Two spoons or one? Milk first or last? Boiling water or “just off the boil”? Nobody ever just drinks coffee. To mark International Coffee Day on 01 October, NESCAFÉ has launched a campaign celebrating the opinions, rituals and non-negotiables behind every South African cup. It asks one question… What’s Your Coffee-losophy?
Around the world, coffee is enjoyed in countless ways, from a quick espresso at an Italian bar counter to a slow, shared pot in Ethiopia or a sweet-iced coffee on a busy street in Vietnam. Every culture has its own way of making a cup its own, and South Africa is no different. Here, coffee is the rusk-dunking morning ritual, the flask on a long road trip, the pot put on the moment visitors walk through the door, and the carefully guarded “this is how I take it” that every household knows by heart.
A Coffee-losophy is the personal point of view behind your perfect cup. How you make it, why you like it that way, and what those choices reveal about how you take on life. Whether you’re loyal to two spoons of NESCAFÉ Classic with a drop of skimmed milk in your grandmother’s old china cup, or you’ve never measured anything in your life, NESCAFÉ believes there is a philosophy in every cup.
Coffee moments are evolving
How South Africans enjoy coffee is also changing, and the nation’s love for it keeps growing. According to MAPS data from the Marketing Research Foundation, analysed by Eighty20, 22.7 million South Africans (nearly half the adult population) drink coffee every day, with consumption growing by nearly 8% year on year.
The way people enjoy their coffee has evolved over time. Iced coffee is no longer just a summer treat, customisation has become part of the experience, and a new generation of coffee lovers is swapping recipes, flavour combinations and coffee hacks online. Coffee-losophy celebrates both the classic rituals passed down through families and the new creations being shared on social media every day.
Share your Coffee-losophy
At the heart of the campaign is a simple invitation for coffee lovers to share their personal Coffee-losophy: the recipes, rituals, preferences and everyday moments that make their cup uniquely theirs. From a carefully measured NESCAFÉ Classic to an indulgent NESCAFÉ Cappuccino, a refined NESCAFÉ Gold moment, an iced coffee hack with NESCAFÉ Espresso Concentrate or a comforting Ricoffy ritual, every cup has a story to tell.
Share it, and stand a chance to win
Coffee lovers are invited to share their coffee recipes, rituals or photos on Instagram for a chance to win 1 of 20 cash vouchers worth R2 000 each.
“Ask any South African how they take their coffee and you’ll get a very specific answer, usually with a story attached,” says Anna Stewart, Business Executive Officer, Beverages, Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region. “Those little rules and rituals say so much about who we are, and International Coffee Day is the perfect moment to celebrate them.
With Coffee-losophy, NESCAFÉ is inviting everyone to share their coffee personality proudly and maybe learn something about the people they share a kettle with. There’s no right or wrong answer, only your Coffee-losophy.
Behind every cup
Every Coffee-losophy starts long before the kettle boils. While South Africans debate spoons, sugar and milk, International Coffee Day is also a moment to recognise the farmers and communities around the world who grow the coffee we love.
How to take part:
· Share your coffee recipe, ritual or a photo of your cup on Instagram, tagging @nescafesa and using#Coffeelosophy to stand a chance to win one of 20 cash vouchers worth R2 000 each.
· The competition starts from 01 October 2026 and full terms and conditions are available atnescafe.com/za/campaigns.
