About Us
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Genio Roasters is a vibrant engineering company that specialises in the design and manufacture of coffee roasting equipment.
Owned and operated by Neil Maree, our roasters are built by hand for the discerning individual, who values the quality of roasted coffee above all else.
Genio Roasters understands the coffee industry through its active involvement, world wide. We take a personal interest in our customers with advice and assistance, together with building and growing their coffee roasting businesses.
Apart from coffee roasting machines, Genio Roasters also provides customers with a wide range of services and products, complementing our handcrafted machines. We introduce our customers to the correct industry partners – from equipment suppliers, financing facilities and roaster/barista trainers, to green bean brokers and qualified service technicians around the world.
Genio is celebrating 10 years of excellence in the specialty coffee industry. It is our goal to confidently continue to design and manufacture premium quality coffee roasting products for the global market. We are dutifully enabled by a network of hand-picked respecting accredited distributors, with whom we share our values.
We are here to stay. We promise a lifelong commitment to our customers, a commitment way beyond tomorrow.
#GenioforLife
Meet the Team
The Leadership Team you can talk to
Neil Maree
Founder
and Owner
Neil is the Captain of the Genio ship. As a qualified Engineer and entrepreneur by nature, he gives strategic guidance and direction to the rest of the team. His passion for research and development projects ensures that Genio Roasters stays an innovative pioneer in the specialty coffee industry globally.
George Robinson
Head of Global Business Development
George’s business background together with his expert knowledge of coffee roasting, makes him the perfect partner to have by your side when making key decisions to grow your business. He has a solution’s driven approach to business and gives the right advice for your specific challenge, promoting smart decisions in the pursuit of long-term business value.
Tiaan Kilian
Operations
Manager
Tiaan is a technical guru! As an engineer by profession, Tiaan seeks perfection in everything thing he does. He is heavily involved with the planning, manufacturing and testing of each and every coffee roaster and takes pride in this attention to detail and proactive problem-solving approach to life.
Lizaan Alberts
Customer Experience Manager
Lizaan has a deep passion for the Genio Community and lives the #GenioforLife motto by focusing on new and existing Genio customers’ journey as roasters and coffee enthusiasts. She develops innovative training material and provides ongoing after-sales support initiatives to ensure that every Genio customer is absolute confident in using our equipment.
Elsie Potgieter
Marketing and Communications Manager
Elsie has extensive experience in B2B marketing, and her primary role is to communicate Genio Roasters’ brand values to the speciality coffee market through every project and event that Genio is involved with. She is a strategic thinker and pulls everything together with a little bit of Elsie-Magic!
The Skills on the Production Line
About Genio
Abel Marhumbini
Assembly Technician
Esti-Mari Du Preez
Draughtsperson
Gomolemo Dintwe
Stock Controller
Gustav Maluleke
Driver
Jerome Naidoo
Assembly Technician
Kingsley Abrahams
Quality Inspector
Kulani Khosa
Assembly Technician
Llewellyn Van der Vyver
Quality Manager
Lucky Mathlawane
Workshop Assistant
Maria Stoffelberg
Financial Accountant
Moreen Ncube
Assembly Technician
Poppy Matlapeng
Office Support
Renolda Matlapeng
Administrative Co-ordinator
Tatenda Utete
Production Supervisor
Tiisetso Seloana
Senior Welder
Tisetso Maditsi
Welder
William Du Toit
Customer and Tech Support
Zelda Labuschagne
Procurement Manager
Vision and Values
Passion
We have an intense interest in building the highest quality coffee roasters in the world. We believe in what we do. Our enthusiasm and energy are contagious. We inspire those around us. We meet our challenges with creativity and optimism. We push ourselves beyond our limits. Our passion is the proof of our commitment. With passion we continuously strive to be better at everything we do.
Our passion is proof of our commitment
Pride
Our high-performance coffee roasters are our pride and our most valuable testimony to our customers. We know that our success depends on our ability to help our customers succeed in their business. We place our customer relationships first as we always act in their best interest. Our customers are our greatest motivators. We want to instil that same sense of pride and fulfilment in our customers for owning a Genio.
Our pride is passed on to our customers
Purpose
Our name endorses the highest standards in premium coffee roasters. We are greatly aware of our responsibility as a company with a global distribution network. Our customers place their trust in us to deliver the best quality in specialty coffee. We are driven not to disappoint, ever. Our determination is in our DNA.
Our purpose goes beyond reason
Innovation
In every aspect of our business, we take a “lifelong” approach. We prepare for the future each day by pre-empting change and developing the innovations of tomorrow. Innovation is the edge we need to stay on top of our game.
We work with a mind-set of engineering the next smart solution to coffee roasting.
Our drive for innovation prepares our future
Community
We act in accordance with what we are and what we believe in. We encourage our colleagues, customers and suppliers to grow and prosper with us. We know that we cannot go on this journey alone. We need each other. We believe in the strength of community and we believe in creating a feeling of belonging. We are partners for life.
We are part of your story
Explore the Factory
R&D Roots
Research and development lie at the roots of Genio Roasters, having its inception in an engineering environment. We continuously strive to be better and have secured a large government research grant to help us realise our vision to develop and grow the coffee industry.
North-West University
North-West University
Neil Maree, Founder and CEO of Genio Roasters, obtained a B.Eng. Electronic and Computer Engineering degree from the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
The North-West University has become our research partner and has helped us to expand and tailor our unique product offering in-line with what our customers have asked for.
A young engineer’s passion
A young engineer’s passion
Neil designed a coffee roaster for a final year project at the North-West University when he successfully combined his passion for coffee and engineering. Neil describes Genio Roasters as his life, his love, and his journey.
What started as a dream for a young engineer became the vision for a coffee roaster company at the southern tip of Africa.
Join our network of distributors
Even though all Genio coffee roasters are hand-crafted and tested at our South African factory, we are actively increasing our network around the globe, to offer the same premium value service and products to all our customers, in any location through our Genio Distribution and Referral Partner Programme.
For more information on how to become a Genio Roasters distributor or referral partner in your region, please contact our Global Business Development Department directly.