Linden’s community-inspired coffee shop
LINDEN - Divan Botha, owner of a trendy coffee shop, said his establishment was inspired by the people of Linden.
The Whippet coffee shop’s popularity has grown in leaps and bounds since it opened its doors just over a year ago, and attracts people from far beyond the borders of the suburb.
“I come from a family of coffee lovers,” said Botha.
“My mom is Dutch, so I grew up drinking dark, strong, milky coffee. Owning a coffee shop is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Despite his childhood dream, Botha found himself in the financial industry, and worked for a bank for seven years.
“After I left the bank, I went to Mozambique for two months. I dived, ate prawns, drank beer, and thought about my coffee shop dream,” he said.
Six months later, he opened his doors to serve his first coffees.
“This place was inspired by my neighbourhood, and I’ve tried to bring in Linden’s history. In the 1920s and 30s, Linden was mostly peach orchards. We celebrate this by using fresh produce, some of which is sourced from local gardens.”
Botha said the used coffee grounds are given to local growers to use as compost.
Locals have responded warmly to Botha’s shop, in ways charming and humbling.
“One of my stand-out memories was when we had no power for three days. By the third day, trading under those conditions had become difficult, so I decided to close the shop until power was restored,” he said.
“Ten minutes after I made a Facebook post about the closure, someone delivered a brand new generator to the shop. That restored my faith in humanity.”
Another example of community spirit averted disaster during the shop’s second week of trading.
“We had only two waiters on the floor, and it was a very busy day. It had begun to turn into a nightmare. Just then, a woman stood up and said, ‘I’ll help you’. Another woman stood up and said, ‘Me too. I can see you’re busy’.”
It’s not just menu items like Whippet Cake and Whippet’s Delight that keep people coming back – Botha’s personality has something to do with it too.
“I’ve had people from Makhado, Hilton and other small towns come for advice. I have an immense passion to help other entrepreneurs because I know how difficult it can be.”
Details: 011 782 7310; www.thewhippetcoffee.com
