Nobuhle Magwentshu brews a bigger future for African coffee

Source: Supplied | Nobuhle Magwentshu, Founder and CEO, Asmara Coffee

Magwentshu's career spans more than 20 years across manufacturing, FMCG and retail, where she worked in food and beverage development. Her interest in coffee grew while developing offers for major oil companies, prompting her to travel to coffee-growing regions in Africa and learn more about the value chain.

Since incorporating Asmara Coffee in 2014 and becoming operational in 2018, Magwentshu has grown the business through partnerships with major hospitality and retail players. The company now supplies City Lodge and Courtyard Hotels nationwide, while expanding its production capacity and developing its own footprint.

For Women's Month, Bizcommunity caught up with Magwentshu about building an African coffee brand, overcoming the challenges of scaling an SMME, and creating opportunities for others along the way.

You founded Asmara Coffee with a vision to showcase African coffee while creating opportunities within local communities. Looking back, what first inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship, and what has been the defining moment of your journey so far?

My entrepreneurial journey was inspired by a desire to create a proudly African brand that pays homage to Africa as the origin of coffee, while making quality coffee more accessible and creating meaningful opportunities within our communities.

A defining moment was securing our partnership with City Lodge Hotels, which affirmed our potential and enabled us to scale, create employment and develop young people through barista training.

Building a business from the ground up is rarely straightforward. As a woman entrepreneur in the food and beverage sector, what barriers have you had to overcome, and what have those experiences taught you about resilience and leadership?

Building Asmara Coffee has been an incredibly rewarding journey of growth and discovery. Along the way, I have had to overcome limited access to funding, market visibility and the resources needed to scale in a highly competitive industry.

As a woman entrepreneur, I have also had to work harder to establish credibility and earn my place at the table. These experiences have taught me to remain focused, adaptable and committed to the vision. They have also shown me that leadership is about bringing people along, creating opportunities and building a team that believes in the purpose of the business.

Asmara Coffee has grown beyond being a coffee brand into a business focused on community impact and African storytelling. What are your key priorities for the business over the next few years?

Our priority is to grow Asmara Coffee into a profitable and sustainable leading African coffee brand while remaining true to our purpose: making quality African coffee accessible, honouring the continent as the origin of coffee, and creating sustainable, permanent employment.

Over the next few years, we aim to expand our presence across retail, hospitality and our own cafés, while developing young people through skills and barista training and sharing authentic African stories that celebrate our rich coffee heritage.

Many women aspire to start their own businesses but struggle to access funding, networks or mentorship. What practical changes would you like to see to make entrepreneurship more accessible for women?

As an SMME in the growth phase, I believe funders should make funding more accessible, flexible and responsive to the realities of growing businesses.

The process should be less burdensome, with greater consideration given to a business’s potential, track record and confirmed market opportunities rather than relying mainly on collateral.

Funding should also be supported by practical mentorship, meaningful networks and access to markets, enabling more women to build profitable, sustainable businesses.

Coffee has long connected people and cultures. How do you see businesses like yours contributing to South Africa's tourism and hospitality experience while celebrating African identity?

Businesses like ours enrich South Africa’s tourism and hospitality experience by offering visitors an authentic taste of Africa through locally roasted coffee and meaningful storytelling.

Our name, Asmara, means “love” in Indonesian and, in Eritrean history, is associated with “they united” — a story of four women who brought their communities together. This spirit of love and unity reflects how coffee connects people and cultures.

Through our partnerships with hotels, restaurants and cafés, every cup becomes an opportunity to celebrate African identity and share our heritage.

Of everything you've achieved so far, which accomplishment makes you the proudest, and why does it stand out?

My proudest achievement is building Asmara Coffee from the ground up over the past 10 years into a successful, proudly African brand. However, the achievement that carries the greatest significance for me is creating permanent jobs.

Each position represents a secure livelihood and, by extension, supports multiple families and communities. As a woman entrepreneur, knowing that a vision I pursued with determination has grown into a profitable and sustainable business that enables others to provide for their families is both humbling and deeply meaningful.

You've built a brand with purpose. What advice would you give to young women who dream of turning an idea into a sustainable business but are unsure where to begin?

Treat your passion as a business from the very beginning. Understand your market, know your numbers and remain focused on the problem you are solving.

Be agile and ready to respond to change without becoming so emotionally invested in the original idea that you overlook what the business or your customers require.

Entrepreneurship comes with considerable uncertainty, and success often depends on your ability to adapt, make difficult decisions and keep moving forward.

Purpose may inspire the journey, but agility, profitability and sound financial discipline are what make a business sustainable.

As we celebrate Women's Month, what message would you like to share with the next generation of women entrepreneurs who hope to leave their own mark on South Africa?

As we celebrate Women’s Month, my message to the next generation of women entrepreneurs is to back yourself, take up space and build with courage, discipline and purpose.

But do not forget to be kind to yourself. If a business fails, it does not mean that you have failed; it is a lesson. Allow yourself to grieve, take what the experience has taught you and move forward without losing yourself in the process.

I know this with certainty because I have had to rise from many failures and confront shame and self-doubt along the way.

Starting over, sometimes more than once, is part of both entrepreneurship and life. Your wellbeing matters just as much as the business you are building.