Vida e Caffe
Vida e Caffè is South Africa’s largest and most established speciality coffee franchise, founded in Cape Town in 2001. It operates across multiple formats — high street retail, airport terminals, Shell petrol forecourt outlets (with 100+ Shell locations nationwide), office block micro-stores, malls, and corporate vending — making it the dominant brand in the South African coffee market. As of 2022, it had 224 SA stores (160 franchised, 64 corporate-owned) across seven countries. The brand charges approximately R40 for a cappuccino — nearly three times Xpresso Café’s R14 flat price, placing it firmly in the premium segment.
Vida e Caffe [opposes] Xpressocafe (Pty) Ltd Vida e Caffe [part-of] South African Coffee Market
Franchise economics: Setup cost R950,000–R1,400,000 depending on format + R150,000 franchise fee. Ongoing: 10% of net monthly sales royalty + ~R2,387/month flat fee (POS, maintenance, LCD, music licences) + 5% of loyalty programme turnover. The 10% royalty rate is notably higher than Xpresso’s 5–7%, but the higher per-item price (~R40 vs R14) means the absolute royalty amount per cup is far larger.
Vida e Caffe [relates] South African Franchise Market
Wikipedia notes that Vida’s market presence and relatively low franchise costs have been cited as a reason Starbucks has had limited success in South Africa. Vida also operates sweetbeet, a health-oriented restaurant chain (acquired 2021), and announced a SPAR SA retail partnership in April 2025. The brand is a Level 2 BBBEE company. The brand’s corporate vending solutions compete with any vending-segment expansion Xpresso might pursue.
Vida e Caffe [relates] SA Coffee Vending Segment
Connections
- Xpressocafe (Pty) Ltd — direct competitor, source: multiple
- South African Coffee Market — part-of, dominant player, source: SA Franchise Brands 2022
- South African Franchise Market — part-of, source: multiple