In Nelson Mandela Bay, where industry and identity have long brewed together like steam rising off a coastal horizon, two of South Africa’s most enduring names have come together to create something unexpectedly intimate: coffee.
Volkswagen Group Africa is marking 75 years of building Volkswagen vehicles in the country with a celebration that reaches beyond the factory floor and into everyday ritual. To honour that legacy, the brand has partnered with another local institution whose roots run just as deep in the Bay’s history. Since 1924, coffee has been roasted in Gqeberha by Mastertons Coffee and Tea Specialists, making it South Africa’s oldest coffee roastery and a fitting collaborator for a milestone steeped in heritage.
The result of this meeting between engineering legacy and roasting craft is The People’s Blend, a limited-edition coffee created as a sensory tribute to Volkswagen’s journey in South Africa. More than a product, it is a symbolic blend designed to reflect the spirit of the “People’s Car” and the millions of South Africans who have, in one way or another, become part of that story over generations.
In a thoughtful nod to the continent that both brands call home, the blend is made exclusively from coffee beans sourced across African countries. The idea is not only to celebrate local manufacturing, but also to emphasise a broader continental identity, where African craftsmanship and agricultural richness are placed firmly at the centre of the cup.
The final roast was not left to chance. A group of Volkswagen employees, self-confessed coffee enthusiasts, were invited to taste and select the blend that best captured the character of the brand. Their unanimous choice became the foundation of The People’s Blend, a flavour profile intended to mirror Volkswagen’s values of reliability, warmth and shared experience.
For Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa, the collaboration represents a natural extension of the company’s relationship with the region. Speaking about the partnership, she highlighted how meaningful it was to work with a brand that shares both geography and legacy. In her words, Mastertons’ long-standing presence in the Bay and its reputation for quality made it an ideal collaborator for a celebration rooted in heritage. She also noted that the coffee serves as a way to connect more personally with customers and friends of Volkswagen who have been part of the company’s South African story for three-quarters of a century.
From the perspective of Mastertons, the collaboration carries its own emotional weight. Managing Director Ryler Masterton reflected on a shared history that predates the project by decades, recalling how the company’s very first delivery vehicle was a 1973 VW Kombi that still remains in use today. For him, the partnership is more than symbolic alignment; it is a lived connection between two brands that have grown alongside the people of Nelson Mandela Bay.
He described the experience as both rewarding and enjoyable, emphasising how Volkswagen has played a positive role in shaping the industrial and social fabric of the region. With The People’s Blend now complete, he expressed confidence that it would be warmly received by both Volkswagen enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike, as a shared toast to history, community and continuity.
There is something quietly poetic about this collaboration unfolding in Gqeberha, a city where manufacturing and maritime winds have long carried stories of movement and exchange. Cars and coffee may seem like distant cousins in the world of products, but here they converge as cultural artefacts, each shaped by precision, patience and human preference.
The People’s Blend ultimately becomes more than a commemorative release. It is a distilled expression of place, memory and collaboration, brewed from African origins and filtered through decades of shared South African experience. In every cup, there is a trace of assembly lines and roasting drums, of Kombis still on the road and coffee still being poured in the same city where it all began nearly a century ago.
What emerges is not just a celebration of Volkswagen’s past 75 years, but a reminder that legacy is rarely built alone. It is carried forward in partnerships, in communities, and now, quite fittingly, in coffee.
