Republique Coffee in Stellenbosch can now claim to employ the best barista in town after Shalom Chikanya emerged victorious in the CoffeeMM Barista Battle, held on 20 July. The victory earned Chikanya a R1 000 cash prize and the title of ‘Best Barista’.
Chikanya’s signature coffee, a cappuccino with hot chocolate, won him the competition with a score of 9.5/10 from the judges.
Chikanya has been working as a barista for Republique Coffee for six months. “I wanted to take part in this competition to get the opportunity to learn and get to know other baristas,” he said.
Shalom Chikanya, a barista working at Republique Coffee in Stellenbosch, was recently crowned the ‘Best Barista’ at the CoffeeMM Barista Battle in Stellenbosch. Chikanya (right) is pictured with one of the judges from the competition, Romero Meyer (left), receiving his trophy. PHOTO: Kara le Roux
Building a community
Mhlengi Ngcobo, owner and founder of CoffeeMM, said that he wanted to host the CoffeeMM competition to create a closer-knit coffee community in Stellenbosch.
“You see a lot of these types of events taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but not really in Stellenbosch,” Ngcobo said.
“Being a barista is one of the most underrated careers. They are the faces of the coffee shops they work at, and the first point of contact when a customer walks in.”
CoffeeMM hosted the competition for the first time in December 2023, and after receiving positive feedback, Ngcobo said that they wanted to continue the tradition in 2024.
Competitors in the CoffeeMM Barista Battle, held on 20 July, each had one minute to present the judges with their best latté art. Pictured above are some of the contestants’ entries. PHOTO: Kara le Roux
Categories and challenges
The Barista Battle consisted of three categories: Best Latté Art, Coffee Connoisseur, and the Barista Battle Champion.
The judging panel selected nine baristas to compete, Ngcobo said. The baristas took part in several challenges, including making as many cappuccinos as they could in 90 seconds (the victor making three and a half), answering a series of questions in a coffee quiz, and steaming milk to reach the perfect temperature of 67.5 degrees.
Evans Chipezeze won the ‘Best Latté Art’ category, while Austain Zhanota walked away with the title of ‘Coffee Connoisseur’.
The CoffeeMM Barista Battle featured coffee experts from around the Western Cape. Romero Meyer (left) owns multiple cafés and is the founder of BrewBetter, a business that sells coffee equipment. Alhenrico Thomas (middle) has represented South Africa in various barista competitions overseas. Rodney Christopher Swartz is the champion of the 2023 Barista Battle and a seasoned barista. PHOTO: Kara le Roux.
Stellenbosch coffee culture
The coffee scene in Stellenbosch is rapidly growing, according to Chikanya. “It’s nice to meet new and different kinds of people who come to [the coffee shop] every day.”
Alhenrico Thomas, two-time national latté art champion who has represented South Africa in barista competitions in China and Hungary, was one of the judges of this competition.
“What makes a good barista is passion,” said Thomas, addressing the crowd at the Barista Battle. He encouraged the contestants to grow with their respective businesses and improve their skills.
“With this competition, we wanted to grant baristas the opportunity to showcase their skills and their brands,” Ngcobo said.
“Stellenbosch consumes a lot of coffee, so creating a space where its coffee makers can be celebrated is important.”
On 20 July, 10 of the best baristas from Stellenbosch and surrounding areas battled it out to determine who amongst them was the ultimate Barista Battle Champion. Shalom Chikanya, a barista working at a local Stellenbosch coffee shop, walked away with the title and a R1 000 cash prize. VIDEO: Kara le Roux