A passion born in New York
By Ingrid Shevlin | Published on September 16, 2025
DALE SANDY IS THE PROPRIETOR OF, AND PASSION BEHIND, THE CRANE FLOWER COFFEE SHOP AT 8 MSENGA ROAD, ROBYNDALE BUSINESS PARK, KLOOF.
It is one of those laidback spaces where you quickly become part of the Crane Flower family. But, back when Dale was planning his future career, owning a coffee shop was not part of the plan. Winning a four-year sport (tennis) and academic scholarship to study bio psychology (the study of the mind’s impact on the body and vice versa) cemented the idea of a career in medicine. The scholarship was for Wagner College, a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York.
He enjoyed New York and loved coffee so would spend his spare time seeking out the multitude of quirky coffee shops in the city – especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
In December 2019, at the end of his four years, he returned to visit his family, fully intending to return to New York and continue studying. But Covid and lockdown put paid to that. An added complication was that, at that stage, South African universities did not offer bio psychology.
So, this coffee enthusiast decided to explore coffee making and perhaps open a coffee shop.
“I COULDN’T STAND TO DO NOTHING,” HE EXPLAINS.
His father, the man behind the Robyndale Business Park, who also used to own the Piggly Wiggly coffee shop there, just so happened to have an espresso machine standing idle. So, with the help of YouTube, Dale learned the art of coffee-making.
Before long, he founded a coffee roastery and started roasting his own coffee, sourcing, for instance, single origin beans from community coffee farms in Malawi.
He opened Crane Flower Coffee in late 2020 in an unused store room/garage in the business park. The interior is quirky and super cool, the space intimate. Obviously. But he also has an outdoor space and access to another room for overflows of customers.
Initially his customers came mainly from the business park, but that changed when more and more people heard about his coffee.
This perennially cheerful young man serves both mainstream coffee and specialty coffee, including flavoured coffee. His lavender flavoured cappuccino, for instance, is a spectacular taste sensation.
He also serves a small menu of excellent toasted sarmies plus a few sweet treats like muffins, banana bread or cake of the day.
If you are serious about coffee, this man is just as serious.
Since I first wrote all the above, Dale married Jordin Shelly, who so happens to be a chocolatier and who produces sublime artisanal chocolates under the name Cocoa Africa – all just a few metres from Dale’s coffee shop. Coffee and chocolates. A good marriage.