How it all started...
Rosetta Roastery was founded by Jono Le Feuvre, Rob Cowles & Jeff van Aswegen. At the turn of the century, the three young men shared a digs, and subsequently formed the band Citizen Kane; arguably the finest left-handed, dyslexic, neo-marxist African Nu Metal band to ever perform a cover of Deftones’ ‘Be Quiet & Drive’. Those were magical times.
When it became obvious that the band wasn’t going to make it, they turned to their next shared passion - specialty coffee - as the avenue through which they would very slowly stick it to the man. While Jeff eventually moved on to pursue things like “life goals”, “profit” and “financial sustainability”, Rob and Jono knew they didn’t need those superficial capitalist trappings to feel fulfilled. And so it is that, to this day, they still wile their days away, conjuring new ways to source, roast, grind, brew, and pontificate about the beverage that we all love so much.
When the intrepid duo discovered they were in fact not immune to their dearth of cash flow and business strategy, they were joined by Ian “The Uncle” Scott, who came on board as co-owner and source of all wisdom and truth. Amen!
Coffees are orchids. Not aspirins
Aspirins are manufactured. Identical. Medicinal. A means to survive a busy week. Some see their daily cup of coffee in the same way. Orchids, on the other hand, are exquisite products of nature, oft hidden away in remote places. Infinitely varied in their expression. Transient treats for the senses. We believe coffee should be viewed in the same light.
Now granted, the analogy will have botanists twitching uncontrollably (because coffee is in no way an orchid), but if you let the metaphor settle, you'll see just how exciting this can be, even for the casual coffee drinker. We are at an intriguing time in history where our understanding of coffee as an agricultural product, and our ability to hone and replicate accurate coffee roasting and brewing methods, have enabled a glorious variety of culinary expressions
The World is our oyster
By sourcing and curating a range of single-origin coffees from the most celebrated growing regions from around the world, Rosetta Roastery offers each client the opportunity to experience the most exciting expressions of terroir, seed type, and processing from producers on the forefront of specialty coffee. We are not about one-size-fits-all house blends, but instead encourage customers to enjoy the variety of coffees we offer, as they would a seasonal food menu.
Our Team
Our team is made up of a group of coffee professionals who are passionate about mastering - or at least obsessing about – each node in coffee’s flavour development chain. We are made up of cuppers, roasters, baristas, and trainers who combine their powers (yes, like Captain Planet) in pursuit of coffees that will make customers say, “Wow!”
Award-winning Coffee Roastery
It's been so rewarding to see our various team members come into their own in the last few years. In 2018 and 2019, Rosetta Roastery won The Coffee Magazine's "South African Coffee Roastery of the Year". We added to our trophy collection, when Simnikiwe took home The Coffee Magazine "Barista of the Year" for 2019.