Vida e caffé turns ten

Vida e caffé celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. The coffee themed restaurant chain opened its first outlet in Cape Town in 2001 and has recently expanded into Angola and the UK. Its aim is to be the most sought out and hippest coffee spots in town.

The brand now has 50 restaurants and 500 full-time staff members who serve an average of 10 000 customers a day across all outlets. Vida e caffé, meaning ‘life and coffee’ in Portuguese, was born out of the heritage of a European-styled espresso bar.

“Internationally, coffee culture has been a part of everyday life but South Africa is relatively new to the growing global demand for ‘gourmet’ coffee and we are proud to have been the pioneers in defining a unique brand of hospitality and service,” says MD Grant Dutton.

He goes on to explain: “Coffee is no longer about convenience: there is a true culture that has been adopted in South Africa and in ten years we are very proud to have been an integral part of it. Our birthday celebrations will include each of our stores adopting the new 10-year branding, a special 10-year birthday CD to be released towards the end of the year and we are offering our most die-hard fans the opportunity to win some great prizes on Facebook.

“Our stores deliver the highest quality coffee and a menu based on the typical fare of a street café in Lisboa. We roast and blend our own beans at the vida roastery where we ensure the quality of the coffee is consistently excellent. Our handmade pastries are baked fresh daily, which adds to the overall quality of our product.

“Our success can be attributed to the fact that we have not been diluted by expansion. An undivided focus on our signature and atmosphere carries through from customer contact, quality coffee to confectionary. We serve the best beans, fresh eats, fresh décor and even fresher attitudes.

“The store design has won multiple awards, but really it is the staff who make the quintessential vida experience. The staff are all employed for their vibrant enthusiasm and their desire to make sure that the customer has a great experience and it is one of the most notable parts of the vida atmosphere.

“The baristas are all trained to adhere to the strictest European extraction techniques, each bringing with them their unique style. Each have been uplifted through the care and support of our internal programme as well as support through staff housing, which we provide so they can be at work full of beans each morning.

“If you haven’t tried a vida coffee come and celebrate with us through this great milestone while we cheer ‘Obrigado’ over your next cup of brew and raise our cups to the next ten years,” enthuses Dutton.

The brand is represented on the internet at http://www.vidaecaffe.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vida as well as Twitter at @vidaecaffe.