When I last visited Cape Town in 2017/18, I was really impressed by the vibrant coffee scene at the time. I wrote about this already in my recent piece about Rosetta Coffee Roasters when they got featured in our November 2024 edition so I won’t bore you again by gushing on and on about how much I love Cape Town. I really do.

The mother city has always been at the forefront of new developments and trends before they sweep over the rest of South Africa or get stuck in the sandy deserts of the Karoo and wither away. But when it comes to specialty coffee, Cape Town really sets the tone. The wealth of roasters who call the city home is testament to that.

One name that has made quite a lot of waves since arriving on the scene in 2021 is Cedar. Founded by Leigh Wentzel and Winston Thomas who worked for competing local roasters before launching their company, Cedar wants to become the best roastery in Africa. I’m all for ambition and determination, and for having a clear goal.

Leigh and Winston are both proud Capetonians and they bring their own heritage into the brand. Cedar, though named after a tree more traditionally associated with Lebanon, is thoroughly inspired by Leigh and Winston’s experience of growing up in the city and how their respective careers in coffee shaped their vision. They want people from all walks of life to have access to the best specialty coffee they can afford and to allow them to play a role in building a more sustainable future for coffee producers and others in the supply chain.

Given Africa’s prominent role as a major coffee producer, there is a certain symbolic significance to the work that local coffee roasters do there. That is also why I am particularly thrilled that Cedar will roast a truly delicious washed Red Bourbon lot from Shyira in Rwanda for its first Coffeevine feature in April. This is a coffee that we know well and that has previously been roasted for us by Replica from Belgium. It’s a great example of characteristically juicy and vibrant washed coffees from this small East African country.

This is a great opportunity for you to get a taste of one of South Africa’s most exciting young roasters and support our effort to bring more talented names from around the world to your doorstep.

To order this extraordinary coffee, visit our shop.