How two young entrepreneurs turned their passion for healthy eating into one of Cape Town’s favourite conscious living destinations.
Five years ago, Cape Town entrepreneur Candice Coles decided to make her dream of a restaurant that serves genuinely healthy, wholesome food that makes you feel good, a reality.
What started as a tiny café on Loop Street has blossomed into something much bigger than she could have imagined. “There were little to no restaurants available that offered genuinely healthy food made using wholefoods, offering a decent sit-down experience,” Candice reflects. So, she created one.
From that first small space, her brother Dean joined, and Wildsprout has grown into three bustling restaurant-delis across Cape Town (Kenilworth, Constantia, and Sea Point), plus a factory producing healthy frozen meals and baked goods stocked by retailers across the Western Cape and beyond.
Wildsprout is not just about the food (though their hemp jacks and green omelettes are legendary among Gen Z). It’s about creating a space where conscious living feels accessible, not intimidating. “Young customers have loved this offering,” Candice explains about their unique café-grocery hybrid concept. “They could trust that no matter what they were ordering from the restaurant or grabbing from the grocery store, they would be getting a healthy, local and quality product.”
Dean and Candice are passionate believers that young people are driving South Africa’s sustainable food revolution. “The younger generation has often shown a deeper understanding of healthy food and willingness to educate themselves,” Dean notes. Young patrons are the most adventurous, often discovering “hidden gems” like the Superboost drink or matcha lattes, and sharing them on social media.
But it’s not just about what’s trending. It’s about a generation that asks questions: Where does my food come from? How was it made? What impact does it have? This curiosity is reshaping how we think about food entirely, and how we consume it.
Their advice for entrepreneurs
Dean and Candice’s advice for young entrepreneurs is refreshingly practical:
- Back yourself, with confidence and research. Have faith in your vision but ground it in solid business fundamentals.
- Never stop learning. The information is out there, use it. Network actively and continuously upskill.
- Build community. Support your peers and create an ecosystem where everyone can thrive.
- Blend passion with pragmatism. Trust your gut, but don’t ignore the numbers.
- Partner with the right payment and point of sale service provider to take your business to the next level.
