Announcing its development plans in four African countries, the home-grown coffee brand is experiencing a sharp uptake in international interest. Launched in Mauritius in 2012, the brand now has 17 stores in Mauritius, Kenya, Ghana, and Namibia, with an additional four in the pipeline before the end of 2016.

The brand’s most popular African store is in Bagatelle in Port Louis, Mauritius. Ghana and Mauritius are its two biggest growth regions.

Craig Gravett, vida business development manager for international and corporate, comments; “Africa is an emerging market, and we noted some significant opportunities with partners in Africa that had originally been based in South Africa. We’re wanting to see how it might work outside of the country.”

The brand's Africa stores are all franchises with a joint venture partner or master franchisee. Management teams visit South Africa to go through the full training, which includes employing a set of standard operating procedures and audited standards. Gravett visits the region on a regular basis, assessing training and new product development needs.

“Understanding that each country and culture is unique is imperative. As an example: while coffee is traditionally perceived as a morning thing, in Ghana it’s an evening pastime – with the majority of stores trading to 22:00 and 23:00 at night. Then, of course, there’s the approach to staff and labour, and each skill set is different, plus working with what is available locally and import and export. The recipe is simple but hard to get right – strong working relationships with the right partner in the right region.”

Gravett adds; “Store layouts are very similar to the SA market, as all designs are signed off here, and often the store is manufactured in SA as it’s sometimes tailor made to the environment. The mall stores are similar to the high street, while some sit on the forecourt. We need to understand the audience first, so we apply an 80/20 principle. 80% has to be produced and then we allow an element of local product based on availability in the country."

“There’s no secret that our environment is hotting up,” he adds. “But we have been strategically planning ahead for several years and our hard work is really coming to fruition. We have the first mover advantage in a number of new business development areas. It’s exciting to be involved with a South African brand that continually adapts as things evolve.”

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