Brothers Coffee Roastery
It is said the origins of coffee lie in the heart of Africa. This certainly stands true for the origins of Brothers Coffee.
Founders, Ben Ferreira and his wife Sunel’s passion for coffee started where it begins for most of us – as a customer, coffee drinker and enthusiast. However, their consumption and search for the perfect cup of golden nectar didn’t start at bustling café’s in the major cities of the world. Instead, their journey starts in the heart of Africa, Uganda to be exact, where they lived for 10 years before relocating to South Sudan for a further 3 years. Having Spent 13 years in East Africa they were, at the time unknowingly, surrounded by some of the best coffees in the world. During their travels Ben & Sunel would carry coffee from various African origins as gifts for their friends and hosts. This proved a popular gift idea and friends often queried how they could replenish their stocks. Knowing first-hand the trauma of having to drink bad coffee, Ben started sending coffee to his Brother in South Africa to distribute and so started the story of Brothers Coffee.
With the interest in the informal “Brothers Coffee” trade growing, Ben slowly started building relationships with coffee farmers throughout East Africa. It remained informal trade until war broke out in what was then the newest country in the world, South Sudan. Ben, Sunel and their two children, Ladonna and Joshua were living there at the time and were evacuated when war broke out. After returning to South Sudan a few times they eventually decided to rather seek the safety and tranquillity of Great Brak River on the Garden Route in their homeland South Africa.
The African spirit had not yet died… While waiting for options of a possibly return to Kenya or Tanzania to materialise, Ben bought himself a coffee roaster to feed the underlying passion he had for good coffee. In the early days, Ben often tells of how he used to wrestle with his roaster to get any decent flavours out of the roast. However something in him endured, more out of Ben’s pursuit to master his passion, as opposed to doing it for pleasure.
It wasn’t long before he sat enjoying a cup of the finest golden nectar but this cup was different, It was unlike anything he had experienced before – the coffee had a depth of flavour that was rich and complex. The experience brought him the same joy as travelling the plains of Africa. By the time the cup was empty he knew that going forward his life would be different and right there decided to combine his entrepreneurial spirit with his passion for coffee and bring us all that coffee can and should be – Delicious!!
|The Roastery
The roastery is where the “Gold” is made, where a balance of passion, precision, caffeine and curiosity drives our aspirations to master the complex process of roasting coffee. This is where we wrestle with every variable to bring you all that coffee can and should be – Delicious!!
Self-Sourced Green Beans
Freshly Roasted Coffee
Join us for a Coffee Cupping Session!
|From Humble Beginnings to Team of the Year!
At Brothers Coffee, every roast tells a story. For us, A Shot in the Dark competition, hosted by The Coffee Magazine, has been one of the most exciting chapters in our journey. It’s a stage where passion meets precision, and the best in the coffee world come together to celebrate the craft we love so much.
Our journey began in 2019, when we decided to take a chance and enter the competition for the first time. Back then, it was just a team of three, hustling hard and putting everything we had into the competition. We poured our hearts into every roast, and the results spoke for themselves—we placed 2nd overall. For such a small team and a first-time entry, it was a massive accomplishment, one that fuelled our ambition and confirmed what we already knew: this team had something special.
But as every good story goes, triumph doesn’t come without challenges. Between 2020 and 2023, we faced some humbling moments. Competing against incredibly talented roasters from across the country reminded us that growth doesn’t come easy. Those years were less about trophies and more about learning, refining our craft, and building resilience. We experimented, made mistakes, and grew stronger as a team. While we weren’t always in the spotlight, those lessons proved invaluable.
When we returned to the competition in 2023, it felt like a comeback story. Placing 4th overall was a proud moment for us—it was a reflection of how far we’d come and a reminder that the journey matters just as much as the destination.
Then came 2024, a year that felt like everything had come full circle. With all the lessons from previous years in our hearts, we poured our best into the competition—and it paid off. We reclaimed 2nd place in A Shot in the Dark, solidifying our position among South Africa’s best roasters. What made this year even more special was how much we’ve grown—not just in skill but also as a team. From that small, scrappy trio in 2019, we now have a full, dynamic team that operates together like a well-oiled machine, each member contributing their unique skills and passion to what we do.
The crowning moment of the year came at the prestigious Coffee Awards Ceremony in December 2024, often dubbed “the Oscars of South African coffee.” To attend this extraordinary event, our team embarked on a road trip to Cape Town, an adventure filled with laughter, good music, and anticipation. When the night of the awards finally arrived, we dressed up, stepped into the glamorous venue, and found ourselves mingling with the who’s who of the coffee world.
The highlight of the evening came when we discovered that we had not only secured 2nd place in Shot in the Dark but had also been named Team of the Year. The atmosphere was electric, and the recognition felt like the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and teamwork. That night was more than an awards ceremony—it was a celebration of our journey, our growth, and the incredible people we’ve met along the way. Looking back, A Shot in the Dark and the Coffee Awards Ceremony have been about more than competition. They’ve been a journey of growth, humility, and camaraderie. Every challenge has been an opportunity, every setback a stepping stone, and every victory sweeter because we’ve shared it as a team.
As we look to the future, we’re more inspired than ever. Whether it’s in competitions or the cups of coffee we craft every day, our mission remains the same: to keep learning, growing, and sharing the joy of exceptional coffee with the world. Here’s to many more milestones—and many more cups of coffee that tell a story.
|Wholesale
At Brothers Coffee Roastery we make it our responsibility to do justice to each coffee’s unique taste and heritage. We pursue this through vigorous tasting, testing and research. Our team pours a lot of effort into tailoring blends that are versatile enough to meet the various levels of our consumer needs, our blends are complex enough for the professional barista and discerning “coffee snob” yet forgiving enough to suit the casual day to day coffee lover.
We also offer a rotation of single origin coffees, including specialty coffee lots that we have carefully sourced to suit our portfolio.
connect with us to set up your coffee menu and choose the best coffee to fit your consumer profile or to help you with fit for purpose machines and grinders. We insist on barista training and offer technical support for your peace of mind.
