Where it all began
With the worlds first Rooibos Espresso
Our story
In 2005, we invented the world’s first Rooibos Espresso — and with it, created the world’s first red cappuccino®.
The story began when Pete and Monique Ethelston left behind successful corporate careers and spent three months backpacking through the Himalayas on honeymoon. Inspired by their journey and wanting to create something meaningful, they returned home to South Africa with a vision: to build a product that was good for people, rooted in South African heritage, and capable of creating jobs.
That vision became red espresso® Rooibos Espresso — a world-first innovation that transformed South Africa’s iconic Rooibos tea into a rich, full-bodied espresso. For the first time, Rooibos could be prepared through an espresso machine, pulled as a shot and crafted into cappuccinos, lattes and iced drinks.
Together with Monique’s brother, Nic Reid, they launched red espresso® and began introducing a completely new way of drinking Rooibos to cafés across South Africa — with Nic selling to the first 1,000 café customers straight from the boot of his car.
Backed by research
Curious about its health benefits, the team took red espresso® Rooibos Espresso to the Antioxidant Research Unit at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology for testing. The results were remarkable: when prepared as an espresso, red espresso® delivered 10x more antioxidants than regular Rooibos tea and 5x more than green tea.
With the research behind them, they set out to create an entirely new café experience. Signature drinks including the red cappuccino®, red latte® and fresh red® iced tea were developed using the same preparation methods as their coffee counterparts — pioneering a healthier café culture and creating a brand-new beverage category on the café menu.
The innovation quickly gained international recognition, earning six international awards. In 2008, red espresso® won Best New Specialty Product at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Show, making history as the first tea product and the first South African company ever to win an SCAA award. That same year, the World Tea Expo named red espresso® one of its Top Ten Best New Products.
From Rooibos Espresso to the modern café menu
Our passion for innovation didn’t stop with Rooibos. Over the years, we’ve applied the same commitment to quality, taste and café expertise to a growing range of café favourites — from chai and matcha to gourmet chocolates, freezos and more.
Today, red espresso® is the premium beverage brand behind the modern café menu, helping cafés serve more choice beyond traditional coffee. Across every product we create, our focus remains the same: exceptional taste, quality ingredients and drinks made to deliver consistently in every café environment.
More than two decades later, Pete, Nic and Monique remain at the helm of red espresso® — and familiar faces to many of our café customers in South Africa and around the world.
Pete Ethelston
Nic Reid
