📖 First-hand story — Read the full Home of the Bean profile →
The Short Version
Leroy Kgopa and Itumeleng Manamela — both diagnostic radiographers by training — founded Home of the Bean in 2017 out of a converted VW Kombi. Today it's a multi-site operation with a flagship café at Arts on Main in Maboneng, a roastery at Victoria Yards, and coffee stations at galleries and corporate offices across Johannesburg.
We bumped into the team at the Fabiani Café pop-up in Sandton City, where they were collaborating with Cedar Coffee and the SOZO Foundation on the charity activation.
The Origin Story
The journey started with the Kofi Kombi — a mobile coffee service that parked wherever the people were. In 2019, a small courtyard café opened at The Cosmopolitan in Maboneng. By 2021, they'd moved into the current Arts on Main premises, and the roastery followed at Victoria Yards.
Both founders are University of Johannesburg graduates who met in 2011 and transitioned from the medical field to specialty coffee out of genuine passion. Community education — teaching customers about origins, brewing methods, and fair-trade practices — has been central from day one.
The Arts on Main café — warm industrial aesthetics in the heart of Maboneng
Current Coffee Offering
Medium roast only — rotated every 2–3 months. Roasted every other week at Victoria Yards.
| Coffee | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|
| House Blend | Kenya × Costa Rica | Rotating house blend |
| Burundi | Burundi | Single origin |
| Kenya | Kenya | Single origin |
| Uganda | Uganda | Single origin |
| Nicaragua | Nicaragua | Single origin |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rica | Single origin |
Online store coming soon. Current origins as of July 2026.
Awards & Recognition
Café of the Year
Coffee Magazine Awards · 2025
2nd Place Overall
A Shot in the Dark · 2025
2nd Place — Milk-Based Coffee
A Shot in the Dark · 2025
3rd Place — Black Coffee
A Shot in the Dark · 2025
Victoria Yards — The Roastery
Victoria Yards — Johannesburg's creative precinct where the Home of the Bean roastery lives
The roastery at Victoria Yards is a quieter, more intimate space — perfect for coffee cuppings and exploring single origins. If the Maboneng flagship is the social hub, Victoria Yards is the zen retreat.
Where to Find Them
Arts on Main (Flagship)
264 Fox Street, Maboneng, Johannesburg
Lively, great for people-watching
Victoria Yards (Roastery)
Victoria Yards, Johannesburg
Zen, quiet — perfect for cuppings
Berman Contemporary
Near Hyde Park, Johannesburg
Art gallery + cortado
Baker McKenzie
Rosebank & Jan Smuts
Corporate canteen supply
Source
We met the Home of the Bean team at the Fabiani Café pop-up, Sandton City, 8 July 2026. This page also draws on Coffee Magazine SA features, In Your Pocket Joburg, IOL Business Report profiles, and the roastery's Instagram. Photo of the team by Bibi Burness.