Home-Grown Brews
As Port Edward is situated in the lush area of the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, it is surrounded by fertile farmlands. The humidity, intricate climate and weather of the South Coast permits for the production of fruits, such as bananas and pineapples, and more recently, coffee beans.
Coffee production in South Africa has historically been limited to a small number of farms, but the demand for home-grown beans has risen within the last few years. Coffee beans are grown mostly in the eastern part of South Africa, in provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Port Edward’s famous coffee exports come from Beaver Creek Coffee Estate. They specialise in Arabica Varietals, and is the world’s southernmost coffee growing plantation.
Other coffee plantations in KwaZulu-Natal include Echo Valley Coffee in Port Shepstone, and Assagay Coffee Farm near Pietermaritzburg. There is even a plantation along the Zululand coast that produces a caffeine-free bean, Coffea racemosa.