Yoh Coffee — 15 Mobile Units, One Family, and the Hustle That Survived COVID

There is a particular kind of energy at a rugby test match that you don't get anywhere else. The cold Highveld air, the crowd noise rolling across the concrete concourse, and — if you're lucky — the smell of freshly pulled espresso cutting through the boerewors smoke.

That's where we found Yoh Coffee on the 4th of July 2026, parked up at Ellis Park for the Springboks clash. Two coffee vendors were working the venue that day, and we walked straight up to the one with the loudest branding and the friendliest crew.

The Name Behind the Brand

The first question was obvious: where does the name come from?

Kulisso, who runs the show alongside his wife Phumudzo, explained that "Yoh" was chosen to create something unmistakably South African. Not a borrowed Italian café name, not a generic "bean" pun — just a word that every South African already uses, every day, to express surprise, delight or sheer disbelief.

That local-first thinking runs all the way through to the cup sizes:

• Ish — small
• Yah — normal
• Yoh! — large

It's clever, it's memorable, and it gets customers smiling before they've even tasted the coffee.

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From Side Hustle to 15-Truck Fleet

Yoh Coffee started around 2016. What happened next is the part that gets your attention: the business didn't just survive the COVID-19 pandemic — it expanded during it. While restaurants closed and supply chains buckled, mobile vending turned out to be the format that could adapt fastest.

Today the operation runs 15 mobile coffee units across Gauteng, covering major venues including Nasrec, FNB Stadium, Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, and Wanderers, plus schools, corporate functions and private events.

When we joked that 15 trucks sound like 15 problems, Kulisso didn't miss a beat: "15 problems solved."

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The Coffee: Calvista Euphoria

The bean in the hopper that day was a Calvista Euphoria city roast — a medium-dark blend with fruity notes. Calvista is a South African roaster, and the relationship between roaster and vendor is one of those quiet partnerships that keeps the local specialty chain moving.

Interestingly, Yoh Coffee is eyeing a move into roasting their own beans. Not to sell commercially — at least not initially — but to achieve greater consistency, run their own analysis, and eventually develop a signature blend using beans grown in the Midlands. The fact that they already own the roasting equipment across their fleet tells you this isn't idle daydreaming.

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Built on the Espresso Machine

The espresso machine in the truck we visited is a Vega model that runs on both gas and electricity — essential for a mobile setup that might be parked at an outdoor air show one day and plugged into a stadium power point the next. Across the fleet they run two different machine brands, sourced through Liquid C-Concepts near Stratum Park.

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Family First, Franchise Never

Yoh Coffee is not a franchise. It's a family-owned business, and Kulisso is clear about the philosophy that holds it together: treat your staff like family, and the family will take care of the business.

He pointed to one of his long-serving colleagues — someone he called his "young brother" — as proof that this approach works. The crew at Ellis Park that day were smiling, hustling, and clearly enjoying what they do.

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Summer Beats Winter (Yes, Really)

Here's a counterintuitive insight from the mobile coffee world: Yoh Coffee makes more money in the summer than in the winter. You'd think cold weather would drive coffee sales, but the reality is that summer brings the big outdoor events — festivals, air shows, sporting finals — and that's where the volume is. It's a pattern that mirrors the alcohol industry.

Revenue comes from a blend of sporting events, corporate functions and private bookings. Air shows, Kulisso mentioned, can be particularly profitable.

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Get Hold of Yoh Coffee

If you're planning a corporate event, a school fundraiser, a sports day or any gathering that needs proper espresso on wheels, Yoh Coffee is the crew to call.

• Phone: 081 376 1670
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: yohcoffee.co.za

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Spotted at Ellis Park, 4 July 2026 — Springboks vs Brumbies/England. Article by Bibi Burness for Coffee Journal.

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