Cape Town is full of exciting developments. From great food to spectacular art, the mother city has it all. It might therefore not come as a massive surprise that it’s specialty coffee scene is also remarkable. Before I descended on this gorgeous city, I had little idea of what I might find, but Cape Town really made a great impression on me.
One area that is particularly happening is Woodstock. This neighbourhood East of the centre is one of the city’s oldest, most diverse and currently undergoing massive gentrification at the hands of creative entrepreneurs who are transforming its once-derelict factories into happening artisan shopping arcades with weekly markets and old warehouses into breweries and coffee roasteries.
Tribe Coffee Roasting is one of a handful of coffee businesses that can be found there. Founded by Jake Easton, Kate Nero and Bradley Juter and run as a collective, Tribe was built through hard work and the founders’ ambition to create their own future. In an interview with Cape Town etc, Jake also said that poverty was a great motivator to risk everything and just go for it. What an inspiring story that is!
The roastery in the Woodstock Foundry also really feels like a place where things are created, from great coffees to one’s own future, perhaps. The space is slightly set back from Albert Rd. and surrounded by artists and creatives. On the day I visited, the roastery was not really open to the public as they were having a team dinner but I was allowed to have a coffee anyway.
Tribe tries to source most of its coffees directly and for those who don’t often get a chance to taste coffees from places like Malawi or Zimbabwe, this is a good place to do so. In addition to this space, they also run a café on Buitenkant Rd in the harbour area, which is much more popular with tourists.
Next to Rosetta’s roastery just a bit further down the street and Espresso Lab, this place is certainly the best option to get a great cup of coffee in this happening part of town with its spectacular street art and breath-taking vistas of Table Mountain.
