In Travis Scott’s words, he’s “always been a coffee guy”. He got his start in coffee 9 years ago at a coffee shop where he soon learnt “I knew nothing”. In the past 9 years Travis has gained immense coffee knowledge and made a significant impact on the industry. In 2011 he was crowned SA‘s Barista Champion and travelled to Colombia for the World Barista Championship (WBC).

Colombia is currently the third highest producer of coffee in the world and has been one of the top coffee producing countries for many years. On his visit to Colombia, Travis went to El Grado Coffee Farm where he learnt about the production of Colombian coffee from planting, to picking, washing and drying, all the way down to composting. Travis also had the chance to visit a small coffee farm, experience coffee farming with an old local couple and even plant his own coffee trees. In addition to the coffee farms Colombia offers some other unique coffee experiences. The Finca San Alberto speciality coffee shop is one that stands out for Travis and all their other visitors. After a jeep drive up a steep mountain, you reach the speciality coffee shop with, according to Travis “a view like no other in the world”.

Finca San Alberto Speciality Coffee Shop (image from http://www.cafesanalberto.com/)

Moving back into Bogotá city Azahar Café, located in Parque 93, offers a choice of coffees from the Nariño, Antioquia, Huila and Quindío departments of Colombia. Like Origin, they offer alternative brew methods and pride themselves on their direct associating with coffee farms and their knowledge on the journey of a bean from the farm to your cup. A few kilometres south, in the busy Chapinero neighbourhood, Bourbon Coffee Roasters offer great coffee and a roasting experience.

Colombian culture and their coffee culture are inseparable. In 1995 the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, founded the National Coffee Park, a non-profit initiative for the preservation of the cultural and coffee heritage of Colombia. It is a theme park dedicated to the culture and history of coffee. It is the only one of its kind in the world. Travis visited the park in 2011 and attended the Show del Café (Coffee Show), a must-see in the park. The show uses traditional Colombian music, sing and dance to take you through the entire history of this grain, cultural traditions and coffee producing regions.

The Colombian coffee industry started decades before anyone in South Africa even knew what quality coffee was. Today however, SA’s coffee industry is catching up quickly. Travis says “the SA coffee industry has come a long way in my 9 years of being a part of it. The future of coffee in SA will be mind blowing”. All of us at Origin and, I am sure, the rest of the coffee industry in SA cannot wait to see what the future holds.

What we all do know is that the 2017 WBC in Seoul Korea is fast approaching. SA’s 2017 Barista Champ Winston Thomas (Origin’s Lead Barista), is currently working on his prep for the competition. Could he be the first South African competitor to break into the top 12?

A message from one SA Barista Champion to another:

“Do your best! Have fun and use this WBC as training, you will be there again!!!” – Travis Scott

Petra

I am Petra and this is my bio. Born in Serbia, raised in Joburg and now living in Cape Town. In 2017 I joined the Origin team as the Brand Manager and over the years I have also stepped into the Operations Manager role as well.

MBA Candidate at GSB UCT

I am an avid coffee drinker, lover of trends, traveller and amateur blogger.

…living in organised chaos.

Willem Pienaar got his start in coffee 11 year ago at Origin. As he explains, “I was doing work on site installing the alarm in Origin HQ back before there even was a shop, met Joel and asked to take some coffee home. It was so different from what I had known before that I just kept asking questions about what they do until they had no choice but to hire me.”

Fast forward a year later, in 2007, South Africa sent their first competitor, Willem Pienaar, to the World Barista Championships (WBC) held in Japan. For Willem, this was the start because he got to see how big the world of coffee really was. He revealed that “being the first in something leaves you unprepared for reality when it comes around. I learned an incredible amount of lessons in a very short period of time”. At that time the coffee culture in Japan (and the world) was ahead of SA but Willem thinks “we have almost caught up and we are on the verge of making our own breakthrough into the world coffee scene. We are in the big leagues and we’re showing the world that SA is no longer a minor power in the coffee world.” From his experience with coffee in Japan Willem saw their immense pride, dedication to and passion for speciality and single origin coffees. This is mirrored in speciality coffee shops in South Africa.

Some of Japan’s must-visit coffee shops include About Life Coffee Brewers, Switch Coffee and The Roastery by Nozy Coffee. These 3 shops have something other than coffee in common. They are passionate about sharing their knowledge and are on the same mission as Origin – to grow everyone’s coffee knowledge and help people gain an appreciation for fine and speciality coffees. The best coffee roasters around the world, whether in South Africa or Japan, are obsessed with quality: from the farms around the world to green beans and finally the cup.

About Life Coffee Brewers in Tokyo Japan

When Origin opened its doors there was no such thing as coffee culture in South Africa back then. Willem believes that we (Origin) greatly assisted in establishing the specialty coffee culture in South Africa. The whole notion of what coffee was and is has been flipped on its head and according to Willem “if you still don’t know what specialty coffee should taste like, you must be living under a rock”. The coffee industry in South Africa is growing at a rapid rate, with speciality stores popping up every month.

Willem went on to say that “The SA coffee culture has greatly matured in the last 10 years and we are very quickly coming to the point where SA will be a competitor to be reckoned with in the world champs, I’m looking at you Winston”. Winston Thomas will be representing both Origin and South Africa at the WBC this year in Seoul Korea as SA 2017 National Barista Champion. With the evolution of coffee culture in SA, competitors now have access to more than ever before. From roasters to former world champions the coffee industry is always ready to lend a hand and coach one of their own.

A message from one SA Barista Champion to another:

“Winston, you already have what it takes to go all the way. You are currently the single best barista, showman, professional that I know. I would wish you good luck, but you don’t need luck. You are going to kick some serious a** and I am proud to call you a colleague.” – Willem Pienaar

Petra

I am Petra and this is my bio. Born in Serbia, raised in Joburg and now living in Cape Town. In 2017 I joined the Origin team as the Brand Manager and over the years I have also stepped into the Operations Manager role as well.

MBA Candidate at GSB UCT

I am an avid coffee drinker, lover of trends, traveller and amateur blogger.

…living in organised chaos.