Humble Coffee: Durban's Women-Led Roastery That Just Went Big
I met the Humble Coffee team at the Jo'burg Coffee Festival at Fourways Mall in May 2026. I walked up to the stand because it looked good — wooden counter, hand-drawn wordmark, snake plants on the shelf above, colourful bags. I walked away with two bags of coffee, a grinder recommendation, and the kind of story that makes you root for someone you've only just met.
## Who is Humble Coffee?
Amy Gardiner founded Humble Coffee in Durban in 2017, at the age of 23. She's from Edinburgh, Scotland. She moved to Durban, worked four years as a barista locally, fell in love with the city, and decided to build something of her own.
She started with roasting — not a café — and grew the business gradually from there. The original Humble was a roastery first, then added a café, then a bakery, then the all-women team that has become as much part of the brand identity as the coffee itself.
Eight years later, after almost six years on Churchill Road in Morningside, Humble has just moved a few blocks up the road to a beautiful 100-seater venue at 222 Lilian Ngoyi Road (Windermere).
## Why This Matters
Humble is entirely women-led. Around 20 staff across roastery, café, and bakery. In a South African specialty coffee scene where most visible owners and head roasters are men, that's not incidental — it's a statement.
Amy has spoken publicly about wanting Humble to be a place where women can build full careers in coffee. The “Be Nice, Stay Humble” motto isn't just brand polish — it's how the team talks to each other and to customers. They even actively recommend other KZN roasteries (Beaver Creek, Bluebird, Seam) for anyone wanting to deepen their barista skills.
## The Coffee I Bought
At the festival I picked up two bags:
Lalisa — Natural Ethiopian from the Lalisa washing station in the Sidamo region. Described as “a clean natural” with lemon, Earl Grey, and cocoa body. The Earl Grey note is what sold me. Interesting cross-roaster note: Lalisa is showing up at several SA roasters this season, including Brüder and Origin.
Single Origin Colombia — the first small-bag offering to sell out at the festival.
Both at 250g. Humble roasts everything in-house in 4kg batches on their machine named “Big Rosie.” Their full range runs from R145 (house blends) to R315 (Indonesian Avatara), with beans from Colombia, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.
## The Grinder Endorsement
A small moment from the conversation that I keep coming back to. I asked the Humble rep what they'd choose between the Timemore Sculptor 078 and the cheaper 064. The answer was unambiguous: go for the 078. The performance difference justifies the price.
The endorsement carried weight because the rep mentioned they'd actually won theirs in a roasting competition and called out its “beautiful cup consistency.” Praise from someone who roasts for a living hits differently than praise from a retailer trying to move stock. It's now firmly on my consideration list. (Check our Grind Size Guide for the 078's calibration settings.)
## Awards
• ☕ Café of the Year 2023 — Coffee Magazine Awards
• ☕ A Shot in the Dark 2024 — Coffee Magazine Awards
## What Humble Does Beyond Coffee
The Lilian Ngoyi venue isn't just a coffee shop. It's a roastery, a full vegetarian brunch and lunch café with strong vegan representation, a bakery with fresh daily output, and a co-working space. The vegetarian-first kitchen is rarer than it should be in SA specialty cafés — Amy has been intentional about this from early on.
## Where to Find Them
222 Lilian Ngoyi Road, Windermere, Durban — open daily 7am–4pm
Online at humblecoffee.co.za with nationwide shipping. Instagram: @humblecoffeeza.
Read the full Humble Coffee profile on Coffee Journal for the complete writeup, gallery, and current bean pricing.
Source: Jo'burg Coffee Festival 2026, Fourways Mall Rooftop, 31 May 2026. Photos: Bibi Burness.