The Rose Café on the N14 by Kakamas on your way to Augrabies Waterfalls and Namakwaland

THE ROSE CAFE, KAKAMAS

Kakamas on the N14

PHONE: 083 411 6857
Trip Advisor


Urban Coffee in a Rural Setting

Question: What do Radiography, Kakamas, and Electric Vehicles have in common?

Answer: Coreen Loubser

Question: Okay … Who is Coreen Loubser?

Answer: Coreen is a radiographer who relocated to Kakamas in the Northern Cape and is in the process of establishing an EV charging station on her premises. Her premises are The Rose Café on the N4 on the way to the Augrabies Waterfalls. Since 2009 Coreen has been managing a coffee shop along with her team. “Everybody needs to be able to do everything” she laughs “once our coffee shop tasks are complete then we all tackle the guesthouse tasks.” The Belvedere Guesthouse has been Coreen’s other business since 2001.

It’s called The Rose Café, but it offers more than coffee. “My Zimbabwean chef makes toasted sandwiches, steaks, pizzas, fish and chips, and hamburgers,” says Coreen “and we serve breakfast to our guests in the café.”

Customers get a free chocolate spoon with their cappuccinos. “I’ve always said I want to offer city quality coffee in a small town,” says Coreen with pride “Good coffee and Ouma Rooi’s koeksisters are our specialties.” She believes one must be able to think on your feet in the hospitality industry and regularly come up with new and different offerings.

Originally Coreen had fifteen rooms in the guesthouse, but since Covid, she lets one room as a hair salon and one as a beauty salon. Guests are mostly tourists from Cape Town or Johannesburg on their way to Augrabies Falls National Park, or to see the flower in Namaqualand. She also hosts table grape exporters.

In the coffee shop Coreen sells local jams, and every day they bake a batch of bread on-site. Together they are a winning combination. The coffee shop doubles as an art gallery with for sale works by Portchie brightening up the room.

EV charging station with solar panels

“I am very thrilled to be part of the Zero Carbon Charge project we’re starting with Joubert,” says Coreen “I’d already installed solar panels on roofs, so this is the next step further along in the same direction.” The panels drastically lowered her electricity bill, and there are several massive solar farms in the area, so she is fully aware of the sunny Northern Cape’s potential.

Coreen is not quite sure which EV she’ll buy once the Zero Carbon Charge station is operational. “A Tesla, I suppose …” she laughs nervously “but my middle son (of three) will need a vehicle when he goes to Maties, so we’ll have to see what’s affordable.”

Is there a charging station in Van Rhynsdorp? Because that is exactly halfway between The Rose Café and Stellenbosch University. Watch this space!