Mr Price Foundation selects Matshidiso Mack, Noxolo Molefe and Zandile Tibane for inaugural in-store coffee incubator

Following a national application process, Matshidiso Mack, Noxolo Molefe and Zandile Tibane have been chosen for the inaugural cohort. Each will manage a coffee kiosk within a Mr Price Home store, taking responsibility for day-to-day operations, customer service, stock management and basic financial administration.

Mack will operate the kiosk at Mr Price Home Diep River in Cape Town, Molefe will run the kiosk at Mr Price Home Hillcrest in Durban, while Tibane will manage the Mr Price Home Nelspruit Crossing store in Mbombela.

"We are excited about the journey Matshidiso, Noxolo and Zandile are about to undertake," says Duduzile Mathabela, entrepreneurship development programme manager at the Mr Price Foundation.

"Bonafide Research projects that South Africa's coffee market will grow by more than 7% annually between 2024 and 2029. We want emerging entrepreneurs to be positioned to participate in that growth.

"Through the Foundation Coffee Incubator, our aim is to build a pipeline of entrepreneurs who understand the coffee business, have experience serving real customers and can turn the growth of South Africa's coffee economy into sustainable businesses and livelihoods."

The incubator combines mentorship and business skills development with practical experience of operating a working coffee kiosk, allowing participants to learn while managing a business.

The three entrepreneurs bring different backgrounds to the programme.

Mack, from Cape Town, is a complaints specialist and founder of Bosire Brew Coffee Specialists, a coffee training and consulting business, as well as garment care service LaundryMack.

Durban-based Molefe works as an agricultural advisor and owns mobile coffee business Koffee Lam', while Tibane, an HR consultant from Mbombela, also operates a mobile bar business.

According to the foundation, the programme aims to address barriers faced by aspiring entrepreneurs by providing access to infrastructure, customers and practical business experience.

The foundation cited Global Entrepreneurship Monitor research showing that while 66% of South African women believe they have the capability to start a business, only 38% of the country's small and medium enterprises are women-owned and led, with access to finance remaining a significant challenge.

"What emerging entrepreneurs consistently lack is access to real customers, a quality product and the commercial infrastructure to grow a business. These women are not entering a simulation; they are trading inside one of the country's most recognisable retail environments. Our role is to provide the mentorship and operational support that can help turn that opportunity into something sustainable," says Mathabela.

Foundation Coffee has formed part of the Mr Price Foundation's entrepreneurship initiatives since 2019. The coffee is ethically sourced and locally roasted by former South African Barista Champion Craig Charity of Lineage Coffee, with proceeds supporting the foundation's youth education and skills development programmes.

The three entrepreneurs opened their kiosks on 3 August 2026 as part of the foundation's broader goal of helping 500,000 young South Africans achieve economic resilience by 2035.