Recently I saw a post on a friend’s timeline that mentioned a company roasting coffee here in South Africa. After doing some digging, I realised that I knew two of the owners and knew that I immediately had to find out more.
This time in isolation has made me realise the importance of supporting local, and I have spent quite a bit of time researching businesses that are making a difference, producing amazing products/services, and those that more of the public need to be aware of. Being stuck indoors for almost 2 weeks (let’s be honest – none of us really know what day it is, or even what time it may be) means that at home we have been experimenting with much cooking, baking, and MANY cups of coffee. So I was thrilled to receive my bags of 3 Lads and a Toucan today and it has made my day so much brighter.
Your name: Kobi van Schalkwyk, Barend van Schalkwyk and Charl Mcleod
Business name: 3 Lads and a Toucan
Social media handles: Instagram
Tell me a bit more about what you do: We supply specialty grade Coffee beans and ground coffee that we source directly from origin and roast locally in SA. We are based in Durban and are a proudly South African business.
What makes your coffee so different to others: We only use specialty coffee beans. This means that you are always going to get a beautiful clean cup of coffee with incredible flavours and taste. We certainly are not the only guys using specialty beans but quality is something that we will never compromise.
Where did the passion for this come from: From my perspective – Running our own business has always been a passion of ours and the idea of supplying a great quality coffee from Brazil actually started from school days when I was privileged enough to attend a Scottish school for 3 months on an exchange program . Long story short – one of my best mates in the Scottish school was a Brazilian chap and we started speaking about a potential business between the two countries 15 years ago! I also have the privilege of running this business with my best mate and my brother which makes it even more epic! Oh and we are all addicted to coffee!
How did you decide on your name: It a funny story which is pretty much summarised in a poem on the back of our coffee packs but to give you the plain version : We travelled to Brazil a few times, always in search of a Beautiful Toucan. We never found it BUT on our second to last trip we were travelling through a big coffee farm where our Brazilian friends were giving us a run down of how coffee is processed. Whilst we were driving, this Beautiful Toucan shot past us, it actually almost flew into our windscreen … the car screeched to a sudden halt and we all jumped out , very relieved that we didn’t hit the toucan. From that day onwards we knew that Coffee was the game we were meant to be in. It did after all give us our precious Toucan!
Where can people purchase your coffee from: Our coffee can be purchased from selected Spar Stores. Spar is an awesome company and brand to do business with and we love their local, caring approach. If we aren’t in the Spar store near you – nudge the store manager in our direction please! Our coffee is also available directly from us by getting in touch with us on coffee@3ladsandatoucan.com or through a DM on Instagram.
Who do you think would enjoy your coffee: Our coffee is made for everyone. You don’t have to be a coffee snob to enjoy our blend – its really easy drinking and delicious… Even if we say so ourselves.
Why do you encourage people to support local: Local businesses are the lifeblood and backbone of many communities. Especially in these difficult times that we live in. We have also realised how dependent SME’s are on people taking a “Local is Lekker” Approach. One can often also see what impact supporting local businesses has on those businesses owners and the people that they employ- which is a big drive for us to support local.
Quote you live by: “We want to do a lot of stuff; we’re not in good shape. We didn’t get a good night’s sleep. We’re a little depressed. Coffee Solves all these problems in one delightful cup.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Anything else you want to add: Thank you for having us on your blog. We feel honoured – you are an inspiration to so many out there.
As I am writing this, I have a steaming cup of this delicious coffee next to me. The aroma alone has my taste buds going. You can purchase the coffee in either bean or ground form, and it is well worth trying it out. If you have even a slight fancy for good coffee, then I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!
Does your local Spar keep stock of this? Or will you be placing an order for it instead? They can deliver during lockdown (thankfully coffee is on the essentials list!) so you don’t even need to wait until the end of the 21 days to try some yourself.
