Slowing Down to Smell the Coffee

One Namibian business that was born out of passion seems to be unstoppable in their success. From humble beginnings in Swakopmund, Slowtown Coffee Roasters have become a proudly Namibian household name and go-to coffee for all who love to slow down and enjoy the coffee way of life. Talking about how this business came about, 99FM’s MYD Smart spoke to Dennis De Wet, the man who started it all.

“Slowtown is a product of discontentment.I studied Financial Analysis. When I started working in the very corporate world, I realised that I didn’t like it”

“Slowtown is a product of discontentment.” Says Dennis, “ I studied Financial Analysis. When I started working in the very corporate world, I realised that I didn’t like it; the routine of it. I also realised that there are people who love their jobs, people who wake up excited in the morning. That wasn’t me. This is the opposite of how I felt, doing Finance.”

“My process was that I asked myself, what do I love and what can I say I am passionate about. I drew up a list of all the things I love, this included surfing, wine and coffee. In each one of these things, there are business opportunities. If not building a business, you can work in the industry of your passion.”

“I did a process of elimination. After I did my research, I realised there was an opportunity for coffee roasting here in Namibia. People love coffee, so if you can offer them something even better than they are used to, there could be a market there.”

“Coffee is not just a drink; there is a whole vibe about coffee. It’s about connecting, relating and sharing. The name Slowtown came about because it is about slowing down and enjoying the process again.”

Coffee is not just a drink; there is a whole vibe about coffee. It’s about connecting, relating and sharing. The name Slowtown came about because it is about slowing down and enjoying the process again. Coffee, as a way to connect, is about getting people relating and hopefully off their phones.” Laughs Dennis.

“In the beginning people thought I was mad, stupid and that I wouldn’t be able to make a living selling coffee.”

The formula works, as today Slowtown Coffee Roasters have 5 shops in Namibia. “The growth has been organic. We started in Swakopmund and in the beginning people thought I was mad, stupid and that I wouldn’t be able to make a living selling coffee. But for me, I enjoyed the process. In the beginning we were roasting in the shop. There was a lot of worry; especially financial worry having a family to provide for but looking back, it was fun. In the early days, I did all the roasting and packing myself. I would run the shop and then roast in the evening from 5pm until 11pm and the next morning start it all again. I did everything from mopping floors to packing the coffee. I think that’s important. I didn’t have a big budget, in the beginning everything in the shop was handmade or rebuilt by hand from items I bought on auction. It was fun. It was a challenge, but fun and I believe that is important for your character growth. Not just jumping in and having everything. Having to do it organically. Have the business grow itself.”

People see the shops now and think, what I good idea, or that it was easy. No one sees the blood sweat and tears. It was hard work.”

“I realised quickly that I wasn’t building a business, I was building a brand.”

When talking his learning as a business owner, Dennis notes “I realised quickly that I wasn’t building a business, I was building a brand. Everything I do needs to be for the good of the brand. I need to protect the brand. The business will grow by itself if the brand is protected.”

He adds that another important aspect of growing a successful business is your support structure. He explains, “There will be times where you start to doubt yourself, or when you think you didn’t do the right thing, or your expectations aren’t met in terms of how quickly it will grow. You can have the perfect spreadsheets, your budgets look great but things don’t work out that way. There were many times I thought it wasn’t working. If it weren’t for my wife’s encouragement in those times, I would have given up. I might not have even started in fact. Her encouragement was the key.”

“Your positive outlook will also have an affect on your success. A negative outlook means you will never make it out of where you are.”

Dennis also advises that, “there are so many opportunities, whether you’ve been to school or not, whether you have the finance or not. You first need to know who you are. Do you like risk? If you don’t, then you’re not an entrepreneur. That’s okay. You can still live out your passion working in a company.” He adds to remember that; “your positive outlook will also have an affect on your success. A negative outlook means you will never make it out of where you are.”

Growing from strength to strength, this Namibian Artisan Coffee Roasters have become known for their quality and freshness, being proudly Namibian and being anti-anything-mass-produced. When asked where to from here, Dennis says, “This year I am fine tuning everything that we’ve got. And in the future I’d like to look at exporting.”

Find Slow Town Coffee Roasters through their website by clicking here, or through their Facebook page, by clicking here

Written by Kirsty Watermeyer