Retail

End of an era for South Africa’s biggest coffee shop chain

Daily Investor • 1 September 2026

Vida e Caffè, South Africa’s largest coffee shop chain, is being acquired by Shoprite, ending its 25-year history of independent ownership.

Vida e Caffè was founded in 2001 by Brad Armitage and Rui Esteves, who wanted to bring the European coffee culture to South Africa.

At the time, South Africa’s coffee landscape was dominated by traditional sit-down restaurants, which served standard filter-drip coffee.

Esteves and Armitage designed the concept for Vida e Caffè themselves, drawing inspiration from street cafes in Portugal and combining it with African style.

The first Vida e Caffè opened on Kloof Street in Cape Town in 2001 and started expanding gradually soon after.

By the time they opened their third store in Cavendish Square in Cape Town, Grant Dutton had joined the company as a 40% joint-venture partner.

Dutton and a consortium of investment partners bought out the original founders, Esteves and Armitage, in 2006.

After Esteves and Armitage left the business, Vida e Caffè continued its growth inside and outside of South Africa, with its first international store opening in Ghana in 2013.

Darren Levy joined the company in 2015 as chief executive, bringing a background in speciality retail, art, and a love of coffee to the business.

“I have always been captured emotionally by coffee culture,” he said in response to the original Kloof Street location being revamped.

“The opening of the Kloof Street store after an extensive revamp represents a milestone in our journey as a brand.”

“It was the birth of the high street coffee chain in South Africa, initiating a culture that is unrivalled worldwide, and one that our industry can be proud of.”

The company showed exceptional growth over the next decade under Levy’s leadership and recently opened its 400th store at The Exchange.

The store marked the launch of their new Vida e Caffè flagship format, which is bigger and bolder than anything they’ve done before.

“400 Stores. 8 Countries. 25 Years. This is a significant chapter in our journey built on great coffee, meaningful connections, and a community that inspires us,” Levy said.

Last year, Spar South Africa entered into a partnership with Vida e Caffè to introduce coffee and beverage shops in its stores.

This formed part of Spar’s plan to enhance its coffee credentials and offer customers a premium in-store coffee experience.

Levy said that partnering with Spar allows them to bring the Vida e Caffè experience to more communities across South Africa.

Shoprite buys Vida e Caffè

Vida e Caffè became one of South Africa’s most successful restaurant and coffee shop chains, attracting the attention of many big players. One of them was Shoprite.

On Tuesday, 1 September 2026, Shoprite announced that it would acquire Vida e Caffè, expanding its presence in the coffee and quick-service restaurant sector.

The deal was signed on 20 August 2026 and comprises Vida’s South African and international operations.

Apart from the coffee chain, Vida e Caffè also owns Sweetbeet, a fast-casual health-food restaurant brand that it acquired in 2022.

This means that Shoprite now owns the largest coffee shop chain in South Africa and across the rest of the continent, as well as a health-food restaurant brand.

Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht said Vida has a broad, demographically diverse customer base supported by a range of store formats.

This includes high street, forecourt, drive-thru, corporate office and retail locations, as well as an increasingly integrated digital offering.

“This combination provides a platform for future growth and customer engagement. Authentic, innovative and relevant to evolving consumer lifestyles,” Engelbrecht said.

“Vida is a business we greatly admire, and we look forward to learning from its success while supporting its next phase of growth.”

Shoprite said its acquisition of Vida is expected to strengthen the group’s presence in the quick-service restaurant industry and complement its existing operations.

The retailer currently operates in this sector through in-store brand partnerships, private coffee and food-service labels, and business-to-business catering services.

Shoprite’s share purchase agreement for Vida was executed in August 2026, and the transaction remains subject to the fulfilment of regulatory conditions.

Shoprite expects the Vida e Caffè transaction to become effective in its 2027 financial year.