How two young entrepreneurs turned their passion for healthy eating into Cape Town’s favourite conscious living destination – Wildsprout!
What started as a tiny café on Loop Street has blossomed into something much bigger than Candice Coles, a young entrepreneur, 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, they 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 churning out healthy frozen meals and baked goods that you’ll find stocked in retailers across the Western Cape and beyond.
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Wildsprout is not just about the food, it’s about creating a space where conscious living feels accessible. “Young customers have loved this offering,” Candice says 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 believe 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. And their customers prove these daily – 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.
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The future looks bright (and green) for Wildsprout, while they are focusing on growing their online presence, don’t be surprised if more physical locations pop up. “Interacting with our amazing customers is always enjoyable, so who knows, maybe another branch or two,” Dean muses. Their product range keeps expanding too, from their popular frozen meals like Beef Bolognese and Chilli Non-Carne to eco-friendly homeware and personal care products. It’s all part of their mission to make conscious living accessible to young adults starting their environmentally aware journeys.
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, so 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, like Yoco, to take your business to the next level.
Wildsprout has become more than just a place to grab lunch. It’s proof that young entrepreneurs can reshape entire industries when they combine passion with purpose.
Photography: Supplied
