Meet Umdloti’s beachfront baristas

Serving hundreds of “javaphiles” a week from a quaint little beach-front kiosk on South Beach Road, Simz Mabaso and Mduduzi Dladla are the brewers of the most laid-back java lava in Umdloti.

Few people know between them, these two coffee men have nearly two decades of experience.

Having been working at Doloras Coffee since they opened their hatch in December 2021, Mabaso (30) is the “OG”.

He loves his job. “Because we are basically outdoors, working here at Doloras doesn’t feel like work. It feels more like being on holiday. I love Umdloti. Everyone knows each other and people are very friendly.”

He says talking to customers daily is like free therapy: “Whenever I have a problem, I just make a joke about it and then I get free advice.”

Mabaso’s enthusiasm at work and keen interest to learn gave him his big break into the coffee industry. Working as a waiter in the breakfast area at the Belaire Hotel in Durban, he got his first exposure to the art of brewing a fine cuppa while collecting orders from the coffee area.

“I was fascinated by all the coffees and wanted to learn everything.”

A friend at the hotel’s coffee section informally began training Mabaso in the afternoons after the breakfast shift had ended.

One day Mabaso was asked to fill in for a barista that was off sick.

The manager was so impressed that he recruited Mabaso a week later, sending him for formal training with The Coffee Merchant and adding him to the roster.

His dream is to introduce coffee to black consumers by opening a coffee shop at a township taxi rank, and by doing so, convert commuters and taxi drivers from sugary energy drinks to coffee.

Dladla (29) developed a deep affection for coffee in 2013 when his brother introduced him to the team at Vida e Caffè at The Square boutique hotel in Umhlanga where he received his first barista training.

Later, in 2015, he became the first manager at the newly opened La Lucia branch before transferring to Gateway Mall.

Dladla joined Doloras Coffee in June this year after nearly a decade in the industry, fulfilling managerial and barista trainer roles at several of Durban’s most popular coffee shops such as Strangers Café, Saxony Coffee Co and Surf Riders Café.

He delights in seeing whales from his “office window” and was stoked to see an octopus for the first time when customers told him one had been spotted in a rock pool.

“The people here are nice, and they tip well. Someday I want to own a mobile coffee shop in a place like Umdloti,” said Dladla.

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