David is the founder of Seam Coffee, one of the best and most respected speciality coffee roasters in South Africa and the most awarded coffee business in the country.
David in his own right has won “Excellence in Coffee 2022” (the highest individual award at our national coffee awards).
His journey started in 2015 when coffee trading at less than a dollar and he saw first hand the difference paying a premium made to the lives of farmers in Burundi and so his journey began.
He pioneered coffee in a carton (Seam coffee supplies their coffee in milk cartons with one way valves, a world’s first) and was the first to introduce recyclable packing and carbon neutral shipping to speciality coffee in South Africa. Seam is also the only roasted in SA to roast on a Loring, he also established the South African distribution for Raw Material.
Seam coffee has a barista program as gainful employment in South Africa is a huge problem. The idea is to take on six disadvantaged youth at a time and pay them a monthly stipend whilst giving them all the skills necessary to become great speciality coffee baristas. Seam arranged for them to get on the job training in some of the best cafes in the country where they supply their wholesale coffee giving them real world experience. To date over 58 baristas have been given full time positions and have been allowed to enter the game in respected cafes/restaurants/hotels—something they would never have had access to if it were not for their barista program.
He is always assisting and guiding anyone who wants to enter the coffee game and expects little in return, but in the process he has built up and enviable reputation as one of the best coffee minds in the business along with some of the best innovation and deserves recognition.
Nominated by Kathryn Walstra.
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
10
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
I owned a security business before I got involved in coffee and travelled extensively to the East for tech trade shows and it is there I fell in love with coffee—this at a time when coffee culture in South Africa was still developing. At a small cafe in Taipei the barista must have noticed I was left handed and when he brought the cup to my table he placed it down, turned the handle and smiled—a simple gesture of omotenashi, which made the first Suke Quto I ever tasted even more incredible and in that moment I was sold on the hospitality side of coffee. The real changing point for me however was a visit to coffee farms in Burundi and Rwanda where I experienced the potential coffee could have on farming communities if the right people got behind it and so my coffee journey began.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
I never knew I had a coffee hero until I met Matt Graylee from Raw Material on a beach in Puducherry, his knowledge on the economics and social impact possibilities of coffee has forever changed my coffee journey and I’ve been learning and engaging with him ever since.
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
Technology particularity around espresso machines are finally shifting to ensure better consistency. Many think this will take away from existing barista skills, but we believe it will help enhance the industry and create a new breed of hospitality professionally—those that engage community and embrace technology to enhancing the human experience.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
A new customer who may have been drinking average coffee their whole lives sip on something amazing for the first time—their face lights up and it’s a special moment indeed. It’s something I will never get tired of seeing.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
A good friend of mine John Sanei has a saying, “those at the top are collaborating, those at the bottom are competing,” so we’d honestly love to see a lot more collaboration happening within our industry between small and big brands as well as local roasters and corporates/hotels as we have seen huge benefit in that regard.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
A while back it was about winning South African Roastery of the Year, but these days its more about seeing our own wholesale customers succeed in their businesses and our own people excelling in their chosen fields—we have an incredible team of the best coffee professionals in South Africa so more moments to come.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
I have access to some of the best coffees in South Africa and really enjoy having/sharing them at our roastery, wholesale customers or cafes. We have our own capsule plant so when I need to make a coffee at home I just use our home compostable pods—it’s quick and easy.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
Right now anything from Gidge.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
We have a saying that if coffee can create community where it is consumed, we believe it should help build communities where it is grown. So my idea of coffee happiness would be to ensure we are creating valuable career paths for individuals, help create economic freedom at farm level (something is coming soon watch this space) and start the day off right for thousands of people by serving the best coffee we can—happiness indeed!
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Anthony Bourdain on a small plastic chair down a side alley in Hue drinking Phin coffee. Anthony remains a huge inspiration and his love of Vietnam ignited the same spark in me.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
With the added benefit of AI my advice would still be to ensure you have a decent understanding of business management, finance, and related skills, no matter what facet of coffee you focus on. These skills will be vital particularly if you’re thinking about doing your own thing. Find a good mentor or respected coffee business where you can hone your skills whilst understanding as many aspects of the business as possible—even the best baristas in the world need to be great at business no matter what direction they follow. Most importantly invest in yourself—your wellbeing, your health, and your inner peace. Lose any of those and nothing else will matter.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
