Our story
Klipspringer Coffee Roasters is a small roastery at the foot of the Magaliesberg, west of Johannesburg. We roast in 15 kg batches, three days a week, and every bag we send out carries the date it was roasted. Your order leaves us within two working days of that date.
Why the klipspringer
The klipspringer is a small antelope that stands on the tips of its hooves on bare rock. It is sure-footed on the steepest koppie, and it does not waste a step. We took three ideas from it.
- Small and sure-footed. Small batches, each one roasted, tasted and logged before it is packed.
- Mountain-grown. Most of our coffees grow high, between 1 400 m and 2 200 m, where the cherries ripen slowly.
- At home on the rock. We are a South African roaster, and we write like one, but we keep it clear for everyone.
The roastery
We roast on a 15 kg drum roaster in a converted farm shed. A batch takes between 11 and 15 minutes, depending on the coffee and the roast. Every batch is weighed going in and coming out, and its curve is saved, so that we can roast it the same way next week or work out why it tasted different.
On roast days we cup each coffee the next morning, once it has rested. If a batch does not taste right, it does not go into a bag.
Most Saturdays we open the doors for a cupping. You can read about that on our visit page.
How we buy
We buy green coffee from growers' groups and estates we can name, in quantities small enough to sell while the coffee is fresh. Each coffee's page tells you where it comes from, the altitude, the process and the variety. When we can, we buy from the same groups year after year, so that we learn their coffee and they know what we will order.
The team
- Thandi, head roaster. Thandi sets every roast profile and has the last word on each batch.
- Pieter, green buyer. Pieter cups samples from the growers, chooses the lots and plans what we roast through the year.
- Ayesha, café trainer. Ayesha trains the baristas at the cafés we supply and writes most of our brew guides.
- Sipho, packing and dispatch. Sipho packs every order and makes sure it leaves on time.
Get in touch
Questions about a coffee, an order or wholesale? Write to hello@klipspringercoffee.co.za or use our contact form. A person answers, usually within one working day.