Major retailer acquires South Africa’s largest coffee chain, Vida e Caffè

The Cape Town-based operator celebrated 25 years in business in 2025 and is seeking to reach 500 stores globally by 2028

South Africa’s largest branded coffee chain has been snapped up by one of the region’s largest supermarket retailers.

Founded in 2001, Cape Town’s Vida e Caffè reached 400 stores in June 2026 and is on track to reach 500 stores globally by 2028 – a goal it exclusively revealed to World Coffee Portal in September 2023.

Its domestic network comprises high-street stores, as well as cafè partnerships with petrol station chain Shell and supermarket operator Spar.