Brewing Connections: Benoni’s Coffee Culture Is on the Move
Coffee in Benoni has never been more accessible. From pop-ups and trailers to cosy cafés and quick counter stops, great coffee is popping up everywhere—and it’s fueling more than just caffeine fixes.
Cafés in formats such as ‘On-the-go’, ‘Pop-Ups’, ‘Counter Service’, ‘Trailers’, and ‘Kiosks’ are appearing all over town. This reflects both changing economic needs and the growing popularity of coffee culture in accessible, mobile solutions. The main message: demand for coffee is thriving, and with so many new options, coffee is more accessible than ever—now your coffee finds you.
It may not be your favourite, but finding bad coffee in Benoni is now harder than finding good coffee. The margin for error with a cup of coffee is large, but the good ones definitely stand out! Once I find a good cup of coffee, I feel obliged to share it with my circle. And, the location of this good cup of coffee tends to be my “office” for the next couple of meetings.
I recently secured a meeting with St Dunstan’s College’s Head of Marketing and Advancement, Mandy Lachenicht. We finally met away from St Dunstan’s campus—rare, given her hectic schedule. On campus, she enjoys coffee from the resident aficionado at ThirtyOne3 Coffee Roastery; this time, we escaped to popular Echt (corner of Rennie Rd and Celia Nestadt Rd, Benoni North AH). Echt offers a rich blend and an ideal setting for remote work and quick meetings. It was Mandy’s first visit, and she was impressed.
Mandy’s work appears seamless and polished, but behind the scenes, Mandy moves at full speed. Her to-do list is longer than the ‘out-of-order’ traffic lights in Benoni. With the much-anticipated Easter Sports Festival (2-6 April) approaching, Mandy assures me it will be an incredible festival of school rugby, netball, and hockey, but most importantly, there will be ample coffee throughout. We discussed several exciting upcoming projects… watch this space! Mandy went controversial, Mandy went decaf. I had to balance the scales with two flat whites before we wrapped up.
The meeting highlighted the work Mandy and others do in our community, as well as the role our sprouting coffee shops play in fueling conversations and bringing people together.
Notable coffee spots on my radar include the new Azul Ejo (diagonally opposite Wordsworth High School), Vida e Caffé (Farrarmere Square and Oakfields), Koffiedroom – coffee on the move and Sugar & Steam (old Victoria Secret site in Western Ext.). And, if you haven’t picked it up already, Echt is a must-visit.
