­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER

SA Rugby magazine

South African rugby news, interviews, videos and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER
You are here: Home ∼ What happened to Conrad Hoffman?

What happened to Conrad Hoffman?

Conrad Hoffman during Sharks training Conrad Hoffman during Sharks training
Published on February 6, 2021

In a feature from the latest issue of SA Rugby magazine, we caught up with former Western Province and Sharks scrumhalf Conrad Hoffman.

RUGBY CAREER

The perception that rugby and beer go together like lineouts and mauls is not always correct – when it comes to their beverage of choice, most players opt for coffee, scouting the best coffee shops while on tour, with good coffee machines nowadays standard in most team rooms.

With coffee culture picking up steam in South Africa, many former players have opted to swap boots and balls for cups and beans. The 33-year-old Conrad Hoffmann is one of them.

ALSO READ: Tributes pour in for Pietersen

Hoffmann, a former SA U19 scrumhalf with a handy boot and a great pass, played top-flight senior rugby from 2007 to 2015 – for Western Province, the Stormers, Sharks and Brumbies, accumulating 29 Super Rugby and 64 provincial caps.

After playing age-group rugby for WP, the former Paarl Boys’ High scholar made his senior debut in the blue and white hoops in in 2007. He swapped Cape Town for Durban in 2011, where his path crossed with former Bok coach Jake White.

White lured Hoffmann to Canberra in 2013 where he played for the Brumbies, before he returned to Durban for a final stint with the Sharks until he hung up his boots in 2015, with injuries playing havoc during his career.

‘Highlights from my playing days include my first full season of Currie Cup rugby and my Super Rugby, but I’d say the friends we made and the relationships we built would be top of the list,’ he tells SA Rugby magazine.

‘When I picked up an umpteenth serious injury in 2014, and my wife got pregnant with our first child, I decided to retire and shift my focus to life after rugby and our family.

‘I retired young and while I miss the game, I’m grateful for the people I met, the relationships we built and the lessons we learnt.’

LIFE AFTER RUGBY

Hoffmann decided to try and make a living from his passion, which is coffee. He imports raw beans from countries such as Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and Ethiopia, roasts them himself and beyond serving some of the best coffee in Cape Town, Hoffmann also supplies shops and restaurants.

‘It was during my time with the Brumbies in Australia that my love for coffee was born. I worked at a roastery and did a barista course, so the natural next step was creating a business from it,’ says Hoffmann, who is the owner of Alchemy Coffee Roasters in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.

‘I have used some of the lessons I learned as a rugby player in my business \’96 such as work ethic, dedication and having a clear vision.’

More recently, JJ Engelbrecht, the former Springbok, WP and Bulls centre and wing, also became involved in the business.

FAMILY LIFE

In 2012, Hoffmann married Deolien, a teacher from the Northern Cape who shares his passion for travelling, good food, rugby and coffee. They have three children, Olivia (6), Hugo (3) and Ruby (2), and live in Bellville, not far from Alchemy.

Deolien spends a lot of time caring for their three young kids, but she also likes helping out at the business.

‘Working for myself also allows me the opportunity to manage my time and spend enough time with my young family, which is very important to us,’ Hoffmann says. ‘Our decisions are driven by what is best for our family and I.

‘I’m lucky to have a wonderful and strong wife, who is brilliant with our three kids.’

ALSO READ: What’s in our latest issue?

Subscribe here

Photo: Steve Haag / Gallo Images

Posted in SA Rugby mag, Top headlines

Post by stagingsar

stagingsar

Check out Blackout Rugby Manager HERE!

← Previous Next →

Sevens’ party falls flat

World Rugby shouldn’t have messed with a winning sevens formula, writes SIMON...

Draining format clogs Blitzboks’ blockage

A protracted schedule took the wind out of South Africa's sails at...

England cut Eddie, Razor to stop the bleeding

England have made the rash decision to part ways with coach Eddie...

Rassie ref hom in die rooi

Rassie Erasmus is hardly the embarrassment that some are making him out...

Cut and paste Kurt-Lee for Kolbe

Kurt-Lee Arendse ticks all the right boxes to replace the injured Cheslin...

Rassie auditions for England job

Rassie Erasmus has made the most calculated of public job applications to...

Boks need to make mentality adjustment

The Springboks need to lose their underdog mentality, writes SIMNIKIWE XABANISA in...

Kolbe’s worth every penny

Cheslin Kolbe’s big-money move to Toulon should be welcomed as a massive...

‘Bok gameplan, when executed correctly, is hard to match’

The opportunity to play against the All Blacks is a career highlight...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Bonus-point Bulls douse Dragons
  • Munster maul luckless Lions
  • Stormers sign off 2022 in style
  • Sharks carve Bulls on New Year’s Eve

Jacques Burger’s Perfect XV

    BKT United Rugby Championship, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland 8/1/2023 Glasgow Warriors vs DHL Stormers Stormers' Damian Willemse Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Craig Watson
  • Highlights: Heartbreak for Stormers in Glasgow thriller

###


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

African Insider
African Insider News

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup
    • Challenge Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER