Nairobi to Mombasa is approximately 480km, to Moyale it’s 833km and to Cape Town, it’s almost 6,000km. In case you’ve ever wondered, there is an actual starting point, an almost forgotten landmark in the heart of Nairobi known as ‘Kilometre Point Zero’.
Inside a hexagonal-shaped chamber of the Gallery is a plinth supporting a charcoal-coloured Murumbi Vessel, a ceramic pot crafted by renowned Kenyan ceramist, Lady Magdalene Odundo. The plinth is positioned exactly on the ‘point zero’ spot. It is from here that distances to every part of the country and continent are measured. And now a recently opened, and aptly named, Pointzero Café has brought a fresh twist to the local coffee culture while reigniting interest in the story of Point Zero.
A gourmet café and retailer specialising in Kenyan coffees, Pointzero is the brainchild of two enterprising coffee-lovers, Wangeci Gitobu and Andrea Moraa. Notwithstanding the abundance of coffee shops in the downtown area, the pair bravely joined the fray because they were convinced they had a winning formula of quality, freshness and specialty coffees. “People want a really good cup of coffee,” says Wangeci. “It’s common to find instant coffee so we do French press coffee and it’s nice and it’s fresh. That makes the difference.”
The open-sided café built on a wooden deck has locally crafted tables, bright kanga cushions, and is bordered by tall potted plants beneath a canvas awning. Espressos, cappuccinos, macchiatos, house coffees, are just some of the beverages on offer accompanied by ‘delicious pastries and healthy sandwiches’. And you can enjoy Pointzero at home because bags of branded coffee are available for purchase. All in all, it’s an ideal stopping point before or after a tour of the Gallery and ‘Point Zero’
Through support from donors, the Murumbi Trust repaired and spruced up the old PC’s office, built a parking lot and put in a driveway and installed a gate. “Then that started this whole coffee shop business,” said Alan Donovan, chairman of the Murumbi Trust and co-founder of African Heritage Gallery. “I interviewed some people and tried to get somebody who could do a coffee shop.”
“[Wangeci and Andrea] gave me this drawing. It was a tent and I thought that was a wonderful idea because being a national monument we couldn’t put anything permanent here, and it reflected the safari image of Kenya,” he adds.
The area envisioned for the café was a narrow patch of ground curving along one side of the Gallery and abutting the fence to Nyayo House. The odd-shaped space was quite challenge for the designers and even Andrea admits she couldn’t visualise it at first. “And then we had to maintain a certain distance from the building,” adds Wangeci.
Space was just one of several obstacles in the two year ordeal of setting up shop. Wangeci, who runs the administrative side of the business, explains that, “the major hurdle was getting planning permission because the structure essentially is a bit unorthodox. We had to defend our design and explain why not a proper building. To persuade the planning permission officials in the county took a very long time.”
At one point the two ladies considered relocating the coffee shop but the rigmarole of getting new quotations and permissions put to bed that idea.
In the meantime, the Pointzero coffee brand entered the market through catered service at art shows and barista service training. Andrea notes that although Kenyans are mainly tea-drinkers they are developing a palate for coffee. “They want their espresso in the morning, they want their cappuccino. It’s very exciting that Kenyans are wanting good coffee.”
Andrea is Pointzero’s Coffee Master, having worked for many years with the international coffee franchise, Starbucks. “I’ve trained all my baristas. We either train someone’s barista for their coffee lounge or we’ve actually provided them.”
As an independent gourmet coffee establishment, Pointzero purchases small batches of coffee beans directly from a roaster, “which is great for us because then we’ll be sure you’re getting it fresh,” explains Wangeci.
Whenever possible, Pointzero will identify the specific area in Kenya from which the coffee is sourced and label it likewise, a fundamental aspect of specialty coffee brewing. “We need to start celebrating our coffee,” declares Andrea, citing the 2014 Coffee Review in which seven different coffee beans from Kenya were ranked among the world’s Top 30 Coffees. “Kenya is always up there.”
In a way, Pointzero Café represents both a transition and a revival. A transition from routine coffee blends into speciality flavours, and a contemporary café reviving an historic national landmark.