After over 8 months of intense judging, the results are in and we have a trophy waiting for KwaZulu-Natal’s top three coffee shops as well as its best barista!

This week, the Coffee Colab – the Non-Profit Organisation that is behind the Battle of the Beans competition – has tallied up the findings of its panel of 30 judges and released the names of each of the regional winners. The overall provincial winners remain top secret, however, and will only be revealed at the handover of the awards on January 30 at the head office of sponsor, Selati Sugar.

Coffee guru and well-known food critic and founder of Shrewd Food, Ingrid Shevlin, has kept watch over the judging process in each of the eight regions – the Durban Berea, Central Durban (including the Beachfront and the Bluff), Durban North, Glenashley and La Lucia, Umhlanga and Kwamashu, the rest of the North Coast, Amanzimtoti, Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands and Upper South Coast.

She thanks the hand-picked panel of 30 judges that has visited various independent coffee shops incognito during 2024, scoring them on their cappuccinos and espressos as well as the entire coffee drinking experience.

Shevlin explains: “In KZN, coffee shops are the cornerstone of the hospitality industry, offering spaces where you can linger over a freshly brewed espresso or a creamy cappuccino while chatting with friends. When thinking about our coffee shops, we realised the importance of affordable community spaces. While many restaurants did not survive Covid, most coffee shops did! They kept the industry and the spirit of cafe society alive and provided places for people to meet, work and enjoy a bean brew. We felt it was important to recognise that and the role that these shops will play in the future.”

However, she says the number of both existing and new coffee shops kept the judges on their toes and she was impressed by the quality of the coffee that was being served across KZN.

She observes that, when it comes to the best establishments, “the cream always rises to the top.” The list of the top regional performers that will receive awards on January 30 is being released in its entirety today and is as follows:

BEREA: Top 3, in no particular order:

Boston Brew, Morningside, Durban 

Skyline Coffee Roasters, Morningside, Durban 

Saviors Café, Glenwood

CENTRAL DURBAN / BEACHFRONT / BLUFF:  Top 3 in no particular order:

Hilton Hotel, Durban CBD

Basi Bean Cafe – in the process of relocating

Heide’s Cafe, Anstey’s Beach Backpackers, Bluff

UPPER AND LOWER HIGHWAY: Top 3, in no particular order:

Crane Flower Coffee, Kloof 

Velvet Coffee Co, Kloof

Lineage Coffee, Old Main Rd, Hillcrest

SOUTH COAST AND AMANZIMTOTI: Top 3, in no particular order:

Berry Crafty Café, Munster, Port Edward

The Stables, Marine Drive, Shelly Beach

The Waffle House, Marine Dr, Ramsgate

NORTH COAST: Top 3, in no particular order:

Skyline Coffee, Salt Rock, Ballito

Coffee LAB, Dolphin Coast, Ballitoville 

Foam Coffee, Umdloti Beach

PIETERMARITZBURG AND KZN MIDLANDS: Top 3 in no particular order:

Lineage, 103 Old Main Rd, Nottingham Road 

Next Coffee Cafe, Northern Park, Pietermaritzburg

Home Slice Café, Karkloof Rd, Howick

UMHLANGA / KWA MASHU: Top 3, in no particular order:

Tiki Tonga Coffee, Chartwell Dr, uMhlanga

African Roots Coffee, Lagoon Dr, uMhlanga  

Moto Cafe, Meridian Dr, uMhlanga  

DURBAN NORTH / GLENASHLEY / LA LUCIA: Top 3, in no particular order:

Now Coffee, Glen Ashley, Durban 

Colombo Coffee and Tea, Durban North 

Gatvol Coffee, La Lucia, Durban North. 

Shirley le Guern, a Coffee Colab co-founder and business journalist adds: “Although we would like everyone to win – especially those that are our personal favourites – not everyone can. I became part of the Coffee Colab because I was so impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit within the coffee space. Throughout this first competition, I realised just how important coffee shops are not only to locals but to the tourism and hospitality sectors. Our message to coffee shops is that you are only as good as your last cup of coffee. We would like to encourage coffee entrepreneurs to keep up the excellent work in preparation for the 2025 competition which will launch in a few months’ time.”