bags on hand as buffer stock that you can walk in and buy. Most equipment is in stock, but if you're looking for something very specific, it may be a good idea to order online and let us contact you when it's ready, or just get in touch to confirm availability before visiting.

Where do you deliver? Do you deliver internationally?

In addition to delivering anywhere in South Africa, we also offer delivery almost anywhere in the world by courier. For most major centres around the world, you can just check out, and you will be quoted a courier rate for your order, based on the items you chose (their weight & dimensions), and the destination.

The service quoted on is an airfreight service so it should only take a week or two to get to your country. We can't make any guarantees about the timelines for customs and clearing.

If you have trouble checking out, and find that no rates are loading for your address, you can either:

  • Try using the post code for your nearest major centre (provided that this won't affect your ability to receive the order)
  • Ask our team to help you with a custom quote, bearing in mind this may take a little bit more time

International delivery timelines

Unfortunately we're not able to guarantee specific timelines for international deliveries as these can vary significantly.

Customs & duties

Please note that any customs, duties or other import costs (if applicable) are the responsibility of the buyer. It is also the buyer's responsibility to ensure that the delivery clears customs in the destination country and submits any required documentation. However, we will include a printed invoice with every delivery and fill out any requisite export forms in South Africa.

Our Import/Export code is 21594028 

May I return my order?

You may return any equipment you purchase at Cape Coffee Beans within 30 days, provided it is unused, undamaged and in its original packaging. In the event of a manufacturer fault, you may return it for an exchange up to 90 days from purchase, or up to the end of the warranty period (as specified on the product page) - whichever is longer.

As coffee beans are a perishable product, we cannot accept returns because coffees are not to your taste or if you simply changed your mind. However, in the unlikely event of a quality issue, please contact us with details and we will arrange for a replacement. We may require a sample and/or photos first to confirm the nature of the issue.

You can read our full returns policy here

What if I don't like the coffee I ordered?

Unfortunately we can't guarantee that all the coffees we offer will be to everyone's personal taste. We suggest you start by ordering a small amount of beans to try a new coffee and then order more if you decide it's the right coffee for you!

What if I don't have a grinder?

For a good cup of coffee at home, a burr grinder will be your single best investment. Freshly ground coffee will always taste better than pre-ground coffee if for no other reason than ground coffee goes stale more quickly. If you need suggestions on what to look for in a grinder, have a look at our article: Don't have a coffee grinder?

How do I create a website account?

You don't have to have an account to shop at Cape Coffee Beans. You're more than welcome to checkout as a guest, and you can create an account at any time. When you're ready to do so, you can register here. You can also ask anyone on the team to send you an account invite. All we need is your email address.

Are you VAT registered?

Yes we are! Our registered business name is NicheCommerce (Pty) Ltd and our VAT Number is 4600271003. If you're buying on behalf of a company and need a tax invoice, that's not a problem. See the question below!

How do I get an invoice?

If you'd like an invoice, don't hesitate to contact us and ask for one. Just a short email will do and we'll send it through as a PDF attachment right away.

How do I pay for my order?

We have multiple ways that you can pay for your order all of which are secure.

Regular EFT

One option is to pay by "Regular EFT" which is still one of the most common payment methods in South Africa. If you choose this option at checkout, you will receive an order confirmation email with our bank details and the reference number to use. We'll get to work on your order as soon as we receive your payment in our account which can sometimes take till the next business day.

Note: We bank with FNB so if you do as well, we should get your EFT payment instantly

PayFast - Credit Card, Cheque Card, or Debit Card

We also partner with PayFast, one of South Africa's leading secure payment processors to offer a number of additional payment methods, including credit/cheque cards (Mastercard or Visa) and debit cards.

PayFast is selected by default at checkout. When you choose to use it, you're redirected to PayFast's secure website and then you can select which of these specific payment methods you want to use. Most PayFast payments clear instantly.

PayFast - MobiCred

We also offer financing options through our partnership with MobiCred & PayFast. To use this option, you need to apply for a line of credit on the MobiCred website. Once you've been approved, you can then choose PayFast at checkout, and then choose MobiCred. Follow the instructions to enter your details and pay with your MobiCred line of credit.

Find out more about how to shop with MobiCred here

PayFast - MoreTyme

Our newest buy now pay later offering is MoreTyme from Tymebank. Simply open a digital account with Tymebank quickly and easily on your phone, and spread the cost of your purchase out over three interest-free payments.

Find out more about how to shop with MoreTyme here

May I get a deal?

Sure thing! Check out these three pages:

We're also happy to have a chat with you about volume-based discounts, or bundle discounts for larger equipment purchases. Just speak to anyone on our team!