| Dulce Café | |
| Type: | Private Company |
| Foundation: | Port Elizabeth, South Africa (1980) |
| Location: | Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
| Key People: | Mike Pullen, Managing Director |
| Industry: | Restaurant, Franchising |
| Locations: | 53 |
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.
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.
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 |