The best coffee in Jewel City – a story of hope and success

Key Takeaways:

• From streets to success: Tebogo “Tebza” Mabye grew up on Hillbrow streets and homeless shelters to become a coffee shop owner, demonstrating inner-city potential
• Self-taught entrepreneur: With no business or barista background, he learned everything through passion for coffee and people after taking over his first shop
• Jewel City as catalyst: Views the development as a “beacon of light” that brought hope and fresh investment to a previously declining Johannesburg CBD
• Community-focused growth: Plans to employ young people and expand Hillbrewed across Atterbury properties while creating a “second home” atmosphere for all ages
• Urban regeneration philosophy: Believes inner-city projects succeed by involving existing residents rather than displacing them, creating ownership and pride in the community

Jewel City has created a whole new buzz in the Johannesburg CBD, presenting business opportunities for many of the city’s entrepreneurs. Tebogo Mabye is one of these – from growing up on the streets of Hillbrow to coffee shop owner, he is a true reflection of the great potential of the city. We share Tebza’s excitement about his new coffee shop, Hillbrewed Coffee, which is due to open in November…

Tell us more about Hillbrewed Coffee – is this a new business, or just a new venue for you? What still needs to happen before you open?
We are actually a year and a half old, and this is our second shop. We closed our original store in Ellis Park during the lockdown and we then didn’t have a shop for a while, before I found this space in Jewel City. At the moment we are busy with shop-fitting, painting and branding before we’ll be ready to open in a few weeks.

What is your background and how did you come to be a coffee shop owner?
I used to work for an NGO in the inner city; but I always wanted to do something entrepreneurial; although I wasn’t sure what. Then an opportunity came along to take over the coffee shop in Ellis Park, and I jumped at the chance. I didn’t have any training or background, and hadn’t even run a shop before, so it was all new to me! But I have a passion for people, and for coffee, and I just knew I wanted to share that. I taught myself what I needed to run a business, and to be a barista.

How many people do you employ?
In my first shop we employed four people, but then lockdown came. I will probably look to employ four new people, and I would like them to be young people, because I believe in giving youth an opportunity to learn and gain experience.

Do you live in the CBD yourself? If not, is it something you are considering – and would you live in Jewel City and surrounds?
I’m a city boy through and through; born and raised in Hillbrow, and hence the name Hillbrewed: my shop pays homage to my home town. I live two minutes away from Jewel City, but I am considering moving into one of the new apartments here because I think they’re really cool and it would be really awesome to live, work and play in Jewel City!

What is your take on Jewel City – how do you think this will affect the lives of people of the CBD?
Jewel City is a beacon of light in what used to be a dying part of Joburg. Not a lot of people were giving attention to the CBD; Maboneng was going down, property values were decreasing… Jewel City has brought a fresh look and has given the city some hope, something to look forward to, and there is more to come. As the tenants, we will still, as a collective, make it come alive. Having Shoprite and Clicks right here is amazing. Watching the kids play in the water, and skate and cycle around, seeing people jogging in the city… it is wonderful. I think it has given everyone hope that there are still people who care about the city and want to invest in it.

As a city dweller, how is it affecting your own life?
It has given me another platform to do what I love, which is to serve fresh and amazing coffee and interact with people and tell my story of how I grew up in the city – and the story of Joburg. This is a phenomenal city and we haven’t tapped into its potential, and once we do, amazing things will happen, through and in Jewel City. I believe it will impact so many people’s lives, and most importantly, the lives of kids who are seeing beauty in their city. Growing up in this beautiful part of town will inspire them to be more and do more in life.

What was your highlight of the Heritage Day opening weekend of Jewel City?
My highlight was having my coffee truck outside! It was a beautiful weekend – the music, the vibe, people queueing for their boerewors rolls… it was just filled with what South Africa is about, a true reflection of South Africa, from poor people to middle class people to very wealthy people; black, white, Indian, Chinese. It was a beautiful experience – I think I got high on the experience of being part of something so phenomenal, also seeing so many people from outside the CBD coming in to be part of the festivities.

What is your dream for Hillbrewed Coffee – can you share any future plans, and where would you like the business to be in five years’ time?
I want us to make an impact and sell the best coffee in the city, but also not be limited to Jewel City. I’d love to be in each and every one of Atterbury’s properties – hint, hint! I’d love to see Hillbrewed become a place where people of all ages can come to relax and chill, where they know they can come to enjoy the coffee, but also the music and the vibe, a place they can call a second home! I want us to activate the space to be about more than coffee, holding events and more. I think my business starts with coffee, but it goes beyond that; it touches people’s lives. My story as a young kid who grew up on the streets of Hillbrow, partly in the homeless shelters, to have grown up to be a coffee shop owner, is a beautiful, unique story to tell, and I want to share it with the world. I want my shop to be a beacon of light, for people to look at Tebza and to know we can all do more in life. In the next five years I hope that Hillbrewed will grow and extend into a restaurant; I hope to maybe take over more space for this and create something really authentic, like we are.

Why do you think inner-city projects such as Jewel City are important?
Reinvesting in the inner city is so important because there are so many people here, which means that there’s money, and so much potential. By creating something here that doesn’t chase away the people of the inner city, but which involves them and makes them part of the development, instils a sense of pride so that they start taking care of their city. Jewel City has been able to do that – it is for the people, by the people, involving the people, which is great, and that will make it a success… People will take ownership of the place and we will make sure that it succeeds because we are invested in Joburg and in Jewel City and its success. If Jewel City doesn’t make it, for instance, I won’t make it as an entrepreneur, so I will take it on myself to make sure that the place is taken care of, that it is clean, that the right people are here, that we limit the crime around us. And it will flow out of Jewel City, it won’t just stop here. I believe in the broken-window theory – if we see a broken window we fix it, and we keep fixing it, and the people who break the windows will see there are people who care… In the end they will also start caring, and taking care of their city… And that will bring the real beauty to the inner city of Johannesburg.