Basi Bean is back – and never has there been better news!
We first encountered this pair of coffee entrepreneurs during the inaugural year of the Battle of the Beans and they ended up featuring amongst our Durban finalists thanks to their great coffee and fun South Beach experience.
But, little did we know, by the time we placed a trophy in their hands, a very painful two-year journey had begun. Thandabantu “Thanda” Buthelezi and Cebile Wanda were not only about to lose the outlet into which they sank their life savings but struggle to survive until they could again begin to make their coffee dream a reality.
It would be safe to say that this couple are truly KZN’s coffee chameleons. When we first enjoyed a cappuccino beside the sea, we visited a bright outlet defined by coffee themed graffiti and dotted with dog bowls so the trusty companions of the many energetic walkers exploring the beachfront promenade could slake their thirst.
Since then, they have done a complete pirouette – all puns intended. Now, you will find them as the new neighbours to Joop’s Place at the Avondale Centre and residing at the former Spill the Beans Vintage Tearoom in the front of a ballet shop where the décor is distinctly quaint and your coffee is served in floral fifties cups.
What they have shown us is that coffee is able to fit in with almost every life experience – you’ll find a coffee in a nursery, a home décor store, a supermarket or even at a service station or DIY outlet.
But back to their story – one which we not only want to see as the happily ever after that they so richly deserve but a lesson about grit that shows why independent coffee businesses transcend even good coffee and include a unique mix of passion and perseverance.
COFFEE CHOREOGRAPHY
To cut a long and sometimes painful story short, Thanda grew up wanting to be a business owner and modelling his dream on a friend who started selling guavas as a school business and ended up owning a supermarket.
“I love business. Even when I was still at school. I never said I wanted to be a teacher or a policeman, I always said that I wanted to run my own business. I was inspired by a friend who started a tuck shop that was feeding the whole community at home. He started by selling guavas at school. Then he went on to selling unsliced bread. Slowly, he added things the community needed like drinks and began to grow his business. Now we can go to his supermarket,” says Thanda.
However, by the time he found himself working in Durban, he was part of a construction crew.
“In March 2014, I was offered a job. I arrived dressed in my construction clothes and boots and ready to go. I was sent home to dress properly.”
Thanda found himself in one of the Vida e outlets. He admits that this turned into something of a culture shock: “I had never seen a man working in a kitchen in my life. A kitchen was for women. Back in the days, I was laughing at my cousin who was a chef and ended up working overseas.”
His change of mind began with first espresso which he describes as “like chocolate”.
Working in the kitchen alongside the manager, he began to learn all he could about the coffee business, offering to help with tasks like stock takes. He then began keeping record of how much coffee was sold versus the amount of water, coffee beans and other ingredients were being used by the business.
From there, he teamed up with the lnanda Flavours Club in 2017 where he honed what he describes as his self-taught barista skills. He ended up working for Bike and Bean near the Durban Country Club where he met Cebile, a trained chef with a dream of opening her own restaurant.
“All we needed was equipment. So, we bought a coffee machine and everything in order for us to start. Then we went to the Moses Mabhida stadium. Our partner was doing food and cakes while we were doing the coffee.”
But this did not end well and, on uncovering accounting anomalies, Thanda and Cebile, parted company with their partner and headed for the beach
THE BIRTH OF BASI BEAN
They set up shop on South Beach in a former Afros Chicken outlet with the backing of the eThekwini Municipality’s Business Development unit.
“We spent quite a lot of money to rebuild the place and bring it to life. We started out using a generator but eventually managed to get electricity,” Thanda recalls.
However, as soon as things started working well and they began to get busy, others spotted the potential. They noticed people taking pictures of their shop – and, when they asked one of those snapping away why he was photographing them, they learnt that various businesses were bidding for the premises without their knowledge.
Attempts to find out what was happening came to nothing and sent them from City department to department. By the end of 2024, their contract was terminated and they were evicted without notice. Unable to recover any of the money they had spent on the upgrades, they packed up their equipment and left.
A BLEAK PERIOD
“That marked the beginning of a breakdown for us. We had spent a lot of money on the place, the painting and everything else because we thought of it as an investment which we could recoup as we grew our business. But it didn’t happen that way. It was very bad for us. When we lost the place, we had to start doing pop-ups and private events. It has been difficult,” Thanda concedes.
They reasoned that, by doing pop ups and events, people would keep seeing Basi Bean.
They also vowed to never sell their much-loved coffee machine. However, without any funds to cover living expenses, they were eventually forced to even part with that and resort to borrowing machines to continue operating and keep their brand alive.
Whilst selling coffee at a Glenwood market, Basi Bean impressed the owner of a ballet shop who was looking for someone to serve coffee at the premises to complement the tea on offer.
During the week Basi Bean operates from the Avondale Centre. On Sunday, they often serve coffee at events, especially trail runs – and they continue to look for other opportunities which could become additional outlets with different themes.
A BROADER VISION
“I’m more about educating about coffee. We want to tell people about coffee because we know a lot of people go for the big brands and don’t understand the struggle of the independents. Starbucks didn’t start out being that big. It started just as we have begun – as a single store named after a character in Moby Dick, ” he explains.
But it goes beyond that. The two believe that South Africa has a much larger potential market for good coffee – one that extends way beyond the instant granules with which most are acquainted.
“We would like to take coffee to the rural areas. We want to go and teach about coffee at the schools. Barista training from grades 8 to 10 can create employment opportunities in the tertiary space and develop a marketable skill. That way, at least if a kid finishes matric and knows about making coffee, he or she can find a job in a city. So, we are about giving back to communities,” he continues.
The next step is that coffee – preferably grown and roasted in South Africa – can be aspirational without the social ills that accompany many of the so-called ‘sin’ brands.
“There is something special about a café. You can buy a cup, sit down and enjoy. Automatically, you make friends with the barista or maybe find a stranger sitting there having coffee. Coffee connects people. They didn’t know each other, but suddenly they do. I’ve even seen people starting to do business with someone they met in a coffee shop.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Thanda and Cebile believe there is a whole local coffee community out there that is just waiting to be discovered.
Their journey from Basi Bean South Beach – where their successor has incidentally shut down – to their ballet pas de deux is an inspiring story of determination.
Their first challenge came with sourcing a new coffee machine as they set up at the Avondale Centre. Now back behind the coffee counter, the two are keen to begin marketing Basi Bean to the nearby gym and surrounding offices. Already, many who bought coffee from the pair on South Beach are dropping in for a brew.
