The South African rugby legend who started two popular coffee chains

Born Jakobus Johannes Wiese on 16 May 1964 in Paarl, Wiese matriculated at Paarl Gimnasium and went on to study teaching at Paarl Onderwys, later obtaining his diploma from Goudstad. 

He played provincial rugby for Boland, Western Transvaal, and Transvaal (now Gauteng) before earning his place in the Springbok team. 

Wiese made his test debut in 1993 against France and was part of the squad that famously won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 

He played his last test match for South Africa in 1996 against Wales, earning the rare distinction of never playing in a losing Springbok team when in the starting XV.

Despite playing until 1996, Wiese’s journey into the coffee business began during his rugby career after a tour to Italy. 

While playing north of Venice, he fell in love with the Italian culture of food, family, and long, shared meals. “Eating is an experience,” he said. “I love having friends over and cooking; it’s therapeutic.”

Inspired by that lifestyle, Wiese returned to South Africa with a dream. “I came back and said to my girlfriend and my now wife, Belinda, we need to start something,” he explained.

With no experience, they bought a small coffee shop in Johannesburg. “We took everything we had and bought the shop on a gut feel,” he said.

“We took everything we had and bought the shop on a gut feel,” Wiese said. “My father asked me if I even knew how many cups of coffee I’d have to sell to make a living.” 

With no experience but plenty of determination, the couple threw themselves into the business, learning everything from the ground up.

“If you can’t do anything in your restaurant better than the people working for you, it’s a problem.”

Rapid growth 

Their first shop in Johannesburg’s East Rand quickly grew popular, prompting an expansion of both the seating and the menu. 

Wiesenhof Coffee Shop was officially founded in 1998. Throughout it all, Wiese remained hands-on, roasting beans himself and experimenting with blends. 

“My favourite part was always testing different roasting methods and beans from different countries,” he said. 

These experiments led to the development of their signature blends, recipes, and methods, which are still guarded as trade secrets today.

Green beans are sourced from top coffee-growing countries like Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Ethiopia, then roasted locally in South Africa. 

“It’s a true South African brand,” Wiese said. “And without sounding biased, I believe the best coffee is in Africa.”

As the brand gained traction, Kobus and Belinda introduced Dulce Café as an alternative franchise option to complement Wiesenhof. 

Together, both brands now form part of Wiese Coffee Holdings (WCH), which also includes their original Roastery. 

Operated from their former family home near Heidelberg, Gauteng, WCH has grown into a key player in South Africa’s coffee industry.

In recent years, the family expanded operations to Paarl in the Western Cape, establishing a satellite office to support store and distribution growth in the region. 

Successful owner, presenter, and motivational speaker

The business remains proudly family-owned and values-driven. Wiese emphasises working with partners who share a commitment to ethics, service, and quality: 

“We surround ourselves with like-minded individuals. That’s reflected in our team at Head Office.”

More than 26 years later, Wiesenhof and Dulce cafés can be found across the country, built on principles of hard work, humility, and a deep love of coffee. 

The couple’s entrepreneurial spirit has shaped the brand’s identity and success. “We grafted like animals,” Wiese said. “And thank God we did more right than wrong.”

Outside the coffee business, Wiese remains a public figure. He appears as a sports presenter on M-Net, something he calls a “hobby,” and is a popular motivational speaker and master of ceremonies at corporate events.

His message to young people, whether in sports or business, is that regret is harder to live with than failure. 

“There are no guarantees in life. Life favours nobody. You’ve got to meet it halfway. Dedication, determination, discipline, and desire are the recipe. There’s no disgrace in failure. There is disgrace in not trying.”

Wiesenhof Coffees

Dulce Café

Issued on BusinessTech by Malcolm Libera | https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/828718/the-south-african-rugby-legend-who-started-two-popular-coffee-chains/