Coffee Magazine Awards announces 2019 nominees

Winston Thomas. Supplied by Creative Coffee Week.

The FNB CMA winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Saturday, 29 June at Durban’s Waterfront Hotel at the conclusion of the popular FNB Creative Coffee Week.

The FNB CMAs, started in 2018, bring together the South African coffee professionals to recognise and celebrate excellence within the industry.

“Besides the prestige and naturally competitive nature of the industry, it’s our intention to reward those who have made contributions to improving the industry,” said Coffee Magazine founder and editor-at-large, Melanie Winter.

“This could be through philanthropy, mindfulness of the environment, influencing trends, innovation, market growth or simply by making decisions that shape our industry into a more desirable place for future coffee professionals. These awards celebrate diversity, champion transformation and reward those who create opportunities for others to flourish.”

Dedication to Education Award

This award is given to the person or company has dedicated time to coffee education. The 2019 nominees are:

• Belinda Flynn - Flynn Coffee
• Imile De Villiers - Ground Up Academy
• Dave Bassett - Woza Coffee
• Alyssa Blom - Truth Coffee
• Lizaan Alberts - Ciro Beverage Solutions

Best Café Design

The spaces created for coffee add to the experience of enjoying the beverage in South Africa. These 2019 nominees are:

• Naked
• Pauline's
• Father Coffee
• The Whippet
• Coco Safar

Excellence in Coffee Award

This coffee professional achieves excellence in their chosen area of the coffee production chain. S/he is innovative and recognised as a leadership figure in the industry by constantly inspiring others around them. The 2019 nominees are:

• Mike MacDonald - Sevenoaks Trading
• Jono Le Feuvre - Rosetta Roastery
• David Walstra - Thirdspace
• Cuth Bland - Bean There Coffee Company
• Nicodemus Nabakwe - Sevenoaks Trading
• Dylan & Robby Cumming - Beaver Creek Coffee
• Donovan McLagan - Urban Espress

Best New Café

Cafés are meeting places, spaces for community, collaborations and first dates. There are new cafés opening every month and the standard is increasing year-on-year through better equipment, higher quality beverages, a fitting menu, improved service, innovative design, outfitting, creative seating, flow and ambience. The criteria stipulate this is a café that opened in the last 24 months which has created something special. The 2019 nominees are:

• Pauline's
• Brik Cafe
• Holiday Coffee
• Swan Cafe
• Skyline Cafe

Best New Roastery

This category seeks to recognise roasteries that opened in the last three years and are gaining reputations as up-and-coming on the South African scene. The 2019 nominees are:

• Bluebird Coffee Roastery
• Beethoven Coffee Roastery
• Manaka Roastery
• Arbor Coffee Roastery
• Asmara Coffee

Best Alternative Brewing Experience

Aeropress, Chemex, Siphon or V60 pour-over to name a few! The 2019 nominees are:

• Colombo Coffee & Tea
• Origin Coffee Roasting
• Bean There
• Rosetta Roastery
• Espresso Lab
• Father Coffee

Barista Trainer of the Year

These nominees teach and inspire, they train and serve. They impart wisdom learned from thousands of hours behind the espresso machine and their subject matter is technique, science, aesthetic and service. The 2019 nominees are:

• Bilbo Steyn - The Daily Buzz
• Stevo Kuhn - Urban Brew
• Percy Chikwira - Infood Coffee Society
• Shaun Aupiais - Red Band Barista Academy
• Philisile Mdabe – Ciro Beverage Solutions
• Belinda Flynn - Flynn Coffee

Coffee Personality of the Year

These coffee professionals approach whatever they do with optimism, effervescence and inspiration. They fly the flag of the coffee community high and get involved in all areas, remaining dedicated throughout. The 2019 nominees are:

• Khulekani Mpala – Weissenhof Coffee
• Winston Thomas - Winston Douglas Consulting
• Matt Carter - TriBeCa
• Bilbo Steyn – The Daily Buzz
• Chris Faragher – Holiday Coffee
• George Karatzas – Equipment Cafe
• Jonathan Robinson – Bean There Coffee Company

Coffee Team of the Year

This award recognises that it is people who make a coffee company great – from the owners who create a happy, respectful and creative ethos, to the staff who live the brand daily. A successful team is one where all the people in the space uphold the same values and consistently serve with excellence. The 2019 nominees are:

• Sevenoaks Trading
• Cape Coffee Beans
• Infood Coffee Society
• Craft Coffee
• Mastertons Coffee
• Bean There Coffee Company

Café of the Year

This award goes to the establishment that has consistently created an amazing café experience for its patrons. They provide great coffee and food with excellent service, have great ambience, design and - most importantly - a loyal community of patrons. The 2019 nominees are:

• Rosetta Silo District
• Thirdspace
• Father Coffee
• Truth Coffee
• Big Dog Cafe
• Naked Melrose Arch

Roastery of the Year

These nominees are the roasteries in South Africa that have forged the path for speciality coffee in the country. They continue to push the boundaries of coffee roasting by sourcing the best coffees, investing in the latest technology, while collaborating, sharing and engaging with the global roasting community. They educate, inform and inspire their customers – wholesale and retail - by bringing the highest quality coffee to the market. The 2019 nominees are:

• Brothers Roastery
• Quaffee
• Rosetta Roastery
• Father Coffee
• Origin Coffee Roastery
• Pause Coffee Roastery
• Red Truck Coffee Roastery

Barista of the Year

This award is not limited to coffee competitions but is the barista all-rounder. S/he is the barista who epitomises what it means to understand, respect and serve amazing coffee experiences. They are masters of extraction, technique and technical understanding, but most of all, they cherish that it’s not just about the coffee served, but the serving. The 2019 nominees are:

• Harry Mole - TriBeCa Coffee
• Winston Thomas - Winston Douglas Consulting
• Innocent Chakanyuka - Truth Coffee
• Simnikiwe Mkhize - Rosetta Roastery
• Chris Abrahams - Ciro Beverage Solutions
• Rodney Swartz - Champs Musical
• Jabu Thumbuni - Toast Food Co