Yuppiechef

Yuppiechef.com
TypePrivate subsidiary
IndustryE-commerce
Retail
Founded2006 (2006)
FounderAndrew Smith
Shane Dryden
Headquarters
Cape Town
,
South Africa
Number of locations
25 (2026)[1]
Area served
South Africa
ProductsKitchen tools
ParentMr Price Group (since 2021)
Websiteyuppiechef.com

Yuppiechef is a South African retailer of kitchen and homeware products, based in Cape Town.[2] Founded in 2006, the company has been wholly-owned by major South African retailer Mr Price Group since 2021.[3]

History

Originally run from Smith's home, Yuppiechef was one of a few experimental e-commerce projects initiated by the co-founders, who were running a web development agency at the time.[4]

The idea for the business originated from cooking shows and international travel. Smith and Dryden noticed that many of the kitchen tools and brands featured overseas weren't very accessible to South Africans. Instead of competing on price, Yuppiechef decided to focus on specialized products that couldn't be easily sourced elsewhere.[1]

Yuppiechef launched with just 32 products, and deliveries were initially packed and shipped from Smith's lounge, at his home in Plumstead, Cape Town.[1]

In June 2008, Paul Galatis, a high school friend of Smith's, joined the company as its third partner and assumed the role of Marketing Director.[5]

In 2010, Yuppiechef won a gold Loerie and gained significant media attention through guerrilla marketing that made use of a national marketing campaign by retailer Woolworths called ‘Woolies Lovebirds’.[6][7][8][9] A misspelled URL on Woolworth's marketing material, allowed them to register the URL, and post a ransom note asking that Woolworths match any donations by Yuppiechef's customers to a local charity they supported at the time.

Known for including handwritten cards[10] with deliveries, Yuppiechef established and early presence in the South African e-commerce sector.[11] The company was named the best eCommerce store in South Africa annually from 2010 through 2015.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

12 years after starting its online store, Yuppiechef opened its first brick & mortar stores in Cape Town and Johannesburg.[18] In October 2017, the first of their physical retail stores was launched.[19] The company has subsequently opened two more stores in Cape Town.[20] Yuppiechef's headquarters in Westlake Business Park also contains a store.

Yuppiechef was sold to major South African retail chain Mr Price Group in 2021,[3] in a deal valued at around R470 million. The company's founders remained with Yuppiechef for a year, before leaving in 2022.[1]

Operations

As of June 2026, Yuppiechef retails online, and operates a total of 25 physical stores, across multiple of South Africa's major cities.[21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kirsten Minnaar (7 June 2026). "The man who founded a R470 million kitchenware business from a living room". Daily Investor. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Andrew Smith | Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans". Archive-za.com. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Mr Price purchase of Yuppiechef gets the go-ahead". Bizcommunity. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Barry, Hanna (14 April 2015). "What Yuppiechef can teach corporates about customer service". Moneyweb. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  5. ↑ https://www.leader.co.za/article.aspx?s=6&f=1&a=5488
  6. ↑ "Woolies campaign 'hijacked' | Sci-Tech | Sci-Tech | M&G". Mg.co.za. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Davis, Rebecca (7 February 2010). "Ambush marketers hold Woolworths to ransom, and get some lovin' in return". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Adams & Adams Attorneys > Media Centre > News > Woolworths' lovebirds held for ransom". Adamsadams.com. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "eCommerce Contenders: The rise of Yuppiechef - MWEB Small Biz". Mweb.co.za. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Mills, Greg (18 August 2011). "Yuppiechef's recipe for customer growth". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Zeenat Moorad (25 September 2014). "YUPPIECHEF: Starting to sizzle nicely | Features". financialmail. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "How South Africa's top e-commerce store wins customer loyalty". Howwemadeitinafrica.com. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "2010 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "2011 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "2012 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "2013 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "2014 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "This startling statistic shows why Yuppiechef is opening stores in malls". BusinessInsider. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "Yuppiechef is opening its first brick and mortar store next month". Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "About Yuppiechef's Physical Stores & Omnichannel Retail Strategy". www.yuppiechef.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  21. ↑ "Yuppiechef - Store Locator". Yuppiechef. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
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