THEY call their coffee brand Kofi Khafetsa. After graduating from the National University of Lesotho (NUL), both Litšitso Sibolla and his best friend, Tumelo Lipholo started selling coffee here in the streets of the capital.

A Bachelor of Science graduate and fundamentals of digital marketing certificate holder, Sibolla says he put his academic qualifications aside and hustled like a dropout.

“The aim was to finance our marketing company and so we started selling coffee,” he told Maseru Metro.

“The response from customers has been pretty amazing that our Facebook page gained 20 000 followers in our first two weeks of operation,” said Sibolla.

“Kofi Khafetsa became the talk of town, taking Facebook by storm. My timeline was flooded with people sharing their content. I think people were blown by the customised cups, something we rarely see around here.”

Sibolla and his partner, Lipholo have since moved to a more decent working environment after opening in June 2021. They now rent a wooden and comfortable working space opposite Lepoqong in the Maseru commuter taxi area.

“We moved to this place because it represents everything we stand for,” he said.

“A place like home, the set-up is quite unique and amazing. It’s a place like home but far from home.”

Sibolla said their moving to a bigger place came as a result of business growth due to a growing market.

“Our business grows daily and we are yet to move to a much bigger place because sometimes it gets packed and customers run out of seats,” he said.  

Otherwise, Kofi Khafetsa has also extended its menu offering a variety of beverages and fast foods like bunny chow (stuffed bread), lekakarane (smoked chicken), milkshake, tea and ice cream.

“Kofi Khafetsa’s marketing strategy is working where we also run an active Facebook page and post content frequently,” Sibolla said.

“An active Facebook page means that we are always on people’s minds. People share our posts and so they know where to go when they need the best coffee.”

Sibolla said customers’ pictures, which they also shared on their page, showed they were all about ‘seeing is believing’, where Lipholo, who is also a professional photographer, comes in handy for a craft that would otherwise have been expensive.

“Most businesses fail because they use internet photos,” he said.

“A lot of people - myself included – ignore them because what you see is usually not what you get.”

Sibolla said rarely, does one find books and indoor games at hangouts in Maseru, adding however, Kofi Khafetsa was a different ball game altogether.