Making a career out of coffee
To all the coffee lovers in Namibia, Dennis de Wet is probably a saint. He is the owner and founder of Slowtown Coffee Roasters, a proudly Namibian brand of premium coffee. The business was established with the agenda to ‘’rid Namibia of bad coffee, cup by cup.’’
Q: What motivated you to leave your job at the property development company?
A: I realized that I had no passion for the Corporate Finance world. It would choke me to think I am destined for an office job. On the other side I was always inspired by successful people that just had such a love for their trade. The key has always been that if you have passion for what you do, success will follow. The motivation must be passion - not money or power. Look at people like Phil Knight (NIKE) or Richard Branson, even Bill Gates - they simply do what they love.
Q: Why did you decide to enter the coffee business, specifically?
A: Coffee was a process of elimination. I wrote down 5 things I love. Just random stuff. I realised that everything has a market. So I made a list. Surfing/F1 Racing/Wine/Fine Dining/Coffee. I took my list and researched what markets surround each one of these. Where would I fit in? Is there a market in Namibia? etc. In the end COFFEE won. As I already loved coffee, it felt like a natural process.
Q: What is Slowtown's recipe for success?
A: Success. I guess the organic growth of the brand. We never really spent money on advertising. I just felt that the best way to get loyalty is by offering something different. High quality. Honest coffee. It was never a business to make money. It is a family that loves coffee. And we have just been so blessed to see that this has attracted people over the last 6 years.
Q: In your opinion, what makes Slowtown unique?
A: We are dealing with the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil, the humble coffee bean. So what we offer as a product is very common. I think perhaps it's in the way we offer it. We are 100% Namibian. We love this country and we are proud to be able to grow a brand that is loved. So the uniqueness is that we did not 'import' any of our identity. We don’t have a foreign franchise DNA in us. People feel that and are drawn to our originality.
Q: What are your future plans for Slowtown?
A: As long as the demand is there and as long as it remains fun, we will grow. Never too fast and never too slow.
Q: What type of coffee is the most popular and what is YOUR personal favourite?
A: Most popular is between the House Blend an El Morito Guatemala. My pallet changes over the week and therefore I like to always jump around and try everything.
On behalf of all the coffee lovers in Namibia, we would like to thank Mr. De Wet for his contribution to society and wish Slowtown all success for the future.
‘’We love coffee because it’s so much more than a drink, it’s a conversation, and it’s the essence of stopping and enjoying the moment.’’
A: I realized that I had no passion for the Corporate Finance world. It would choke me to think I am destined for an office job. On the other side I was always inspired by successful people that just had such a love for their trade. The key has always been that if you have passion for what you do, success will follow. The motivation must be passion - not money or power. Look at people like Phil Knight (NIKE) or Richard Branson, even Bill Gates - they simply do what they love.
Q: Why did you decide to enter the coffee business, specifically?
A: Coffee was a process of elimination. I wrote down 5 things I love. Just random stuff. I realised that everything has a market. So I made a list. Surfing/F1 Racing/Wine/Fine Dining/Coffee. I took my list and researched what markets surround each one of these. Where would I fit in? Is there a market in Namibia? etc. In the end COFFEE won. As I already loved coffee, it felt like a natural process.
Q: What is Slowtown's recipe for success?
A: Success. I guess the organic growth of the brand. We never really spent money on advertising. I just felt that the best way to get loyalty is by offering something different. High quality. Honest coffee. It was never a business to make money. It is a family that loves coffee. And we have just been so blessed to see that this has attracted people over the last 6 years.
Q: In your opinion, what makes Slowtown unique?
A: We are dealing with the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil, the humble coffee bean. So what we offer as a product is very common. I think perhaps it's in the way we offer it. We are 100% Namibian. We love this country and we are proud to be able to grow a brand that is loved. So the uniqueness is that we did not 'import' any of our identity. We don’t have a foreign franchise DNA in us. People feel that and are drawn to our originality.
Q: What are your future plans for Slowtown?
A: As long as the demand is there and as long as it remains fun, we will grow. Never too fast and never too slow.
Q: What type of coffee is the most popular and what is YOUR personal favourite?
A: Most popular is between the House Blend an El Morito Guatemala. My pallet changes over the week and therefore I like to always jump around and try everything.
On behalf of all the coffee lovers in Namibia, we would like to thank Mr. De Wet for his contribution to society and wish Slowtown all success for the future.
‘’We love coffee because it’s so much more than a drink, it’s a conversation, and it’s the essence of stopping and enjoying the moment.’’
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Namibian Sun
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