CONSIDERED COFFEE

Seam was birthed out of the heart of David Walstra after visiting coffee farms in Burundi and seeing the dire need of farmers and producers. His vision was that coffee trade should be different. Instead of looking at coffee as a lifeless commodity, he saw coffee as the livelihoods that the crop underpins. And so we began. 
We visit farms, we learn about struggles and, most importantly, we shake hands on a price that exceeds the cost of production.

IF COFFEE CAN CREATE COMMUNITY WHERE IT IS CONSUMED, WE BELIEVE IT SHOULD BUILD COMMUNITIES WHERE IT IS GROWN.

Seam – connecting coffee farmers and coffee drinkers through ethical and sustainable trade.

You may have heard the terms to describe sourcing coffee such as direct trade (developed to improve the increasingly convoluted fair trade system), relationship coffee, speciality coffee and even transparent trade.

It may come as a surprise that none of these terms or any other form of coffee trade for that matter requires disclosure on how much a farmer was paid for his/her coffee cherry - which for us should be at the very top of anyone's check list when talking about ethical and sustainable coffee.

Moving on a few years and our partnership with Raw Material in establishing the South African operation has given us the ability to disclose all the costs involved in the coffee process, including the profit each farmer made, making this a first for South Africa and the start of a journey we are proud to be walking.

WHAT'S EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE IS THAT 100% OF GREEN PROFITS ARE RETURNED TO THE FARMERS/PRODUCERS, ENSURING THE COFFEE IS BOTH ETHICALLY AND SUSTAINABLY SOURCED, CREATING MAXIMUM IMPACT FOR FARMING COMMUNITIES

COFFEE TEAM OF THE YEAR 2025
Coffee Magazine Awards

BEST SOUTH AFRICAN SPECIALTY COFFEE COMPANY 2025
Lux Life Magazine Food & Drink Awards

THE SPRUDGE TWENTY CLASS OF 2025 - DAVID WALSTRA
Sprudge and Pacific Barista Series

SUSTAINABLE COFFEE ROASTER 2025 - FINALIST
Sprudgie Awards (The Oscars of Coffee)

BEST COFFEE ROASTERY SOUTH AFRICA 2025
African Excellence Awards

COFFEE INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR 2024 - CLAIRE STRYDOM
Coffee Magazine Awards

BEST COFFEE ROASTERY SOUTH AFRICA 2024
African Excellence Awards

BEST COFFEE ROASTERY SOUTH AFRICA 2023
African Excellence Awards

MOST ETHICAL COFFEE ROASTERY 2023
International Lux Awards

BEST PACKAGING INNOVATION 2023 - FINALIST
World Coffee Innovation Awards

ROASTERY OF THE YEAR 2022
Coffee Magazine Awards

EXCELLENCE IN COFFEE 2022 - DAVID WALSTRA
Coffee Magazine Awards

BEST IN CATEGORY NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE PACKAGING 2022
Gold Pack Awards

BEST COFFEE PACKAGING 2021
Coffee Magazine Awards

BEST COFFEE ROASTERY - JOHANNESBURG 2021
International Lux Awards

BUSINESS IGNITE 2020 - FINALIST
Nedbank/702 Business Ignite

CAFE OF THE YEAR 2020
Coffee Magazine Awards

CAFE OF THE YEAR 2019
Coffee Magazine Awards

BEST NEW ROASTERY 2018
Coffee Magazine Awards