By BARBARA HOLLANDS
A former East Londoner who claims to have developed the world’s strongest coffee recommends no more than three cups of his caffeine-loaded brew a day – if there is any sleep to be had.
Sean Kristafor, 45, retired from his high-powered corporate job last year, but plans to travel and study took a back seat when he decided to turn his coffee passion into a business.
The Black Insomnia Coffee Company, whose products contain up to three times the caffeine content of most coffees, will launch at the Coffee and Chocolate Expo in Johannesburg’s Montecasino next week.
“Ever since I had my first cup of coffee in East London, it grew on me and I’ve enjoyed a good cup for as long as I can remember,” he said.
As a five-to-six-cup-a-day coffee drinker, he spends more time working at Cape Town’s best coffee shops than in his Victoria & Alfred Waterfront office.
“There is very much a coffee culture in Cape Town. People work on their laptops and have meetings and call coffee shops their ‘coffice’.”
Kristafor matriculated from Hudson Park High School and has an MBA from UCT and a retail management qualification from Oxford University’s Keble College.
He worked his way up the retail ladder to become general manager of The Body Shop Southern Africa six years ago, which swelled to include running the General Nutritional Corporation.
“I retired from corporate life last November and was going to take a break, but then the idea to reboot the coffee industry took hold of me.”
He teamed up with Cape Town barista Gerald Charles to create a blend of Brazilian and Ugandan coffee beans that pack a caffeine punch of 57.5mg a cup.
“I wanted to make the strongest coffee in the world, but it had to taste good and not have a bitter, harsh taste. Black Insomnia is like a hug from your gran,” he said.
He plans to unseat an American coffee brand claiming to be the strongest coffee on the globe, saying his blend contains 6% more caffeine.
“This is for hardcore people who like hardcore coffee. In fact, our logo is ‘sleeping is cheating’.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Former EL caffeine lover brews ‘world’s most hardcore’ coffee
A former East Londoner who claims to have developed the world’s strongest coffee recommends no more than three cups of his caffeine-loaded brew a day – if there is any sleep to be had.
Sean Kristafor, 45, retired from his high-powered corporate job last year, but plans to travel and study took a back seat when he decided to turn his coffee passion into a business.
The Black Insomnia Coffee Company, whose products contain up to three times the caffeine content of most coffees, will launch at the Coffee and Chocolate Expo in Johannesburg’s Montecasino next week.
“Ever since I had my first cup of coffee in East London, it grew on me and I’ve enjoyed a good cup for as long as I can remember,” he said.
As a five-to-six-cup-a-day coffee drinker, he spends more time working at Cape Town’s best coffee shops than in his Victoria & Alfred Waterfront office.
“There is very much a coffee culture in Cape Town. People work on their laptops and have meetings and call coffee shops their ‘coffice’.”
Kristafor matriculated from Hudson Park High School and has an MBA from UCT and a retail management qualification from Oxford University’s Keble College.
He worked his way up the retail ladder to become general manager of The Body Shop Southern Africa six years ago, which swelled to include running the General Nutritional Corporation.
“I retired from corporate life last November and was going to take a break, but then the idea to reboot the coffee industry took hold of me.”
He teamed up with Cape Town barista Gerald Charles to create a blend of Brazilian and Ugandan coffee beans that pack a caffeine punch of 57.5mg a cup.
“I wanted to make the strongest coffee in the world, but it had to taste good and not have a bitter, harsh taste. Black Insomnia is like a hug from your gran,” he said.
He plans to unseat an American coffee brand claiming to be the strongest coffee on the globe, saying his blend contains 6% more caffeine.
“This is for hardcore people who like hardcore coffee. In fact, our logo is ‘sleeping is cheating’.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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