Skinny Scoop natural ice-cream with no sugar and added whey protein has taken health conscious and athletic Cape Town by storm. Co-owner Gabi Esposito tells us about their production base in Paarden Eiland with its brand new coffee shop, Affogato.
How did your business start?
Jarred and I both have a passion for health, wellness, balance and nutrition. We saw a gap in the market for no-added sugar, gluten-free desserts that actually tasted good! So, we added some raw protein to the mix to increase the health benefits, used only natural binders for stabilising the product, and Skinny Scoop was created.
Why did you choose this area for your business?
After eight months of production, we needed to move to a bigger premises. We looked at a few spots in industrial areas as rent is generally cheaper and space is bigger. We love Paarden Eiland as it’s becoming one of the in places in town for business, and for logistics purposes the location could not be more ideal. If there’s no traffic, so it takes a mere 12 minutes to get to the CBD.
How did you find your premises?
We did plenty drive-by’s and saw an ad on the building.
Why are the premises ideally suited to your business?
The fact that we found our gem of a spot on the busiest street in Paarden Eiland is a win in itself. Once here we discovered another gap in this particular market for a decent cup of coffee. We had enough space to open Affogato Urban Cafe – a green, rustic, coffee on-the-go shop where we sell fresh croissants, confectionary and Giovanni’s coffee.
Who are your neighbours?
We sublet from the guy upstairs who owns a restaurant called On The Corner. Then we have an awesome private tiling company who come join us for their daily coffee fix, as well as a cold chain storage company and a fire training department.
What are the rental / sales prices like in this area?
Rental prices are generally R55-R75/m2 for smaller spots, and the larger factory spaces (300m2 and more) R40-R50/m2.
What is your shop foot traffic?
It’s hard to say now as we just opened but we probably sell around 20 cups of coffee a day and plenty of toasted bagels and chocolate croissants.
Do you have any expansion plans?
If we expand it will be to an independent ice cream producer taking on large orders. We will be in this spot for the next two-and-a-half years so after that who knows! Maybe we will then be setting up in Europe. One can only dream.
Do you operate online as well?
At the moment, no, but people can order and collect from our premises. We just don’t deliver.
What’s your most popular item?
Our most popular ice cream is Afterdark Cacao. At Affogato, cappuccinos, toasted bagels and our toasted chocolate croissants.
083 670 6767 / 081 483 1426
Words: Kit Heathcock | aImages: Supplied
