South Africa’s first self-serve frozen yogurt chain and the first Swirl of Honor recipient, Wakaberry, recently opened a store at the brand new Grove Mall in Windhoek, Namibia. Wakaberry is now an international chain with 40 locations. We congratulate Wakaberry and are thrilled to have a Swirl of Honor shop in Namibia.
The article below was written by the African Marketing Confederation and is reproduced below:
A South African success story, frozen yoghurt chain Wakaberry first opened its doors in Durban in 2011. Now operating 40 stores throughout South Africa, the franchise is setting its sights on expansion into the rest of Africa. The first non-SA outlet is in neighbouring Namibia’s newest and largest shopping centre, Grove Mall.
A US$88-million investment, the mall opened its doors in Windhoek in October. According to the websites ‘South African Commercial Prop News’ and ‘AllAfrica.com’, Wakaberry is one of 28 retail stores, restaurants and service outlets that are new to the Namibian market. This is in addition to home-grown brands like Otto Muir, Paulo’s and Boardriders ; as well as established cross-border retail names such as Spar, Edgars and Game.
In an interview conducted earlier this year, Wakaberry Brand Manager, Luise Peters, discussed the chain’s strategy. “At the moment, we are looking at international expansion and we’re very excited to be opening our first store in Namibia, which will be our first international outlet,” she said. “In terms of sustainability, we manage our growth. We’re a franchise and we try and open in places that are relevant and offer long-term potential in strategic locations.”
Started by three South Africans who returned to the country after 15 years of living abroad, Wakaberry has proved to be a trendsetter in a country which has not previously been exposed to the concept of self-service frozen yoghurt with a pay-per-weight system. Founders Ken and Michele Fourie, and their business partner David Clark, initially relied on word-of-mouth marketing to grow the brand, which, when celebrating its third birthday in May this year, could boast more than 176 000 Facebook fans, 26 500 Twitter and 5 100 Instagram followers.
Looking back on the brand’s foundations, Peters explained: “It was a new and innovative concept, with a product that people wanted to try. Wakaberry started with no marketing budget, so the strategy was to win the hearts and minds of South Africans and tell them about this product and create a new category.” The brand’s key selling point is that “you are the master of your own concoction”, said Peters.
Targeting the youth market, the quirky brand quickly gained popularity, spurred on by social media discussions of customers’ experiences of combining their own flavours and toppings. “People are able to participate with the brand. Now that we have more budget, we’re able to purchase media [advertising], though,” explained Peters. “With our young, techno-savvy market, it’s important to be on the channels that they’re interacting with.”
Strategic partnerships have also been instrumental in brand growth. “We like to partner with brands that will help us achieve our goals,” Peters told the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in Johannesburg. One such partnership is with South African quick-service restaurant heavyweight Famous Brands. Wakaberry sold a 70% stake of its business to the company in March this year. Speaking to ‘The Money Show’ on Talk Radio 702 at the time, Famous Brands CEO Kevin Hedderwick said: “Wakaberry is the best in its class, which aligns with the group’s brand development growth strategy.”
In 2013 Wakaberry was awarded the Best of Jo’burg award for the Best Frozen Yoghurt and, in February 2014, the International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) awarded it ‘Three-swirls’; the first time a froyo (frozen yoghurt) bar outside the US was recognised. Three is the highest number of ‘swirls’ a frozen yoghurt brand can be awarded.
At the time the IFYA’s president, Susan Linton, said: “We look for brands like Wakaberry that care about the quality of the frozen yoghurt they serve, offer superior customer service and create a fun, enjoyable experience for customers … We applaud Wakaberry’s commitment to quality (their yogurt is made with local organic milk) and their involvement with the Ubuntu Youth Empowerment Programme” (an rural-focused, education-based approach to fighting HIV/AIDS and other issues affecting rural communities).
