Coffee Lab, owned and run by Sbusiso Nkolothi, has walked away with the prestigious award of TOP COFFEE SHOP KZN 2024 in this year’s Battle of the Beans competition, sponsored by Selati. The Battle of the Beans is a competition that celebrate KZN’s coffee culture and the skills and service of independent coffee shops throughout the province. It was created to recognise the stalwarts of coffee culture in KwaZulu-Natal, with a team of 30 judges visiting more than 250 coffee shops province wide, incognito, to assess baristas’ skills, behaviour and service, while critiquing the overall look of their cappuccino, milk foaming techniques and latte art. They also judged the atmosphere of the environment, the feel, look and the vibe of each store and, of course, the extraction of espresso, its texture and flavour.

Sbu was presented with two awards at the prizegiving event on Thursday, 30 February, firstly being recognised as one the Top 3 Coffee Shops in the North Coast Region, then walking away with first place for the Top Coffee Shop in the whole province. 

“Winning the Top Coffee Shop in KZN was a very special moment! To be recognised at that level has elevated our confidence and pushes us to continue doing better by creating a great environment and good experience for our customers,” says Sbu. “A massive THANK YOU to our amazing customers and hardworking team for making this dream a reality! Every cup, every visit, and every smile means the world to us.”  

Congratulations to Sbu and his outstanding team on bringing the title of Top Coffee Shop in KZN to Ballito! Follow Coffee Lab on Instagram @coffeelab_lifestyle and visit them at The Studios at Lifestyle Centre to experience the best coffee shop in KZN, as judged by The Battle of the Beans!