Hillcrest’s Craig spills the beans on coffee journey

WHILE many wake up and crave that first cup of coffee to help them get through the morning, for Lineage Coffee’s owner, Craig Charity, it is the sense of community the delectable brew creates that drives and inspires him to continue learning and improving his craft.

Believe it or not, the award-winning barista wasn’t always a coffee connoisseur and relied on instant coffee for his daily caffeine fix, while he worked as a personal trainer at a local gym.

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“There was a coffee bar downstairs and I was more interested in the process of the installation and the testing of the machine. Then there was the art behind making the coffee, it intrigued me. I’m technically-minded and have always been good with my hands, so to weigh, measure and craft is something I enjoy,” smiled Craig.

In 2006 he partnered up with one of his close friends and they opened up the mobile coffee company, Go Coffee.

“It wasn’t necessarily about the coffee at that point, it was the process that was more attractive than the drink,” he said.

The business blossomed and the duo opened up a Go Coffee inside Mr Price in Hillcrest. It was at this coffee bar that his love for creating the perfect cuppa truly began.

 “It was here when I learnt to make it as we were selling it. Once you’re in the community, you learn stuff and keep on going,” said Craig.

His pursuit of coffee knowledge was an insatiable thirst and he has continued to pick up invaluable skills from other baristas throughout his journey. It was in 2013 that Craig won his first KZN and SA barista champs title.

“It was just surreal,” he said.

From this win, he went on to compete in the world champs in Italy, where he placed 15th in the world. “I still hold the highest rank in the world for a South African,” said the proud dad of three.

In-between his duties as a husband, doting dad, the competitions and work, the idea of Lineage Coffee began to brew. The cafe, he envisioned, would be a fusion of his love for being a barista as well as the technical side of coffee making.

“Each bean has gone a long way before it reaches the consumer and starting Lineage was the desire to show people the backstory, a ‘behind-the-scenes’ of coffee,” said Craig.

The doors to Lineage in Hillcrest opened in 2016 and, as planned, the roastery and workshop is in full view of the consumer.

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The store opens at 6am and has a continuous stream of customers, a testament to the quality of his product. “The point of Lineage is to create a place that facilitates a community. My love for people has always been greater than my love for coffee. I love what coffee does as it is a gateway drug to community,” he said.

“I have had the privilege of visiting coffee farms in America and Africa. The more you know about coffee, the more you realise how much you actually don’t know,” he laughed.

“I’m very good at coffee,” he said, but soon after admitted to being really terrible at most other things. He has used this strength to provide invaluable support and guidance to non-profit organisations, such as the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust and the launch of its coffee bar, Ubuntu Ground. “Wherever possible, I try and weave in humanitarian things through coffee.”

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