Dulce Café

Dulce Café
Company typePrivate Company
IndustryRestaurant, Franchising
FoundedPort Elizabeth, South Africa (1980)
HeadquartersPort Elizabeth, South Africa
Number of locations
53
Key people
Mike Pullen, Managing Director

Dulce Café is the name of a coffee shop/restaurant chain operating in South Africa. Originating in the city of Port Elizabeth, the company started as one small ice cream shop in 1980[1] and has now grown to 53 stores throughout the country.

The first Dulce Cafe

History

Hubert Stempowski founded Dulce Café, at its height, employed over 110 people throughout the Eastern Cape. Dulce Ice Cream opened for business in July 1981 in a small complex in Sydenham, Port Elizabeth.

Mike Pullen

In 2001, a management buyout was led by Mike Pullen, who became the majority shareholder of the company. The brand began to target niche markets such as hospital stores.

In early 2013, Pullen sold out his majority shareholding in Dulcé Café SA (to focus on the international market) to Kobus Wiese of Wiese Coffee Holdings.[2]

In 2011, agreements were signed to expand the brand into East Africa, West Africa and the MENA territories. In Oct 2015, a master franchise agreement was signed for India.

Country Date First outlet location Number of currently operating outlets
South Africa 12 July 1981 Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape 53
Namibia 15 May 2007 Windhoek 1
Tanzania 5 December 2011 Dar es Salaam 1
Ghana April 2011 Accra 1
Zambia April 2011 Lusaka 1
Saudi Arabia May 2011 Riyadh 1
India January 2016 1

References

  1. ^ "Cafe Dulce in Summerstrand, Eastern Cape". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Dulce Cafe Franchise for Sale | Buy a Franchise". whichfranchise.co.za. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

33°58′48″S 25°33′36″E / 33.980°S 25.560°E / -33.980; 25.560