Consumers everywhere are asking for healthier foods and drinks. This means that we as restauranteurs must change everything we do and what we offer.
This is an exciting trend and there exists a massive opportunity to be innovative. Therefore, we brought a new element into our group, when we acquired the healthy food chain Sweetbeet. This new business model puts us in the perfect position to tap into this global trend.
Sweetbeet has the same kind of passion that we have for understanding what our customers want. With the support of the vida network, the Sweetbeet brand will be able to grow across the country. Customers want healthier options, and this is exactly what they will get from us.
The acquisition was signed at the end of 2021. Since then, Sweetbeet has opened another four new stores and the plan is to grow to around 18 locations by February 2023. There are more than 220 vida e caffè stores across South Africa, along with locations in Mauritius, Zambia, and West Africa.
Research conducted in the US has shown that most people feel more personally responsible for the protection of the environment than they have in the past. More than half of the people questioned said they make decisions with an understanding of the effect those decisions will have on the health and sustainability of the world, its environment, and people.
The vida team already sees this same decision-making process here in South Africa, and that makes the timing for our Sweetbeet acquisition so perfect.
There is a lot more to the deal than just growing the Sweetbeet brand.
The brand’s founders have 21 years of experience in the industry, and together with our own infrastructure, we hope to create real value and an exciting new offering for the wider industry and consumer community.
The two brands will continue to operate under their separate identities. In some locations, they may end up operating side-by-side. Sweetbeet will be jointly managed by founders Andrea and Francois Hamman, who will stay on in their current positions alongside vida executive team.
You can expect to see a lot of the brands’ products appearing in sister stores.
Sweetbeet healthy food products will become available for purchase in vida stores in time, as part of the brand’s own move to healthy food. It follows the introduction of various vegan products, non-dairy alternatives for caffes, gluten-free bread alternatives for their iconic Toasties and the introduction in May, of fully plant-based wraps and toasties.
vida coffee is now being served in Sweetbeet outlets.
Obrigado.
