Beans and Brushstrokes: The Intersection between Coffee and Art

Every good story starts with a cup of good coffee. In this case, not just any coffee – a single origin roast from Keyna, brewed slowly, deliberately and with purpose. The aroma arising with passion, and this time alongside it, the brushstrokes of a master craftsman.

Enter Fhatuwani Mukheli. A South African multidisciplinary artist who not only is a coffee enthusiast himself, but expresses his work through identity, memory and meaning. Diving into the origins of his childhood, the bond between a parent and their child, Fhatuwani has created a space for reflection, harvesting a connection, and how both struggle and beauty can create something familiar and honourable. All with a pop of colour.

Don’t forget, I did mention a single origin roast pairing with these painted portraits – that’s where Bean There comes in. A coffee roastery that was established in 2005, dedicating themselves to selecting the best coffee, traveling across Africa to places such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya. This September, Bean There celebrated 2 decades of ethically sourcing and roasting some of Africa’s finest coffees, doing everything with intention. For Bean There it has never bean just about the product; but rather being there for us as the consumers in our morning routines and being there for the farmers who nurture the soil from which our blends are born. This has been the fundamental driving force behind the Bean There brand for the past 20 years; a brand built on ethics, passion, and pride, while fostering meaningful relationships rooted in trust.

This collaboration isn’t about slapping artwork onto a machine. It’s about inviting us to participate in every step of the coffee ritual. From Bean There’s partner farmers across Africa, to Fhatuwani’s studio in downtown Johannesburg, pulling shots on a one-off La Marzocco Linea Micra. Through Fhatuwani’s work, the Micra has been transformed into more than just a vessel for espresso, but a form of expression. Watching your crema rise knowing that what you’re drinking is not just delicious, but ethical, intentional, and connected to a story of people.

But here’s the beauty: this piece isn’t just being displayed, its being given away. One lucky soul who enters via the Bean There website will pull the winning shot. And every ticket purchased? It’s more than an entry – it’s an act of restoration. Every cent raised goes back to the roots, the Ruthagati Coooperative in the Nyeri region of Kenya, where aging drying tables desperately need rebuilding to continue producing exceptional coffee. Tables that have supported the journey of countless beans many of us have ground into our morning routines.

Thats the power of this collaboration: coffee with a conscience, art with a pulse, and machines with a soul. All expressing a story of creation and creating a moment of restoration. Because when we align our passions with principles, when we collaborate across disciplines with mutual respect, we don’t just create products. We create culture, and that’s always something worth brewing together.