From large murals to the tiny, intricate detail of making pictures in milk, adventurer barista Amedeo Bisogno, 26, has now turned his attention to the unseen art of using coffee as a way to create connectivity between people.
When he takes to the stage at the regional Eastern Cape Barista championships this weekend, the Jeffreys Bay resident – a big dreamer – will have nothing to prove, except to say thank you, he says.
Bisogno moved to Cape Town aged 19 with dreams of making it big in the art world.
“I didn’t have a job . . . I thought, let me try the ‘art thing’.”
While he underplays his success, his work as part of the Creation Generation Media Project was widely featured.
Bisogno, Rayaan Cassiem, Anwar Davids and Leigh Cupido were responsible for a 5x12m mural in Woodstock, of a woman and a mask.
His success in the art world did not bring in much money though and a young Bisogno found himself scrubbing floors and cleaning Cape Town’s restaurants to stay alive.
Soon he was asked to work as a waiter, a task he took to with attentiveness and care.
“I believe all you do reflects on your character,” he said.
“I got quite intrigued by the coffee-making process. I asked the owner if I could try to work on the coffee machine. They said no. I needed training first.”
Bisogno could not afford formal training, but went online to learn as much as he could and started watching the baristas closely.
“Then a friend asked if I wanted to manage their coffee shop. I took a leap of faith and said, ‘let’s do it’.”
Soon he made the local media again and was described as one of the top brewers in Cape Town.
“I still wanted more. All that glitter wasn’t fulfilling to me. I was looking for a simpler life.”
A series of heartbreaking events followed when his engagement broke up and his father died. “It taught me to really appreciate special moments.”
He then left Cape Town to work on a farm and learnt how to roast coffee. After leaving the farm he found himself sleeping on his grandmother’s couch in Jeffreys Bay.
“I started waitering again and also used my artistic gift to make some money. “
But his dreams of coffee wouldn’t leave him.
“I built a coffee counter at the house where I was living.
“Then Ubuntu Backpackers said they had their carport available and asked if I wanted to rent it to sell some coffee.
“I had no equipment but I said ‘let’s do it’.
“I think my turnover was about R300 but I was grateful.
He had arranged to rent a small coffee machine
“It became a beautiful little hub. My turnover increased to R900 a day.
“Then I got a visit from the city council to say I was operating illegally and my zoning was not correct.
“But I had a licence and a certificate. I had to move my shop at the end of the week.
“I just let it be. Then I heard there was a shop across from where I was originally trading. I couldn’t afford it but I said, yes, I will make a plan.”
In an incredible show of support, the Jeffreys Bay community came to help. A businessman sponsored the wood.
“I went to a paint place and said I need paint [and] I can’t give anything in return.
“Oumas, oupas and tannies all came to help. A guy in Plettenberg Bay said I could have his coffee machine.
“Even today I am humbled, overwhelmed and filled with gratitude about the way in which my shop came about.”
His coffee shop, Fifth Wave Coffee, has now increased his turnover to R2,500.
“There is no glitter here – just guys who love what they do. Coffee looks like a simple drink, but it is very complex. I approach life with a similar attitude.
“As soon as people step into my coffee shop the homeliness hits them. I ask them how they are and we can have a genuine moment of real interaction.
“We have an initiative to ask older people in the community to come and share their stories. We invite people to just be.
“Because everything is so fast-paced, I believe we need coffee. Coffee connects people in a real way.”
He said there had been four waves in the history of how coffee evolved in society – traditional coffee culture, branded coffee, artisan coffee, and a fourth ill-defined wave focusing on sustainability.
He said the world is ready for a new wave and that is why he named his shop Fifth Wave.
“It is about what coffee does in society. It focuses on people and interaction.”
Bisogno said he was not competitive by nature, but had entered the competition as a way to say thank you to all who helped him in establishing his coffee shop.
● The Eastern Cape Barista Championships will be held at the Red Band Barista Academy at Father’s House church, North End, on Friday night and Saturday.
Entrance is free.