The Roastery That Supplies Durban's Beachfront — Coffee Merchant and an Espresso at Surf Riders

I wasn't planning on discovering a new roaster yesterday. I was planning on lunch.

We'd pulled into Cabanas Surf Riders Café on the Durban beachfront for some food and a view. But when you're me, you order the espresso first and ask questions later. And the espresso — served in a deep brown cup on a brown saucer with a little blue macaron — was good. Really good. No bitterness. Punchy. Clean finish. So obviously I had to ask: Who roasts this?

The answer was on a 1 kg bag behind the bar: Coffee Merchant. Nonmara blend. 100% Arabica.

Who Are Coffee Merchant?

Coffee Merchant operates from Unit 13, 80 Rinaldo Road, Durban North — an industrial-park roastery-and-showroom setup you'd drive straight past unless you knew what you were looking for. They roast on-demand in small, continuous batches. Their motto: "Taste The Freshness."

They're not a trendy third-wave café. They're a working roastery that supplies beans to coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and corporate offices across KwaZulu-Natal. They also sell commercial espresso machines, grinders, and barista tools, and run barista training courses from the premises. If you've had a decent cup at a Durban restaurant and couldn't identify the roaster, there's a fair chance it was Coffee Merchant.

What sets them apart from the big commercial suppliers is that they're still small enough to care. Whole-bean only. No pre-ground. No capsules. You're invited to visit the roastery during the week, watch the process, taste the range, and buy what you like. Old-school hospitality.

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The Three Blends

Coffee Merchant keeps it simple: three signature blends, each designed for espresso extraction.

Into Africa is their African-origin gourmet blend — Specialty Arabica sourced from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi. Medium roast. The cup is mellow, smooth, and full-bodied with rich undertones of chocolate and cinnamon. This is the crowd-pleaser, the one you'd serve to someone who says they "like coffee but nothing too strong."

Nonmara is the blend I tasted at Surf Riders. The name is a play on words: "Non" (not) + "Mara" (bitter) — literally, "not bitter." Multi-continent blend, roasted medium/strong. Intense, vibrant, snappy. Excellent body. This is the one that stops you mid-sip and makes you look at the cup.

Sterling is a 50/50 Costa Rica and Colombia blend. Balanced, smooth, great body, with flavour notes of nuts and chocolate. The diplomat of the range — nothing to offend, everything to enjoy.

All three are supplied whole-bean only. No exceptions. If you want pre-ground, you're in the wrong place.

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The Nonmara at Surf Riders

Back at Surf Riders. My espresso arrived in that distinctive brown cup — glossy, ceramic, proper weight in your hand. A glass of water alongside it. The crema was thick, caramel-gold. First sip: punchy, full-bodied, zero bitterness. Exactly what the name promises. A controlled intensity that doesn't shout but doesn't whisper either.

My wife ordered the flat white. Same brown crockery. A neat heart in the milk art. She nodded — that's her version of five stars.

The barista working the machine was focused, professional, and clearly knew what he was doing. A CPEM espresso machine (not a brand you see everywhere in SA) with a serious-looking grinder beside it. Brown cups stacked on top of the machine, warming. Behind the bar, a wall of dark marble.

This is a well-run coffee station inside what is, let's be honest, primarily a restaurant. But the care is obvious. The crockery is matching. The water comes without asking. The macaron on the saucer is a small touch that signals someone is paying attention.

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The Surf Riders Experience

Surf Riders Café at the Cabana Beach Resort is one of those Durban institutions that sits right on the sand. Rattan pendant lights hang from a white-painted timber ceiling. The deck runs out to an open terrace with Corona-branded umbrellas overlooking the beach. Inside, it's all wood, glass, and ocean.

The coffee menu is straightforward: Euro Cappuccino (180 ml single shot, R36), Mega Cappuccino (220 ml double, R42), Americano (R32), Espresso (R32), Double Espresso (R32), Macchiato (R38), Mocha (R39), Cortado (R39), and Iced Coffee (R65). Almond or soya milk adds R10. Decaf adds R8. Prices are fair for a beachfront venue.

They have three branches: Umhlanga Cabanas (where we were), South Beach (Addington), and Gateway Boulevard. The Cabanas branch is the flagship — it's the one with the waves.

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Why This Matters

Coffee Merchant isn't trying to be the next Instagram-famous micro-roaster. They're not selling single-origin geishas at R180 a bag. They're a working roastery that supplies real coffee to real venues — and they do it well. The Nonmara blend at Surf Riders is proof that you don't need a fancy origin story or a cupping score on the bag to make a properly good cup of coffee.

Sometimes it's just about the roast. And the people behind it.

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Coffee Merchant — Unit 13, 80 Rinaldo Road, Durban North, 4051 | coffeemerchant.co.za | 031 569 1412 | @coffeemerchant

Surf Riders Café (Cabanas) — Cabana Beach Resort, 10 Lagoon Drive, Umhlanga Rocks | surfriders.co.za