The franchise sector, which contributed nearly 10% to South Africa’s GDP in 2014, seems to be defying the economic downturn, and will continue to grow, according to analysts at a leading bank. Food lovers will have noticed this in the number of new international brands entering the market (such as Domino’s, which plans to open 100 stores by early 2016), but local names still dominate, according to the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA).

One of the proudly South African brands so successfully demonstrating this is not a burger joint or artisanal pizzeria, but a frozen yoghurt concept called Wakaberry. Since opening its first store in an old bank building on Florida Road in Durban in 2011, the Wakaberry brand has exploded and now boasts 40 stores across South Africa and, recently, its first store beyond our borders in Namibia.

“People said that we would be closed within the month,” says Michele Fourie, co-founder of the brand with her husband, Ken, and the couple’s friend, David Clark. The doomsayers couldn’t have been more wrong.

Michele and Ken had been living overseas where the self-service frozen yoghurt trend was massive. They saw a gap in the South African market and decided to bring the concept of self-service, real frozen yoghurt back home. But what to call it? Wakaberry’s wacky name has an unlikely origin. At the time the founders were looking for a moniker, Ken and Michele’s girls, aged two and five at the time, could not stop singing Shakira’s Waka Waka Soccer World Cup song – and the catchy name was born.

Wakaberry. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Self-serve soft-serve

Froyo wasn’t exactly new; the low-fat craze had hit SA in the 90s, sprouting a handful of brands that enjoyed moderate success. But Wakaberry had something different in mind. “Customisation was a global trend and the people of South Africa hadn’t been exposed to many pay-per-weight concepts before,” explains Michele. “Wakaberry opened the first self-service pay-per-weight store and people loved the idea of building their own dessert rather than being handed a set amount over a counter.”

So not only can you decide what to have, you can also decide how much. (At Eat Out we fully support that concept, having a deeply ingrained and very real fear of other people serving us at salad bars and buffets.)

The product

It’s halaal certified, real (i.e. not reconstituted powder, like a lot of soft serve) yoghurt with live and active cultures, and it’s free of gluten and eggs. The Wakaberry range includes four options: froyo with no added sugar, a tart (sour) and a non-tart version, and a sorbet. Flavours whipped up by the ‘Wakaberry scientists’ range from cake batter, peanut butter and cookie dough to red velvet cake and litchi – plus all the usual suspects. You can sprinkle your swirls with everything from red liquorice, Diddle Daddle popcorn and sour worms to healthier options of sunflower seeds and fruits like pineapple, grapes, peaches and kiwi. (Don’t worry, there’s also fudge, chocolate and toffee.) You can find out the nutritional information here.

Wakaberry. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Challenges and champions

The Wakaberry path to success hasn’t been without its challenges, however. Michele says going from a mom-and-pop store to a national franchise was a massive learning curve. “Extensive research needed to be done, as legal structures, operational systems and processes were created from scratch specifically for the brand.”

But what has helped them has been the people factor. “Our close-knit and motivated team drives the brand forward. Although we’ve grown so much, we remain a close-knit family with exceptionally loyal and passionate people.”

The folks on the other side of the counter – customers ­– also played a role: “young, avid social media gurus”, according to Michele. Wakaberry being first to the market and having enthusiastic staff spurred these fans to spread the word-of-mouth quickly, which was key to the brand’s rapid growth.

And lastly, according to Michele’s favourite saying, which has practically become a motto at Wakaberry head office: “Success takes hard work, a lot of research and a little bit of crazy!”

Click here to find out about franchise opportunities.