Under our own olive tree: When in Port Elizabeth ..... Masterton's

Heading up Russell Road in Port Elizabeth on our way to Richmond Hill, my friend Korien and I stopped at Masterton’s Coffee and Tea Specialists, a legendary roastery that opened its doors in 1924. Getting out of the car at this quaint corner building, your nose is already in coffee heaven. The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans seems to envelope the building and even the street.

The roastery has been run by the same family since it opened. The founder, John “Jock” Masterton, came from Scotland after meeting a fellow officer from South Africa during World War 1, who persuaded him to move here. He then met the girl (as you do), moved to PE because her family was from there and opened “The Tea and Coffee House." Today you will find his son James Masterton behind the counter, continuing the tradition of roasting, grinding and blending.

The unassuming décor inside with black and white old photos of the shop, vintage coffee grinders, egg trays against the ceiling and coffee bags full of unroasted beans all remind you that somehow this iconic little shop is (and should be) an beautiful example of something that was a good idea to begin with, was done well and with love over the years, and has now combined its core business (still a good idea) with a great story to become something that very few businesses ever achieve: a local legend.