From Pandemic Hobby
to Cape Town’s Favourite Cup
A story of too much lockdown time, a second-hand roaster, three mates who refused to give up, and a whole lot of great coffee along the way.
A Lockdown Obsession That Got Serious
It started with too much time on his hands and a question he could not leave alone. During the 2021 lockdown, Davis (Apothecary’s founder) fell hard for specialty coffee. Drinking it, then reading about it, then arguing about grinders at 11pm. The origins, the varietals, the roasting curves, all of it.
The Popcorn Machine Phase
Before he could justify a proper roaster, Davis started with a popcorn machine. Literally. Batch after batch of 80g at a time, late into the night, watching beans spin, listening for the first crack. Many evenings were spent producing enough coffee just to fill a handful of friend orders. It was crude, it was slow, and some of it was frankly terrible. It was also the point where he stopped treating it as a phase.
He eventually bought a second-hand roaster. Batches went to friends, then to family, then to people who started asking when they could buy more. What began as a hobby had become something more interesting than he’d expected.
“Honestly, I was just trying to make a decent cup at home. Then friends started asking for bags, then their friends did, and at some point it stopped being a hobby.”
– Davis, Founder
Small Batch. Big Intention.
We set up a proper micro-roastery in Sunningdale, small enough that we still taste every batch, and big enough to supply a growing community of coffee lovers across Cape Town and beyond.
Three owners,
one much bigger plan
In early February 2025, Davis teamed up with two of the most driven people he knew, Sean and Jono, who joined as co-owners. Together, they set their sights on a coffee trailer and a proper physical presence.
The trailer plans went on hold almost immediately. Just two weeks after they joined forces (before the trailer had even launched), Davis was hospitalised. Severely ill. For two weeks, his life hung in the balance, and what had seemed like the start of something exciting suddenly felt very uncertain.
A Test of Character
Davis has spent the year and a half since in recovery from the chronic illness that struck. He is much better now, but still on that road. Through it all, Sean and Jono held the fort. Sean and Jono kept the business running the whole way through. By the end of it the three of them had been through something real together, and they came out of it as an actual team.
“There were moments where none of it seemed possible. But the three of us never stopped believing it would happen.”
– Davis
First, a Business Park. Then, the World.
While Davis was in the early stages of recovery, Sean and Jono pushed the dream forward. The coffee trailer started its life in a business park, which was unglamorous but about right for where they were. For the first six months, the team built their workflow, refined the offering, and proved to themselves that specialty coffee on wheels could work.
Not much happened publicly that year, but it mattered. When the lease expired, things picked up. The trailer was rebranded as Coffee on the Prom, and the team set their sights firmly on Sea Point, the promenade, and Cape Town’s busiest coastal stretches. That is when Apothecary Coffee started becoming a street-level brand.
The Hatch,
a childhood dream finally lived
Running alongside the trailer, Davis was also living out something he’d wanted since he was young: his own café. The Blaauwberg Road coffee hatch was that, more or less. A small window onto the street, a chalkboard in the traffic directing people to pull into the right lane, yellow balloons tied to the signpost, and an espresso machine fired up before sunrise.
He ran it at a loss, and he would do it all again anyway. Because for the first time, Davis knew what it felt like to be a café owner: the early mornings, the regulars who become familiar faces, the odd satisfaction of handing someone their first coffee of the day. That was worth more than the money he did not make.
What the Hatch Taught Us
- People return for consistency and quality above all else
- Location is everything, and the wrong spot with great coffee still does not pay the bills
- The best thing about running a café turns out to be the people
- Every “failure” is just expensive education
Coffee on the Prom,
we hit the road
When the business park lease expired, the white trailer finally found its spot. Rebranded as “Coffee on the Prom”, it hit the Sea Point promenade and Cape Town’s most scenic coastal stretches, and the brand found its audience.
Navigating permits, scouting spots, learning what worked and what didn’t, and the crowd around the trailer grew every month.
By the close of 2025, that chapter came to an end. We packed up the trailer at The Prom and turned our attention to something closer to home in Big Bay, where a new community was already forming around us.
A Café Inside a Classic Car Showroom
When Laude Classic Cars came calling, we said yes on the spot. In January 2026, we opened our café at their stunning Buitengracht Street showroom: chandeliers overhead, a Porsche 911 to your left, and a perfect espresso in your hand.
Specialty espresso in a room full of cars that people spent decades getting right. We offer specialty coffee pairings and tastings, alongside incredible bagels and cakes that have become firm favourites with the regulars.
Come for the coffee. Stay for the cars, and maybe a slice of something special.
Opening Hours
120a Buitengracht St
Cape Town City Centre
Community Meets Coffee
Also in January 2026, we launched two regular outdoor spots that have become some of our favourite parts of the week. Every second Saturday, find us at Echium Park Markets: 60 stalls, great food, local makers, and a warm Cape Town crowd in Table View.
Every Sunday, we set up outside the Big Bay Lifesaving Club. Sea breeze, ocean views, and a lot of familiar faces by now. There’s something special about serving coffee to people who’ve just come out of the water.
This is also when we brought on our first two full-time staff, Wisdom and Kay, both essential to everything we do at the markets and at Laude. Building a proper team is one of the things we’re most proud of.
Echium Park Markets
An outdoor celebration of local food, makers, and community in Table View. Follow on Facebook for exact monthly dates.
Outside the Big Bay Lifesaving Club
The Sunday morning ritual. Ocean views, a post-swim crowd, and coffee that makes the whole morning better. We’re there every week, rain or shine.
Laude Classic Cars
Our permanent café home at 120a Buitengracht St. Coffee, tastings, bagels & cakes. Come for the coffee, stay for the Porsche.
Bring Us to Your Event
The Apothecary Coffee trailer is completely self-sufficient. We bring the barista, the equipment, and our own power (inverter and gas), so we can set up practically anywhere, no venue infrastructure required.
Professional barista included: we handle everything from setup to the last cup
Fully self-powered: inverter and gas means no venue power needed. We can run from anywhere
Full specialty coffee menu: espresso drinks, filter, and everything in between, tailored to your event
All-inclusive: equipment, consumables, cups, and setup. You just tell us where to be
In Good Company
We supply offices, churches, guest houses and small cafes around Cape Town, from neighbourhood cafés and church communities to professional services firms who take their coffee just as seriously as their work.
Interested in wholesale or supplying your business? Get in touch, we’d love to work with you.
Come and taste it for yourself
Everything is roasted to order, so nothing goes out stale. Order online for delivery across South Africa, or come find us in person.
Shop Our Coffee →