From burnt beginnings to bold new brews
Hi, I’m Claus Obermeyer — founder of Golden Ground Coffee.
Like many great things, our story begins with failure.
In late 2018, I roasted my first-ever batch of coffee. It was terrible. But it needed to be.
That first burnt batch sparked something far more important — a deep obsession with learning how to roast coffee that truly captured flavour, balance, and character.
From the start, our goal was simple — to make coffee we genuinely enjoyed.
The only catch? We knew what we didn’t like — but had no idea how to make what we dreamed of.
GR Coffee
By early 2019, we started Gooseberry Roasters, a small-batch micro-roastery focused on showcasing the beauty of African single-origin beans.
With roots in the Stellenbosch wine scene, I brought a winemaker’s palate and philosophy to the craft.
Just as great wine expresses the land it comes from, so too could coffee. That became our foundation: roast for flavour, origin, and integrity.
We experimented. We studied. We dialled in every variable until we landed on something truly special: fresh, premium coffee with purpose and soul.
The Goosberry Coffee Studio
In 2022, we opened the Gooseberry Coffee Studio in Johannesburg. The goal was to offer locals in the Rosebank area an exceptional coffee and food experience — simple, flavourful, and full of heart.
It was a bold step, but a short-lived one. The studio closed that same year, and for a while, it felt like the journey had ended.
But coffee had other plans ...
From Gooseberry to Golden Ground Coffee
By 2024, demand for our beans had only grown. The pull was too strong to ignore — so we came back. But this time, we did it right. Lessons learned. Intentions clear.
And so, Golden Ground Coffee was born.
What began as a personal pursuit has grown into a roastery and shop built on that same passion — bringing premium, air-roasted coffee to those who appreciate the story behind every cup.
No matter your coffee setup, the outcome is the same: beautifully balanced flavour, roasted fresh to give you the kick you need to start your adventure.start your adventure.