COFFEE
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MARYANNE NJOROGE
KAHAWA DIARIES
everybody else is doing their job.
I also check if all the machines are
working, I check expiry dates (very
impotant!) and check if the wi-fi is
working.
What’s your favourite pastry?
Cinnamon Roll.
What’s your ideal way to drink a
coffee after a meal?
I try not to take coffee after midday
because my buzz will continue till
the night. I like my coffee strong but
in the morning.
HOW I TAKE MY COFFEE WITH JOYCE MCDIARMID
J
oyce McDiarmid is a Deputy
Manager and Supervisor at
Dormans Village Market.
Quite a hit with customers,
she’s a gleeful, lively
person who isn’t greedy with warm
greetings and smiles. The way she
takes her coffee tells us that she
appreciates quality and has a very
curious and inquisitive mind.
What did you do before working at
Dormans?
Lots of stuff, but mostly in hotels.
Truthfully, the last thing I did was in
Insurance for about a year. It gave
me no satisfaction. I was in sales,
running around, talking to people.
It was focused more on low-income
people. It just didn’t make sense to
me and in the end didn’t work out. I
just know that making people happy
is my place. Before that, I was a
cashier at a little coffee shop at the
Doctor’s Plaza in Nairobi Hospital.
Then I worked at Havanna as a
waitress for about two years. Then
I went to school and studied Hotel
Management.
Where are you from?
Nairobi, born and bred - Karen
specifically.
How do you take your morning
coffee?
Depends. I love coffee. Sometimes
I’ll have a double espresso or a latte.
But mostly lattes: regular, double, no
sugar, no cream.
What’s your morning routine?
I mostly wake up around 5am, get
ready in the hour, leave the house
by 5.45 and then arrive here by 6.30
or so. When I come in the first thing
I do is turn on the music, check if
everybody else is in and make sure
What are some of the things that
inspire you to keep going every
day?
My husband, firstly, and then also
seeing people satisfied and happy.
At the end of the day, it’s all about
making the customers smile and
when you see that on their face, it’s
great.
Is there anyone you look up to?
My mom because I think she’s the
strongest human being I know.
We’ve been through a lot and she’s
always stood firm. She would always
say that everything will work out.
Wangari Maathai, as well. Similar to
my mom, it feels the message she
sent was that no matter what you’re
going through, just be strong.
Where do you hope to be in 10
years time?
My husband and I would like to
have a resort in Meru. I think Meru’s
one of the most untouched nature
tourism destinations in the country.