Skip to content 
Updated 14 October 2026: expanded with practical context and refreshed information. Original publication date retained.
Xpresso’s earlier prices and store totals describe its development at that stage. Check the actual current menu and branch; these older figures are not present quotations. Related context: South Africa’s coffee scene; Starbucks’ South African expansion.
Xpresso’s earlier prices and store totals describe its development at that stage. Check the actual current menu and branch; these older figures are not present quotations. Related context: food industry.
The Birth of a Bold Idea
Xpresso’s earlier prices and store totals describe its development at that stage. Check the actual current menu and branch; these older figures are not present quotations.
Their confidence wasn’t unfounded. The couple had already built successful businesses in distribution. But coffee was different. It was personal. Nicolene loved coffee and wanted to share that joy with others. After visiting 20 to 30 coffee shops in Cape Town and consulting with roasteries, she realized something: coffee wasn’t as expensive to make as people thought.
“We wanted to create a place where everyone could enjoy coffee every day, not just as a treat,” Nicolene explains.
The R10 Challenge
Launching a business with such low prices wasn’t easy. The Elhadads had to negotiate fiercely with suppliers. Tomer’s knack for negotiation played a key role. “We told suppliers, ‘We’re not buying 100 pastries a month—we’re buying thousands,’” Nicolene says.
Their pitch was simple: lower prices would drive higher volumes. Some suppliers took the gamble, and it paid off.
The Queues Begin
On October 1, 2016—International Coffee Day, though they didn’t know it at the time—Xpresso Café opened its doors. By the end of the day, a line of curious customers stretched outside the store. The founders’ account of opening Xpresso dates the first shop to October 2016 and explains the original low-price proposition.
“People either wanted to see how good it could be or how bad it could be,” Nicolene laughs. “We had to prove that our coffee wasn’t crap—just affordable.”
Scaling Up: From One Store to 65
Within a year, Xpresso Café expanded to five stores. The introduction of franchising accelerated growth, and today, the brand boasts 65 locations across South Africa. A café’s site selection can be tested against destinations such as Fourways Mall’s retail environment, including rent, foot traffic and competition.
But growth came with challenges. Consistency in product quality became an issue as the company relied on multiple suppliers. To address this, Xpresso Café opened its own food factory in Cape Town, ensuring uniformity across all stores.
Lessons from the Journey
Nicolene shares key lessons from Xpresso Café’s success story:
- Hire Slow, Fire Fast: “If someone isn’t adding value to your business, let them go. A bad apple can spoil the bunch.”
- Trust Your Instincts: “If you don’t take a chance on yourself, no one else will.”
- Adapt and Learn: When a no-cash policy backfired, costing the company thousands, they quickly reverted to accepting cash.
The Future of Xpresso Café
With plans to expand further and introduce new menu items, Xpresso Café’s success story is far from over. The brand continues to innovate while staying true to its core mission: making coffee and food accessible to all.
The arithmetic behind a low-price café proposition
Xpresso's founder account explains its original low-price idea and first opening. The R10 and later R12 references are historical pricing milestones, not a promise that every current item or outlet has the same price. Check the present menu when planning a visit or evaluating a franchise.
A simple price message can reduce buying friction, while the operating model must still fund ingredients, packaging, labour and premises. Higher volume is helpful only if each sale contributes toward those costs and the staff can serve the demand reliably.
For illustration, an item sold for R15 with R8 variable costs contributes R7. At R21,000 monthly fixed costs, 3,000 such sales cover those fixed costs before other expenses not included. These are hypothetical inputs, not Xpresso's current prices or accounts.
For a new café, track demand by time and product, the speed of service and unsold food. A short queue can signal demand but does not disclose profit. The useful lesson is to test a clear value proposition against the cost and capacity needed to deliver it repeatedly.
Source and further reading: The arithmetic behind a low-price café proposition — reference.
Conclusion: Xpresso Café’s Success Story
Xpresso Café’s success story is a testament to the power of bold ideas and relentless execution. From a single store in Durbanville to a nationwide phenomenon, the brand has redefined what’s possible in the coffee industry.
As Nicolene puts it, “We wanted to create something that people could enjoy every day. And we did.” Founders building a new café identity should also understand registering a trade mark for a business name.
