The best Claremont coffee shop to work from
A visit to I Love Coffee
By Lianne Godfrey (The Roasted Mom)
We’ve all been there: the dreaded “car service day.” You drop the keys off at the repair shop, and have two hours of time to fill.
On April 9th, I found myself in exactly that position. Instead of hanging around and killing time scrolling through my phone, I took a short walk to I Love Coffee on Garfield Road. I went in looking for a caffeine fix, and a place to work on my laptop. I left with a renewed appreciation for this Cape Town small business that does so much more than serve coffee.
I Love Coffee Roastery and Deli
I really do love coffee, and so I opened the menu expecting to find the list of coffees available. Instead, the first page is dedicated to how you can order from a deaf person. As about 70% of the staff at I Love Coffee or Deaf or hard-of-hearing, these step-by-step instructions are as follows:
Make good eye contact and maintain it: If you look down, the staff cannot follow the conversation. This also specifically helps staff members who lip-read.
Speak normally: There is no need to raise your voice; the sign notes that shouting does not help.
Point or write down your order: Use the menu to point to your selection or write it down for clarity.
Learn to sign: The staff are happy to help you learn basic signs to communicate.
Ask for help: If you feel stuck, don't be embarrassed to ask for a hearing member of the team to assist.
“I drink coffee so I can work longer. So I can earn more. So I can buy more coffee.”
Sign language aside, I am quite particular about my coffee. I ordered a large cappuccino, which at R42 was only R4 more than a regular. I cowardly ordered by pointing to the menu and made sure to maintain eye contact whenever I was speaking.
Videos on the I Love Coffee website also show how to sign greetings and beverages. The word cappuccino, for example, is signed as follows: cup your one hand like it's holding a mug and take your other hand and move it upward from the “cup” while wiggling your fingers, representing the light, airy foam rising to the top. Whilst at first it feels awkward to use sign language, the staff love it when you try and are always happy to help if you don’t get it right.
I bravely signed ‘thank you’ when it arrived, even though I had the feeling that my waitress was one of the 30% staff members who was not Deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Signing thank you is possibly the easiest (it simply requires you to take a flat hand and move it away from your chin, often accompanied with mouthing ‘thank you’). A simple attempt to immerse yourself into their world can go a long way both for your own understanding as well as understanding how to be more inclusive going forward.
Back to the coffee. It was good.
At I Love Coffee, they use their own artisan-roasted beans, which are roasted on-site on a vintage 1968 Probat. They call themselves the world’s kindest coffee brand and their promise is to bridge the gap between those that can hear and those that can’t. Their coffee is the only coffee roasted, packed, brewed and served by the deaf community. By buying their coffee, you support training and deaf employment. I enjoyed the flavour and the milk foam (a vital part of a good cappuccino) was smooth and lasted until the last sip. I actually had a second cup (also large)! I told you I love coffee.
More than just coffee
While I was there, I took a look at the rest of their menu. They serve breakfast between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm. While I had already ordered, I would consider having the sliced avo on sourdough toast (R90) or Eggs benedict (R135), which are my usual go-to menu items.
After 11:30 am, they also serve toasted sandwiches: a chicken & mayo (R100) or a tomato, mozzarella & fresh basil (R95). Both are made with sourdough and served with your choice of fries or a side salad.
Beyond that, I Love Coffee serves a variety of savoury and sweet options. They are available all day long, and can be ordered for sit-down or takeaway.
If you’re looking for a birthday cake, I Love Coffee can also help. They have a number of different cakes available, with a diameter of between 12 cm and 26 cm and a price range starting at R165 for the 12 cm carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, with the priciest options R800:
18 cm Chocolate mousse cake
18 cm gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
18 cm baked vanilla cheesecake topped with swiss meringue or salted caramel
26 cm Japanese chocolate chiffon cake with a ganache topping
As if that isn’t enough, they also have a selection of frozen goods to take home (perfect for those nights when "The Roasted Dad" is out and I don't feel like cooking). Reasonably priced at R300 for a 1.2 kg roast chicken, mushroom and thyme family pie or R250 for a 1 kg aubergine parmigiana, I would definitely consider trying some options from their convenience range.
Doing good
What really struck me wasn’t just the coffee, but how deeply sustainability is roasted into their business model. I Love Coffee is not just ticking boxes like some larger corporations. Instead, they’re baking impact into every corner of the business.
Not only is the workforce majority-Deaf, but 70% of the staff are female. Beyond providing jobs, they are creating a specialized training academy -supported by Rotary Claremont- where unemployed Deaf youth gain the skills to build lifelong careers.
I Love Coffee cares about the environment too; their coffee waste goes to Treehaven Compost (you can even collect some for your own garden!), and food waste is collected by Ladles of Love. To serve up their dishes, I Love Coffee have bought some plates from Oasis to support disability programmes. The food that doesn't sell goes to U-Turn to help the homeless.
It’s a full-circle community effort.
Supporting I Love Coffee
Whether you’re a parent looking for a quiet corner to work or, like me, just someone waiting for their car to be fixed, this Garfield Road flagship is a must-visit.
If you share the vision of I Love Coffee, and are keen to partner with them to amplify their mission, make sure to get in touch.
Regardless, next time you’re in Claremont, don't just grab a coffee anywhere. Grab one that means something.
Location and Opening Hours
You can find I Love Coffee on 103 Garfield Rd, Claremont, Cape Town, 7708
Contact info: 021 671 0007 | info@ilovecoffee.co.za
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday 08:30 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday 08:30 am - 2:00 pm.
About The Roasted Mom
Lianne Godfrey is a Digital Marketing specialist based in Cape Town, South Africa. She lives in the Southern Suburbs with her husband Shawn, and their three children Aiden (8), Olivia (6) and Harvey (4).
I’m on a mission to find the best 'waiting room' alternatives in Cape Town. Have you visited I Love Coffee, or is there another hidden gem around Claremont that I should check out? Let me know.
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