South Africa's leading QSR health brand marks 28 years of success, innovation,
and wellness
The opening of Kauai’s 200th South African store at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront is a significant milestone on its 28-year journey as a trailblazer that has changed the way that consumers think about fast foods. Smoothies such as the Strawberry Stinger and the Peanut Butter Bomb, and all the made-to-order meals like the iconic Princess Wrap have been part of SA’s healthy eating lifestyle for almost three decades. Kauai was the first quick-service restaurant to introduce South Africans to smoothies in 1995, and now they sell more than 7 million smoothies every year.
With an unwavering focus on food that is fresh and natural, Kauai was always ahead of the shift toward healthy eating and wellness. While the top favourites are still on the menu, Kauai has embraced constant innovation and has kept pace with how consumers’ dietary preferences are evolving. 80% of Kauai's menu, which includes more than 100 superfoods, is customisable to be plant-based or protein-rich. It’s a proudly SA story that’s currently going global. As the 200th Kauai store opens at the V&A Waterfront, there’s also the rapid global expansion of the brand in markets such as the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand, Namibia, Botswana, and soon in Sydney, Australia.
Kauai has become synonymous with a modern, healthy way of life. The brand's focus on preventative health and its presence in Virgin Active clubs worldwide enhances the overall wellness experience for customers. Dean Kowarski, Global CEO of Virgin Active and Kauai and NU, says,
“Opening our 200th store in South Africa is a testament to South Africans seeking healthier food choices. At Kauai, healthy eating is in our DNA - enjoying fresh, natural, delicious whole foods with plenty of fruit and veggies that support your immune system and improve your overall health is our purpose. We only make fresh, healthy, natural food to order which is a model unlike any other quick service chain. We are unique in offering consumers quick, nutritionally dense, clean food with no wasted calories. For millions of consumers, Kauai is more than healthy food, it’s a way of life that’s about wellness, and being empowered to support daily healthy eating habits and achieve healthy lifestyle goals. Another key to our success is constant innovation. We’re agile when it comes to turning relevant insights and trends, whether they are related to food, digital or the QSR industry, into Kauai innovations that keep building our brand and helping consumers maintain their wellness when they are on the go.”
Kauai has defined a stylish, modern store design, where the clean colour palette including liberal use of black, serves as a highly effective backdrop for displaying the wide range of seasonal, fresh, brightly coloured fruit and veg that go into its popular smoothies and meals. It’s easily replicable across a wide range of store formats, enabling the brand to seamlessly take its place in upmarket shopping malls such as V&A Waterfront and Virgin Active gyms, as well as neighbourhood strip shopping centerssingle-use and on the high street. There’s a particular Kauai vibe created by well-trained serving staff who are encouraged to personally embrace wellness and are knowledgeable when it comes to the seasonal produce and superfoods on offer.
An important part of Kauai’s journey to its 200th South African store has been its commitment to sustainability and its synergy with consumer concerns about caring for the planet. The brand pioneered the offering of free-range eggs and chicken, grass-fed whey protein in the quick service restaurant market and continues to work towards 0% food waste and the elimination of single use plastics in production processes. Currently, Kauai is also working with suppliers to ensure all takeaway packaging is made from recycled or compostable materials.
Kauai has made significant investments in its digital platforms to meet its customers wherever they choose. Kowarski says,
“Globally consumers are tech savvy and expect the same from their favourite brands, if you are not accessible digitally you are not part of their world and have no relevance. Through our digital platforms, we provide our customers with an enhanced brand experience. Ordering ahead, rewarding with cash back, surprising our customers with subscriptions, tiered benefits and gamification are just some of the experiences on our app ensuring we can keep growing brand value to our consumers.”
As Kauai celebrates the opening of its 200th South African store, the brand remains committed to its founding principles of providing fresh, healthy, and natural food, with an eye on continued innovation and sustainability. It’s a journey that reflects Kauai’s steadfast commitment to changing lives for the better through wellness.
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