Enjoy a gourmet coffee experience at Crane Flower Coffee
Sure, a few people run on adrenaline. But for the rest of us, thank goodness, there's something a little less extreme and a whole lot more relaxing to keep us going - coffee. And getting your fix of the finest has just become the ultimate pleasure thanks to Crane Flower Coffee in Kloof.
With love from New York
Crane Flower Coffee is the brainchild of Dale Sandy, a coffee connoisseur who developed his nose for the brewing business in the iconic coffee shops that settle along the sidewalks and cluster on the corners of New York City. While abroad, Dale found himself wending his way through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, sampling the diverse coffees from the hidden gems he discovered. Dale explains, "I loved trying the different coffees they offered. New York is known for high-quality coffee, and it is where my love for coffee and journey with Crane Flower was sparked."
A coffee-inspired homecoming
Returning to his roots in Kloof, Dale decided to transform his love for coffee into something he could share with his hometown. Over lockdown, Dale (armed with his coffee machine) got to work learning the ins and outs of the coffee-making process from bean to brew.
Helped by Youtube, natural affinity and experience gained through trial and error, Dale emerged as a skilled barista ready to serve coffee to his community. But from where? Luckily, the Sandy family had premises in the Robyndale Centre in Kloof, where Dale decided to convert a single-car garage into a small pop-up coffee shop. "Since then, Crane Flower has steadily grown and expanded to what it is now. As with all the best things in life, it happened organically in small steps."
Today, Crane Flower Coffee is a classy New York style coffee shop that offers sit-in service with a light menu and a mobile coffee unit.
Get your slice of the Big Apple at home in Kloof
So, how does one go about making the quintessential New York coffee shop in a peaceful residential South African suburb? It's a combination of the atmosphere, the size and the quality of the coffee. Dale explains, "The essence of New York style coffee shops is an intelligent design to maximise a small space while making it unique." With similar space constraints, Crane Flower Coffee had to transform the single-car garage and the adjacent alley into a cosy coffee shop with an outdoor atrium. And the results speak for themselves, "Because of this design, people often come in and say 'wow, this is such a cool space, but I never guessed it looking from outside.' That's how I know we created a New York style hidden gem."
The secret of the ingredients
Crane Flower source their speciality coffee from hand-picked coffee farms in Malawi, such as Namikango Coffee. Other coffees are sourced from importers worldwide. The ultimate goal, says Dale, is to source green, unroasted coffee from equatorial African and South American farms and then roast them on-site in Kloof.
Running a roastery, according to Dale, "is an interesting mix of art and science" where you "create and play around with different blends." Crane Flower roasts can be enjoyed not only in their coffee shop, but they also sell to other establishments that stock their blends, so keep an eye out for them!
There's more than one way to get going, thanks to mobile coffee
With their stylish custom-made coffee trailer, Crane Flower is literally on the move! The shop provides a mobile coffee service on weekends, weekday afternoons, and evenings. Now the quality and friendly customer service of Crane Flower Coffee can be brought directly to your event. "We often do weddings, office launches, sports tournaments, and open houses. Guests who get coffee at one mobile event often book us themselves for other events." And it is this customer loyalty that speaks volumes about the class of Crane Flower Coffee.
Check out their Facebook page to find out how to get the ultimate coffee fix!
