Crater Coffee

Crater Coffees entered the AITC event for the first time this year, and was awarded a silver award for their Route 59 Coffee Beans. We just had to find out more about this passionate company, all the way from Parys, in the Free State of South Africa.

We asked Fanie and Tertia Pretorius to tell us about this company:

Please tell us when your company was founded and some of its history?

Crater Coffees (Pty) Ltd was founded in 2012 in Parys, a small Free State town, located within the Vredefort Dome World Heritage area, where a meteor struck earth leaving a massive crater in its wake. Our hometown Parys and the Penny-farthing bicycle used in our logo were both derived from Paris in France. We are a proudly South African company.

Three friends saw the opportunity to create a coffee connected to Parys and the Dome. They started the business Crater Coffees in 2012 with a vision to create an experience “Where coffee is more than just a drink…”.

The directors have changed over the years and the business is now run by husband and wife team Fanie and Tertia Pretorius.

What are some of the unique features of your company?

We are a family-run business, with a passion for good coffee roasted to perfection. We thrive on challenges, and we are passionate about exceptional service with coffee being our core focus.

What do you think are some of the unique products you have? 

The coffee range Fanie has developed is such that it caters for just about any coffee drinker, and different brewing methods. Fresh coffee is our aim, at all times. What makes us unique is the level of service offered, always going the extra mile to ensure a happy client enjoys the best cup of coffee ever.

What are some of the unique features of your manufacturing process and your manufacturing philosophy?

As artisan roaster, Fanie refuses to have flavoured coffee in a bag. Beans are roasted to extract the right amount of flavours/aroma and to ultimately compliment the farmer's beans to the best of his ability.

What do you think is your distinct advantage or reason for your success?

We believe in having freshly roasted coffee, never older than 2 months from the roast date in bean format.  We have a weekly roasting program and grind coffee on demand with the FIFO stock control method (First in First out) to ensure freshness.

We always share our knowledge and our love of coffee and do our utmost to educate our clients on the world of coffee.

What is the consumer demographic of your products, and what feedback are you getting?

We attract a lot of tourists from Gauteng and North West to our small town, of course we cater for our local clients too. Feedback has always been positive, we have just recently had a review in the South African Coffee Magazine’s blog on our Choc Noir coffee.

Where does your company fit on the global stage?

Coffee is all over the world with each country’s unique roast and beans that suit the palate of their people. Our focus is on the South African market, which in its own right is very diverse and growing in coffee culture and knowledge.

In which countries can your products be found? 

Currently, only in South Africa, except when friends take coffee with them when visiting families abroad.

Do you perhaps have some innovations in the pipeline?

Innovations for us are really in exploring different roasting and cooling techniques, working with beans from different countries and testing different roast profiles.

Contact details:

Contact person: Fanie Pretorius

Email Address: cratercoffees@gmail.com

Contact Number: +27 (0)83 304 0825

Website: https://www.cratercoffees.co.za

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cratercoffees

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crater_coffees