We almost missed it…

The entrance to Hope Warriors Café is subtle (trendily so) but if you know what you’re looking for you can’t miss it.

Google Maps will guide you there: 2b Botterblom St, Prince Albert, 6930.

When you arrive, look for the vibrant elephant mural on the building and you’ll find a little doorway.

We walked into two different entrances before finding it (one of which beeped at us futuristically, before we realised that this coffee Narnia was behind the elephant).

Hope Warriors Café is located in Prince Albert’s North End area. This isn’t a place most tourists stumble across. It’s away from the affluent high street with its boutique shops and restaurants.

But the North End is the heart of where most of Prince Albert’s residents actually live, some facing challenges most of us tourists, passing through the Karoo, might never glimpse.

(Pictured is the view from the other side of the road, oppsite the Hope Warriors Cafe)

That’s one of the main reasons why Hope Warriors exists.

Part of their ethos and goal is that they want people who live in this part of town to be able to enjoy an amazing cup of coffee at an affordable price. The kind you might find in a boutique cafe in Cape Town or London.

At the same time, the income they can get from selling coffee and books and other merch to locals (and tourists!) can go back into the community, for training and other initiatives.

If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to see some of the amazing projects taking place in South Africa and who loves superb coffee, this is your place.

The café began in 2021, and was set up by Wilbur (who we met) and his friends after completing their Matrique (South Africa’s high school graduation).

With some help and financing they built something here for the community.

It’s a lovely little cafe. There’s a small garden with scattered tables and chairs in a shaded area.

It’s an inviting space, with a bookshelf selling various items including the Hope Warriors book – their story in print.

You’ll also see striking photographs by Louis Botha on the back wall.

This is exceptional coffee (one of the best, if not the best, you’ll find in Prince Albert or the Karoo)

We always order an Africano out here (the equivalent of an Americano). When you do you get the full hit of the coffee.

Hope Warriors coffee is rich, bold and thick.

“It’s our own blend,” Wilbur explains.

They source their beans from Cape Town and developed their unique profile. Part of their blend comes from Ethiopia which to our minds (having been fortunate enough to visit there) is THE number one place for coffee in the world.

The result is exceptional. Putting aside the fantastic work they are doing for the community for just a second and focusing on the flavour of their product alone, this is an excellent coffee that would stand out in most posh city cafes.

“Most people in our community couldn’t afford to drink coffee in cafés,” Wilbur explains.

Hope Warriors is making high end coffee available to local people and also creating baristas through training programs.

Specialty coffee is a fantastic career path that will open doors far beyond Prince Albert.

Their training schemes extend beyond coffee and they have a number of other programmes ongoing. You can see Hope Warriors’ café is clearly having an impact beyond its walls.

They participate in community outreach programs, support local initiatives and provide a positive space for youth.

If you’re interested in the story, and it is a cool one (which I’ve not done justice here) you can pick up a copy of their book.

They sell it in the cafe and in many of the shops in town.

The prices are reasonable, the quality excellent.

This isn’t a tourist trap selling overpriced trinkets, it’s a venue for smart, sustainable community support.

They also arguably do the best coffee you’ll find in Prince Albert.

If you find yourself in Prince Albert, maybe drawn by the stunning Swartberg Pass, the town, or as a stopover while exploring the Karoo, it’s worth making a small effort to seek out Hope Warriors Café.

The coffee alone justifies the visit.

In a world of increasingly homogenised ‘same same’ travel experiences, places like Hope Warriors remind us why we explore in the first place.

All that, and possibly the best coffee in the Karoo.