Six months after opening its doors, Home Ground Coffee in Berario was nominated for Best New Café at the Coffee Magazine Awards.
Held on December 12, 2025, for founder Alexander Smith, the recognition is simply a by-product of something far more important – building community. “Even just being nominated is amazing, but what it really shows is that we’re doing something right for the people around us.”

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From the beginning, the café was never intended to be just another place to grab a coffee. Smith and his team set out to create a space where neighbours could belong, connect, and feel at home – a vision that quickly spilled beyond the counter and into the streets of Berario.

One of the café’s most impactful initiatives is the Good Coffee Run Club, a weekly gathering that welcomes runners, walkers, prams, and even dog walkers. With accessible 3km and 5km routes, the club has become a fixture of local life.

“The idea was simply to bring people together,” Smith explained. “With it being not about pace or performance, but instead about moving together and then sitting down for coffee and conversation.”

What has surprised him most is how the run club has deepened relationships in the neighbourhood. “I’ve seen people arrive knowing no one, run together, and then sit chatting afterwards. Soon they’re meeting for coffee during the week, even when they’re not running.” The formation of friendships is something he finds really special.

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Behind the scenes, Smith is quick to highlight the team that makes the space work. Alongside business partner Lynette Capon, staff members Mike Ngwenya, Petunia Makama, and Innocent Mnguni help create an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming, and inclusive. “We’re a team behind the counter. Everyone plays a part in making people feel seen.”

Looking ahead to 2026, the café plans to grow its community offerings even further. Among many other aspects, they plan to launch the ‘buy a teacher a coffee’ initiative to honour local educators, and are toying with the possibility of new clubs – including a cycling group. “A great coffee shop has the power to regenerate a space. Berario is beautiful, and I’d love to see it become a destination. A place where people walk, gather, and live life together.”

For Smith, the Coffee Magazine Awards nomination is a moment of encouragement, not the end goal. The café isn’t just about coffee. To him it’s about creating a place to belong, to be known, and to be loved, and that, he believes, is the real success worth celebrating.

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