Mugg & Bean
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersMidrand, South Africa
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Mugg & Bean firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mugg & Bean
- Legal name
- Famous Brands Management Company (Proprietary) Limited
- Website
- https://muggandbean.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mugg & Bean industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Breakfast & Coffee QSR (THAFAAAI)
Keywords
Where Mugg & Bean is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Midrand
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mugg & Bean business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Restaurant and Food Service Sales: Mugg & Bean generates revenue through sit-down restaurant dining and on-the-move takeaway meals including breakfast, brunch, lunch, freshly baked muffins, cakes, and coffee
- Coffee Subscription: Monthly subscription service for coffee purchases offering up to 50% savings on qualifying products including cappuccino, americano, cafe mocha, cafe latte, and filter coffee
- Loyalty Program: Customers earn 2% Loyalty Rands on purchases via the app, redeemable for partial or full payment of orders. Loyalty Rands expire after 3 years
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold online with values from R50 to R500, valid for 3 years from purchase date, redeemable at Mugg & Bean outlets in South Africa
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Coffee Subscription - up to 50% savings |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee & Cake Time Out promotion |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Loyalty Rands earning rate |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Gift Cards |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Birthday Reward |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | New App Registration Reward |
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mugg & Bean product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mugg & Bean operates a casual dining restaurant chain in South Africa serving hand-selected coffee, all-day breakfast, brunch, lunch, freshly baked Giant Muffins, and decadent cakes. Customers can dine in at sit-down restaurants or grab meals and coffee on the go at On-The-Move takeaway outlets. The brand also offers a Loyalty App with order-ahead functionality, a Coffee Subscription service, digital gift cards, and an online coffee bean store.
Product overview
Mugg & Bean is a South African casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1996, owned by Famous Brands, operating as a single-brand restaurant concept. The core offering consists of two service formats: the full-service Sit-Down Restaurant and the On-The-Move takeaway format. The product portfolio centers on freshly brewed coffee, all-day breakfast, brunch, and lunch meals, freshly baked Giant Muffins, and decadent cakes. Digital products include a Loyalty App (enabling order-ahead, rewards earning, and the Coffee Subscription feature), an online coffee store for bean and ground coffee purchases, and Digital Gift Cards. Chef Mokgadi collaboration provides plant-based menu options. The company also runs Cupcakes of Hope charitable initiative and Discovery Vitality rewards partnership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mokgadi: Plant-based menu collaboration with Chef Mokgadi Itsweng featuring vegetarian and plant-based meal options including the Summer Nourish Salad, Mediterranean Veg Bowl, Veggie Gourmet Burger, Spicy Beans on Toast, and various drinks.
Products and services
- Mugg & Bean Sit-Down Restaurant Full-service casual dining restaurant locations offering all-day breakfast, brunch, lunch, freshly baked muffins, cakes, and the complete coffee menu in a welcoming 'home away from home' atmosphere for individual South African consumers.
- Mugg & Bean On-The-Move (OTM) Quick-service takeaway format under the Mugg & Bean brand, providing the same freshly made meals and coffees for collection by customers on the go, including Halaal OTM menu options.
- Coffee Subscription Service Subscription service available through the Loyalty App offering cappuccino, americano, cafe mocha, cafe latte, and filter coffee with savings of up to 50%, valid for 30 days with one qualifying product redeemable per day.
- Mugg & Bean Loyalty App Mobile application enabling customers to earn 2% Loyalty Rands on purchases (redeemable for partial or full payment, valid for 3 years), place order-ahead for collection, purchase the Coffee Subscription, send digital gift vouchers, and claim birthday cake rewards.
- Bean Online Coffee Store E-commerce platform at beanonline.co.za selling Mugg & Bean coffee beans and ground coffee for home consumption, including the House Blend and Mocca Java Blend, recognised as Best Fresh Coffee in the Ask Afrika Icon Brands survey 2022/3.
- Digital Gift Cards Digital gift cards sold online through the YoYo Gifts partner platform in denominations from R50 to R500, valid for 3 years from purchase and redeemable at Mugg & Bean outlets in South Africa.
- Chef Mokgadi Plant-Based Menu Plant-based and vegetarian menu line developed in collaboration with South African plant-based expert Chef Mokgadi Itsweng, featuring locally-sourced ingredients such as sorghum, lentils, and indigenous foods.
