Coffee barista overcomes trage

Coffee barista overcomes tragedy to become owner of his own coffee brand

Sihle Magubane has had to overcome several obstacles in his short life, but his work ethic and determination have finally brought him success.

Coffee barista overcomes trage

When his mother passed away, 16-year-old Magubane became his family’s sole breadwinner. He had to drop out of school and took odd jobs to make ends meet.

One of the jobs he did would enable him to become the owner of SA’s first individually black-owned coffee brand, but he didn’t know this at the time.

Magubane had been offered a short, four-day gig as a coffee maker at an arts festival at the Hilton Hotel. Although he had never prepared coffee before, let alone tasted a cappuccino, Magubane was about to embark on a journey that would change the trajectory of his life.

His first taste of cappuccino made Magubane realise that he had been missing out! He knew he could never go back to drinking regular coffee again, and so began his endeavour to become a barista.

Roberto Monterrage, who had organised the four-day job for Magubane, is a master coffee brewer, so he took Magubane under his wing and coached him until he earned a comprehensive International Barista Certificate.

Over the next decade, Magubane spent his time working at various cafes before opening his own with a signature taste: Sihle’s Brew.

Magubane is now the face behind South Africa’s only black-owned coffee brand, and he’s showing the country that success can grow from a single opportunity.

Beautiful News caught up with Magubane and found out more about Sihle’s Brew and how Magubane got to where he is today.