Building a legacy in business

The Midlands MagazineDecember 13, 2024

You’re probably familiar with one of our local coffee shops, Coffeeberry. It is owned and run by father-son duo Con and Mark Malherbe, who are going from strength to strength in building their legacy within the hospitality business. We wanted to know more about their successes, so we picked their brains about business. If you’re a business owner or want to start one, we hope this will inspire you. Our countryside is never short of inspirational people, you just need to find them.

It all started almost 20 years ago. Con studied a hotel management course in the early 1980s and worked in the retail and hospitality industry running a few notable establishments, among them a SPAR supermarket in Richmond, and then a restaurant at Greys Hospital, which was called Chatters. He then ran and managed several catering establishments at the Royal and Garden Shows, which included Scott’s Restaurant and the Bull and Barrel Pub. He acquired the old Icy Cool site at Cascades Lifestyle Centre in 2005 and Coffeeberry was born. Other establishments where you may have enjoyed your daily coffee over the years followed, including their speciality coffee drive-through, CoffeeBox, at Athlone Circle and Maritzburg College and, yes, another Coffeeberry in Hilton, to name a few! Mark joined the family business around four years ago but has been no stranger to the hospitality industry, growing up around his dad’s expertise and knowledge, which undoubtedly inspired him throughout the years. 

Running and managing several businesses in tandem for over 20 years is no easy feat and there have been many challenges, like building a brand from scratch to growing a team of committed staff members. At the heart of their ongoing success is a strong team, many of whom have over 10 years of service. “We’ve got general managers, assistant managers, supervisors, and an operations manager in place. So, it’s definitely about building the team and having the right people,” Con shared. Additionally, they stay on top of things with regular meetings, keeping by the book, and adhering to regular inspections. Thanks to Con’s wife, Sue, who is instrumental in ensuring that all the admin is meticulously kept up to date, this ensures they always know “exactly where the ship is going,” as Con shared.

One of their biggest challenges was during COVID-19, but sound business relationships cultivated over the years helped during this trying time. “We got through that thanks to a good relationship with our bank, legal team, and ultimately our loyal customers who were quick to show their support as soon as we could resume trading,” shared Mark. While pandemics are fortunately not regular upheavals, smaller challenges will always rear their heads in business. Some of the best ways to navigate these, as Mark shared, is “through consistent hard work and dedication to our businesses, week in and week out. Consistency and an even temperament are crucial in this regard.” And while challenges will always be there when building a business, with this, failure will inevitably throw us curve balls too—we’ve all undoubtedly felt its sting in some areas of our lives. 

Having a business in any industry will be a risk, but as Con shared, it’s about taking “calculated risks” and not being reckless in business decisions. Failing numerous times over the years, has ultimately helped him to make better decisions. “Failure to me, is not consistently meeting the targets, across various categories, that we set out for each of our stores. We then focus on whichever aspect of the business needs attention/improvement and do whatever is required to rectify things,” shared Mark. 

Keeping a business afloat is also an inside job. According to Con, it requires developing resilience and doing the best you can with what you have. “This includes developing qualities like confidence, patience, foresight, and an ability to spot opportunity in order to grow and drive your business forward,” shared Mark. “While failures can get us down, it’s important to remember that there are two sides to every coin. With failure comes success, but it’s easy to focus on our shortcomings or fall into the trap of believing we are victims or blaming others, which is why it’s so important to have a ‘victor mentality’,” shared Con, something he’s learned to develop over the years not only in business but also in health and wellness, which is key to staying balanced.

To round it off, we would like to share some helpful advice that forms the bedrock of how Con and Mark have led their team and business over the years. “Just show up, you know, show up and give your best every day,” advised Con. “Be consistent and do the right thing for your business, not the easiest or cheapest thing. Keep focussed and don’t get too emotional, whether you’re dealing with success or failure. Surround yourself with good people and treat them with respect. Look after your suppliers, always. Be aware of what your competition is doing but ultimately focus on your offering and the results will speak for themselves.”