Platō Coffee

Platō Coffee
Company typePrivate
IndustryCoffeehouse chain
Founded2019 (2019)[1]
FounderStephan and Petrus Bredell[2]
HeadquartersPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Number of locations
130+ (2026)[3]
Area served
Southern Africa
Key people
Stephan Bredell (CEO)[4]
ProductsCoffee beans
Confections
ServicesCoffee training workshops
Number of employees
500+ (2025)[5]
SubsidiariesBLΛNK[6]
Websiteplato.coffee

Platō Coffee is a major South African coffeehouse chain. Founded in December 2019 and headquartered in Pretoria, Gauteng, the company operates over 130 locations across Southern Africa, as of 2026. This makes Platō South Africa's fourth-largest coffeehouse chain by number of stores.[5][7]

The company also operates Platō Academy, a barista and specialty coffee training center, in the Cape Town suburb of District Six. Established in late 2025, the center serves as the training hub for Platō's baristas and franchise partners, but is also open to the public for workshops and socializing.[8]

History

Platō was founded in 2019, by brothers Stephan and Petrus Bredell. Initially, the brothers sold coffee out of a shipping container in Centurion, Gauteng.[2]

The company intentionally focused on opening stores in lifestyle centers and small towns, to achieve its goal of establishing good relationships with the communities in which it operates, and building a community around its coffee.[6]

Platō also quickly discovered that the margins were far better on coffee than their food offerings. The company subsequently removed food from the menu in order to focus exclusively on coffee.[9]

In 2022, Platō launched a franchise model, and opened its own roastery, called Blank Supplies (stylized as BLΛNK).[10] Platō Co-founder Petrus subsequently moved to become Blank Supplies' CEO.[6]

In 2024, the company had a total of 58 stores (20 corporate-owned and 38 franchised), and was continuing to expand. At the time, Platō confirmed it intended to establish stores outside of South Africa.[6]

In August 2025, Platō reached a total of 100 stores and 500 employees. The company launched its own loyalty program in partnership with Cape Town-based rewards company Yoyo, using the latter's bank card-linked system. The loyalty system is enabled by Cape Town fintech Yoco's infrastructure,[11] and the Platō arrangement was a first-of-its-kind customer loyalty partnership in South Africa.[12] At the time, Platō announced plans to expand to 150 stores by the end of 2025.[5]

Platō launched a barista and specialty coffee training center in District Six, Cape Town, in September 2025. The Platō Academy was established to train the company's own baristas and franchise partners, and also to serve as a meeting place for coffee enthusiasts and members of the public who want to take part in coffee workshops.[13]

In November 2025, the company expanded outside South Africa, launching a store in neighboring Zimbabwe. Platō also announced plans to expand into Europe and the Middle East.[14]

Operations

As of 2026, Platō operates over 130 locations across Southern Africa via a dual model of corporate and franchise-owned stores. Most of the company's coffeehouses are situated in its home country of South Africa. Johannesburg has the company's highest number of outlets, followed by Cape Town.[3]

The company also operates Platō Academy, a barista and specialty coffee training center in Cape Town.[8]

Some Platō outlets have extended hours, operating from 6AM to 6PM, to cater to clients arriving before or after work and school commutes.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ryk van Niekerk (24 April 2025). "How to Make Money With … a coffee franchise that started in a container". Moneyweb. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Platō Coffee - Our Story". Platō Coffee. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Platō Coffee - Store Locator". Platō Coffee. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b Hanno Labuschagne (11 February 2026). "Eskom killed his first business — then he started a coffee giant bigger than Starbucks in South Africa". MyBroadband. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Luke Fraser (1 August 2025). "South African coffee company hits major milestone with new stores coming". BusinessTech. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d Seth Thorne (10 June 2024). "From a ship container side hustle to almost 60 stores countrywide". BusinessTech. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  7. ^ Johana Mukandila (12 February 2025). "Their coffee is good: SA cheers as entrepreneur bounces back after Eskom setback". BusinessTech. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  8. ^ a b Malcolm Libera (11 July 2025). "Well-known coffee brand building its own Academy in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. ^ Chante Hohip (12 June 2024). "From side hustle to 58 locations: The story of Plato Coffee". EWN. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Blank Supplies - Instagram". Blank Supplies. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  11. ^ Robin-Leigh Chetty (7 July 2025). "Platō launches loyalty system in partnership with Yoyo and Yoco". hypertext. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Platō Launches SA's First Bank Card-Linked Loyalty App". Tech Financials. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  13. ^ "South Africa's Platō Coffee to launch training academy". World Coffee Portal. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  14. ^ "South Africa's Platō Coffee makes international debut in Zimbabwe". World Coffee Portal. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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