The 1st of October every year marks a very special day for java lovers around the world: International Coffee Day! Whether it’s an espresso, iced cap, or flavoured coffee that finds its way on your order, today is the perfect excuse to enjoy a good cuppa, and perhaps even a slice of cake…
The history of International Coffee Day
While this year marks the 8th International Coffee Day, coffee and its fame go pretty far back. Some reports speculate that coffee’s origins trace back to 700AD! What we do know for sure though, is that the world’s beloved drink originates from Ethiopia.
Eventually, coffee made its way to Yemen in the 15th century and spread to Egypt, Persia and Turkey. Due to the popularity of the drink, coffee houses began popping up in the areas. These pre-cursors to coffee shops and cafes were often called Schools of the Wise.
By the 17th century, coffee made its way to Europe, with European coffee houses quickly becoming centres of social activity.
After some time, coffee landed in North America. It eventually became known as the “favourite drink of the civilised world” – as quoted by Thomas Jefferson. Coffee houses became just as popular as in Europe and as history ticked on, this beloved drink became one of the world’s most profitable export crops.
And now, coffee remains one of the world’s most favourite drinks and coffee shops remain a hotspot for intellectual stimulation (who doesn’t like whipping out your laptop and sipping a delicious cuppa joe?) and catching up with friends. Hence several countries introduced their own national coffee days to celebrate coffee, baristas and their fans.
In 2014, the International Coffee Organisation declared October 1st as International Coffee Day!
ALSO SEE: The health benefits of drinking coffee
Keep the coffee lovers coming
While coffee’s popularity doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, coffee houses and shops have evolved. They need more than just good coffee to keep customers coming through their doors – beyond just this joyous Coffee-centric day.
Juan Fourie, head of Hospitality and Leisure at Santam shares his top tips that’ll take your establishment from good to great:
Wi-Fi
Fourie also acknowledges that in today’s “always-on digital age,” Wi-Fi is a must. He says that you should “have a good connection, an easy login process, and, it should be free (at least for an initial period).”
Cleanliness
Cleanliness has become increasingly important to customers since COVID-19, especially when it comes to hospitality. “A spotless shop is not only about clean tables and floors,” says Fourie. While stringent COVID regulations are a thing of the past, Fourie suggests that hand sanitiser should always be kept at the ready and that staff should always adhere to good hygiene practices.
Backup power
Loadshedding is my favourite excuse to head to a coffee shop and knock out some work. Fourie says that alternative power is critical, because you must keep the grinder going and the Wi-Fi on, even when the lights go off.
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Feature Image: Unsplash.
