GET YOUR FIX WITH THE COFFEE QUEEN
- O&A Team
- March 18, 2025
- People
- Battle of the Beans competition, Fikile “Fiks” Khuzwayo, Fiks the Coffee Queen, Mobile coffee, Mr Price
- 0 Comments
WORDS: DENNIS NGXONGO
Battle of the Beans judge and coffee lover extraordinaire, Dennis Ngxongo, met up with Fiks Khuzwayo to find out about the Fiks the Coffee Queen’ phenomenon
In life, as one goes from encounter to encounter, there are certain people who put a smile not only on one’s dial but also in one’s heart. Fiks The Coffee Queen is one such person.
A ball of energy and warmth, Fiks is wonderfully adaptable, friendly and all encompassing – one moves from stranger to ‘Chommie’ with Fiks in a matter of minutes. She has a joie de vivre and a love for people that is infectious.
Fikile “Fiks” Khuzwayo, born in uMkhomazi in the South Coast, is not only one of the judges of the annual Battle of the Beans competition, she is also the founder and CEO of the mobile franchise Fiks the Coffee Queen Mobile. She has become a familiar and welcome sighting at major sporting events in Kingsmead Cricket Stadium and Kings Park where she and her team serve their very tasty brew with a smile and utmost professionalism.
The Fiks coffee machines, the way the staff handle them, and the resulting brew, are a confluence of positivity that leaves you with more than your coffee’s worth. You feel like you’ve hit the proverbial coffee six, having made good friends in each of the bustling venues.
A PASSION FOR COFFEE
Chatting over a brew at the Mr Price Head Office in Umgeni, Fiks tells me that she has always had a passion for coffee. Having had 10 years’ worth of experience in all aspects of the restaurant industry, she got a chance to visit one of the jewels of the South Coast, the Beaver Creek coffee farm, where she quickly found she was completely besotted.
“That is where I learned about coffee plantations, coffee growing, natural processing and the washing process of coffee. I loved it and found it heady and fascinating,” she explains.
Fiks then went on to join the (winning) team of Lineage Coffee in Hillcrest to add to her skills. This is where she learnt all about roasting and customer service. The team at Lineage was supportive and really encouraged her to go beyond just doing her job.
While at Lineage, Fiks entered and won the Master Barista competition in 2016. Despite this being her very first entry, she made it to the Top 6. She then went on to compete in the national finals in Johannesburg where she came 21st and was nominated for the Outstanding Women in Coffee Award.
A few more competitions and her confidence, always there, came into its own. In her own words, she realised: “l am killing it in coffee” – and this success planted the idea in her mind to start her own business.”
“I could see an opportunity, because all good coffee was in coffee shops and restaurants, but people wanted good coffee everywhere, and especially at events”, she says.
“Not everyone drinks – and even those that do may need something to wake them up – nothing achieves that better than a good coffee,” she continues somewhat disarmingly.
In September 2020, Fiks ventured out and started her own coffee stand – and that is how the brand “FIKS THE COFFEE QUEEN was born, complete with the slogan: “Get your Fix with Fiks the Coffee Queen”.
GOOD COFFEE AT A PRICE
But this is not all that Fiks does. She has a day job at clothing and homeware retailer Mr Price managing the coffee station in the canteen.
The Mr Price Group employs some tens of thousands of people across the South, West and East Africa. A lot of these people are based in or visit the Durban head office which takes up two city blocks in Umgeni. I was fortunate to catch up with Fiks there and to watch her at work.
The line at Mr Price snakes through the entire canteen precinct during rush hour – but she takes that in her stride, dispensing coffee, jokes and charm.
“I know my clients by now, and they know me. I know who needs what blend of coffee for their day to improve and I serve them with happiness and pride,” she explains.
Indeed, while I was there, five people came in for their ‘special order’ from Fiks. They all received a hero’s welcome. Their order was dispatched in double time, all the while with happy banter that is unique to Fiks. Everyone was “my love, darling or my friend” and you could see them blossom from both her attention and her brew.
“Around lunchtime, I change the blend slightly to make sure my people are not hyper-caffeinated and, from 3 pm, I serve a gentle brew for the commute home”, she confides.
I asked how she juggled Mr Price with Fiks the Coffee Queen. She credited her success to her very supportive work environment: “I am very happy to work in such a supportive company. A lot of my colleagues come to the stadia for matches and they see me and support me. My managers are always accommodating when it comes to the needs of my business and have, on occasion, given me time off to set up.”
Luckily, this does not happen often as Fiks the Coffee Queen events are generally over weekends or in the evenings: “ I am also lucky to have a very supportive husband who understands that my coffee passion takes me away from home a lot and he is happy for me to be”.
Her family are well trained – by Fiks herself – in the craft of coffee making and also double up as employees for her thriving business.
FIKS THE COFFEE JUDGE
Fiks has lent The Battle of the Beans competition a special levity in judging that she couples with very high standards.
“Knowing how to make the perfect cup of coffee, I am quick to spot mistakes, and I choose, in the spirit of this competition, not to criticize but to teach and train so that the baristas know where they are getting it wrong. It is great fun,” she quips.
With such a sunny disposition and a hard-working ethos, Fiks is deserving not only of her success but the further growth that is inevitable with someone with her unique and inspiring drive.
