Freddie Kruger, owner of My Brew, preparing a fresh cup of coffee at his store. PHOTO: Facebook/My Brew
Stellenbosch-based coffee shop My Brew Coffee Roastery has opened their fifth store as an online outlet which allows customers to have My Brew products and merchandise delivered to their homes.
Due to level 4 and level 5 lockdown regulations, My Brew has had to temporarily close their physical stores until 1 June, said owner Freddie Kruger.
He said this was the ideal time to launch the online shop.
“It’s been tough since we locked down. It hasn’t been easy,” he said. “We’ve formed friendships and relationships with our customers. We had to move online to create another platform for communicating with them.”
The lockdown regulations have put many small businesses under financial strain, and the online store is one method for My Brew to stay afloat, said Jonté Smit, My Brew’s marketing manager.
“The truth of it is that businesses have to do something that they haven’t been doing before to ensure they stay alive,” Smit said. “With Covid-19 they had to adapt and find innovative ways to get products to their customer base.”
However, the online store is about more than just profits, said Kruger. He explained that he had wanted to start shipping his coffee across the country for a while before the pandemic.
“It’s not just about the loss of revenue. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “We’ve had many requests to ship nationally and that’s exactly what we’re doing now.”
Expanding to an online store would therefore be a permanent feature and will remain functional beyond the pandemic, said Kruger.
“It’s here to stay,” he said.
There are five My Brew stores, including this coffee bar on Stellenbosch University’s medical campus, Tygerberg, that is modelled after an ambulance. PHOTO: Supplied/My Brew
Giving back
To commemorate this new venture, My Brew is holding a giveaway to encourage student communities to shop on their online platform, said Kruger. The residence or private student organisation (PSO) that supports the online store the most, will win an assortment of prizes, including a coffee machine and My Brew coffee beans, according to Kruger. The competition runs until 30 September 2020. (See the infographic below for more detail).
“In times like this, we all need to get together and voice our support for each other. We know it’s tough out there,” he said. “[The competition] is a way for us to say thank you.”
My Brew has been involved in the Stellenbosch student community since it first opened in 2015, according to Smit, who was primarius of Pieke PSO in 2019.
“Pieke was the first community that got involved with My Brew and believed in [Kruger’s] vision,” he said.
Pieke PSO will definitely be participating in the competition, said Joshua Eva, the PSO’s current primarius.
“The relationship between Pieke and My Brew is an ongoing one. We’ve been supporting each other in joint initiatives for a few years now,” he said.
INFOGRAPHIC: Sarah Hoek