South Africa: 10 rand (60 US cents) coffee idea grows to 65 stores
Xpresso Café is a takeaway coffee chain that started with a simple idea: every item on the menu cost just 10 South African rand.
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Interview with Nicolene Elhadad
CO-FOUNDER, XPRESSO CAFÉ
Lives in: Cape Town, South Africa
In 2016, South African entrepreneurs Nicolene Elhadad and her husband, Tomer, launched Xpresso Café, a takeaway coffee chain with a simple concept: every item on the menu cost 10 South African rand (about 60 US cents at the current exchange rate) – almost a third of what major coffee chains charged. This applied not only to coffee but also to pastries, pies, sandwiches, and other food items.
Today, Xpresso has expanded to 65 stores across South Africa, selling over 50,000 cups of coffee daily. While the price has since increased to 14 rand per item, it remains significantly cheaper than most other coffee chains.
How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz spoke to Nicolene about how they built the business.
Topics discussed during the interview include:
How the idea for a 10 rand coffee came about
Starting their first business from a garage
Why everything on the menu is the same price
Expanding to 65 outlets
Business lessons learned: hiring slow and firing fast, negotiating with suppliers, and adapting to setbacks
Trusting their instincts despite early scepticism
Watch the full interview below:
