It started with a bold idea and a mountain of fresh produce.

Twenty years on, Food Lover’s Market Willowbridge has become more than a grocery store. It is a weekly ritual for thousands of families in the Northern Suburbs.

As the store prepares to celebrate its 20th birthday, CEO Brian Coppin reflects on the journey. He also looks back at the milestones and the people who made it all possible.

A Western Cape beginning

“Willowbridge will always be a special store for us because it was where the Food Lover’s Market story really began in the Western Cape,” says Coppin.

“For me, this milestone feels like a full-circle moment.”

On day one, the store was built around what Food Lover’s Market was best known for. That included fresh produce, abundance, theatre and value.

Fruit and vegetables were the heroes, and the store buzzed with a vibrant, market-style energy that customers loved. Today, that fresh-produce heart remains. However, the store has evolved into a true one-stop shop. The biggest change has been the addition of a full grocery department. This transformed Willowbridge from a fresh-focused retailer into a destination where customers can do their entire weekly shop.

Alongside groceries, the store now offers a bakery, butchery, deli, fish, sushi, Seattle Coffee, flowers and wine. The 2022 revamp brought that evolution to life with a more modern design, improved flow and a stronger overall shopping experience.

Challenge of freshness at scale

Building that destination was not without its difficulties.

Coppin recalls that one of the greatest early challenges was maintaining freshness at a scale no South African retailer had attempted before.

“The whole Food Lover’s Market model was built around abundance, full displays, incredible variety and fresh produce as the hero,” he explains.

“The challenge was making sure that every apple, every tomato and every bunch of spinach still met our quality standards, despite the volumes moving through the store every day. It was ambitious, and there was no real blueprint for it. But we believed that if we could consistently deliver quality, freshness and value on that scale, customers would respond. Twenty years later, that philosophy still sits at the heart of Willowbridge and Food Lover’s Market.”

A record-breaking Heritage Day

No look back at Willowbridge’s history would be complete without its most extraordinary moment. That was a Guinness Record set on Heritage Day, 24 September 2011.

Vito Polera – today still the company’s National Fresh Buyer – braaied for 32 hours straight at the store, breaking the previous record of 28 hours and 30 minutes. From Friday 23 September at 09:00 to Saturday 24 September at 17:17, Polera braaied 74 kg of meat. He fed approximately 1 300 people through FoodForward SA.

“It was truly a community event, with customers coming out at all hours to support our bid for the world record,” Coppin recalls.

The people behind the store

Coppin is quick to credit the store’s longevity to its people. Over 20 years, Willowbridge has had eight managers, including Rocco Crause, Val Riccardi, Demetri Gaffley, Ruan de Villiers and Miguel Santos. All of them have gone on to more senior roles in the business.

Current manager Janine Braaf began her career at the store as an admin assistant.

Several colleagues have been part of the Willowbridge story for the full 20 years. This includes Nandipha Zimba, Matshediso Leteba and Una Levendal from Checkouts, Nokonwaba Mdlalo, Thomando Jacobs and Ingrid Raymond from Hot Foods, Felicity Perrett from Fruit & Veg, and Phiwe Zanekile from the Butchery.

“When colleagues stay with you for that long, it says a lot about the business,” says Coppin. “Customers see the same familiar faces year after year, building relationships that last decades. Retail is ultimately a people business.”

The store has also remained rooted in the broader community through a long-standing partnership with the Durbanville Children’s Home. Weekly fresh-produce contributions have helped feed children in care. “Food is not just a product,” Coppin says.

“Food is care.”

Celebrating 20 years

A 20th birthday is a significant milestone, and Food Lover’s Market wants its customers to be part of the celebration. Shoppers can expect great value, exciting in-store experiences, tasting opportunities, supplier activations and a few special surprises along the way.

“Most importantly, it’s our chance to thank the customers and community who have supported Willowbridge over the past two decades,” says Coppin.

As for the next 20 years, his ambition is clear: “That Food Lover’s Market, and the Willowbridge store, continues to be a Category of One — a destination that stands head and shoulders above other fresh retailers because of the experience, fresh abundance, quality and value that customers find every time they walk through the doors.”

From a bold fresh-produce market to a complete food destination, Willowbridge has spent two decades earning its place at the heart of the Northern Suburbs. Here’s to the next 20.