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From our humble beginnings in 2005 to our status today as a global business and brand, red espresso® remains a small group of family and friends made up of ex-corporates and entrepreneurs.
Our mix of passion and professionalism combined with our willingness to attempt the seemingly impossible has helped win red espresso® numerous international awards for pioneering healthy café culture and giving people choices that weren’t there before.
Three core strands run through the heart of our business and unite us as a team. We’re passionate about health and back-to-basics products. We’re obsessed with innovation. And we will never compromise on our values of honesty and integrity.
Managing Director & Co-founder
Since inception, Pete has been at the helm of red espresso®: a product he was drawn to for its innovation and health benefits…and the challenge of building a global business. A corporate heavyweight with a daredevil attitude and a genuine passion for improving the lives of others, he recognized that red espresso® could put South Africa on the world map and make a real difference to the lives of everyone who contributes to the product. An ardent world traveller, Pete enjoys meeting with customers all over the world and launching red espresso® into new markets. Pete loves rolling his sleeves up and getting involved: you’re more likely to find him helping out in the factory than sitting at his desk, and his real happy place is the Cederberg mountains, mucking in with the farmers. When he’s not at red espresso®, he can be found on the sports field or hanging out with his two beautiful daughters.
Marketing Director & Mother of the brand
A tea drinker, health guru and celebrated marketing strategist, Monique, Pete’s wife, created the red espresso® brand from scratch (we tease her about being our brandmother) winning two awards in the process. Monique was drawn to red espresso® for its health, innovation and family credentials. And her extensive experience in global brand management, research and trade marketing meant she was totally up for the challenge of building a brand from nothing and trailblazing a new beverage category. She is passionate about meditation (it’s no coincidence red espresso® was conceived in a Kathmandu café), being a mom to her two gorgeous daughters and living a balanced life (ie spending as much time on the beach as possible, preferably with a book in hand).
Head of Product Development
As passionate about coffee as he is about health, Nic, Monique’s brother, has been with red espresso® from the beginning. Helping make and pack product in our flat in Cape Town, he was our first Brand Ambassador and Barista Trainer, selling red espresso® out of the boot of his car and getting us our first 1000 customers! His dedication to product excellence and consistent in-cup quality helped make our red cappuccino® famous in South Africa. To this day no product leaves our factory without him personally testing it. Head of Product Development, he is responsible for extending our red espresso® range and giving people more choice in our brand. When he’s not tinkering around in our factory or perfecting his latte art in our café, he can be found on the beach with his wife, son and daughter.
Global Sales and Marketing and Design
Kirsty, Monique’s sister, joined red espresso® in 2008 after years of graphic design and art direction on glossy magazines. In addition to being an incredible design talent who has had a fundamental impact on our brand’s look and feel, she has also championed our e-Commerce and Customer Service departments alongside Monique. This has made her a very familiar face to our many customers who have come to know and enjoy their time with her over the years! Kirsty also teaches yoga and volunteers part-time at the Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary in Paarl.
US Representative
We are very fortunate to be partnered with Brazilian-born Carolina in the US market. Her family’s business, the Tristao Group, ranks amongst the five largest Brazilian coffee exporters and their history is deeply intertwined with that of coffee in Brazil. In fact, they recently celebrated their 80th anniversary under the leadership of three generations of her family. We met each other when red espresso® piqued her interest as a genuine healthy alternative to coffee that could offer the same sophistication and enjoyment as coffee. Her love for the café lifestyle mixed with her keen interest in health and wellness led to her becoming a true brand ambassador for us. Her background in advertising and sales and marketing combined with her passion, enthusiasm and belief in red espresso® make her the perfect partner to help us introduce our brand to the US market. She is based in California where she lives with her husband and daughter.
Chief Financial Officer
Tall and British, our business wouldn’t be the same without Oliver’s incredible input on matters financial, strategic and sustainable. With experience ranging from working at Price Waterhouse London to safari guiding in Zambia, and a degree in microbiology and biochemistry (!) he is the financial director of several businesses and has a strong interest in sustainability. He’s also a registered carbon footprint assessor and a passionate environmentalist.
Accountant
The leading lady in our office, Cathleen has been with us for many years and is an integral part of our team. She heads up our finance department and is well known to all our customers. When she’s not at the office you can find her kickboxing or designing and sewing ball gowns – in fact, she has dressed many school leavers in our hometown of Paarl for their end of year dances!
Production Supervisor
Lowynne joined us in 2008 as one of our packers and worked his way up to being our Production Supervisor, responsible for our daily production planning and manufacturing and heading up our production team. His happy demeanour and big smile are infectious!
Girls: Rebecca, Estefan, Aphton, Gretchen
Guys: Max, Lowynne, Nigel and Alvino
Taking every care to produce the quality and product excellence you have come to expect from red espresso®. They have all been with us for many years already and have helped make red espresso® what it is today.