- Website Online Ordering and Delivery Online ordering channel via muggandbean.co.za and the Loyalty App for same-day collection or delivery within 3km of participating outlets, providing direct-to-consumer food and beverage ordering.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over R6.5 million raised for Cupcakes of Hope since 2022
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Mugg & Bean
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mugg & Bean technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Mugg & Bean partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cupcakes of HopecoreMugg & Bean's primary CSI partner since 2022. For each cupcake ordered, R2 is donated to Cupcakes of Hope, a registered NPC and PBO that supports families with children fighting cancer. Over R6.5 million has been raised together, helping over 260 families with medical treatment, transport, food, clothing and nappies. Partnership includes sharing child stories on the Mugg & Bean website and social media.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mugg & Bean competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Nando's: South African-origin international casual-dining brand with widespread African footprint. Comparable as a Famous Brands peer-category SA brand with strong daypart breadth, though differentiated by its peri-peri chicken specialism.
- Costa Coffee: Global coffee chain with a presence in South Africa. Comparable as a competing branded coffee and cafe concept, with a comparable menu structure (sandwiches, baked goods, coffee) to Mugg & Bean's sit-down format.
- Spur Steak Ranches: JSE-listed SA casual-dining group with a family restaurant portfolio. Comparable on sit-down family-dining model and SA-wide footprint, but skews more toward evening/grill occasions versus Mugg & Bean's breakfast/coffee daypart.
- Starbucks South Africa: Global specialty coffee leader operating in South Africa with strong loyalty/app stack. Comparable as a competitor for the SA coffee daypart and on digital subscription/loyalty mechanics, but at a different price tier.
Direct peers
- Tashas: Premium South African cafe and casual-dining brand with strong breakfast/brunch/lunch positioning. Comparable to Mugg & Bean on cafe-style meals, all-day breakfast occasion, and aspirational everyday dining positioning.
- Seattle Coffee Company: Established South African coffee chain with a sit-down cafe format and signature beans. Directly comparable on coffee-led menu, casual-dining occasions, and SA-wide physical footprint.
- Vida e Caffè: South African specialty coffee chain with strong digital loyalty and premium positioning. Directly comparable on coffee-led daypart, urban trading density, and subscription-style customer engagement programmes.
- Ocean Basket: South African casual-dining seafood chain with a sit-down family-friendly format. Comparable on full-service sit-down model, SA trading footprint, and Famous Brands-adjacent competitive set.
- Wimpy: Sister brand within Famous Brands; operates sit-down family restaurants in South Africa serving breakfast, burgers, coffee, and milkshakes. Closest direct comparable as a co-branded Famous Brands casual-dining concept targeting the same dayparts and customer base.
- Bootlegger Coffee Company: South African specialty coffee and cafe chain offering hand-roasted coffee and cafe-style meals. Competes with Mugg & Bean for the sit-down breakfast, brunch, and coffee occasion among urban SA consumers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mugg & Bean social profiles
Digital presenceMugg & Bean financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mugg & Bean leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mugg & Bean funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mugg & Bean M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mugg & Bean
What does Mugg & Bean do?
Mugg & Bean operates a casual dining restaurant chain in South Africa serving hand-selected coffee, all-day breakfast, brunch, lunch, freshly baked Giant Muffins, and decadent cakes. Customers can dine in at sit-down restaurants or grab meals and coffee on the go at On-The-Move takeaway outlets. The brand also offers a Loyalty App with order-ahead functionality, a Coffee Subscription service, digital gift cards, and an online coffee bean store.
Is Mugg & Bean a public or private company?
Mugg & Bean is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Mugg & Bean founded?
Mugg & Bean was founded in 1996. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Mugg & Bean based?
Mugg & Bean is headquartered in Midrand, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Mugg & Bean make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant and Food Service Sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee Subscription, loyalty Program and gift Cards.
Who are Mugg & Bean's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Nando's, Costa Coffee, Spur Steak Ranches and Starbucks South Africa. Direct peers are Tashas, Seattle Coffee Company, Vida e Caffè, Ocean Basket, Wimpy and Bootlegger Coffee Company.
Does Mugg & Bean have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mugg & Bean.
What industry is Mugg & Bean in?
Mugg & Bean's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes, with a secondary code of THAFADAG, Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus). Its NAICS code is 72251 and its SIC code is 5810.