After just more than two years of opening in Camps Bay alongside Pick n Pay, with a plan to open a number of Maison J outlets inside or alongside the retailer, the owners have closed down the coffee, croissant, and bagel outlet, and reopened on 1 November a completely plant-based food and beverage outlet called okja, in the same space, still selling its coffee and bagels. The French-themed music and turquoise branding and packaging has been replaced with dark blue packaging, and what sounds like Rock music. Luckily the lovely staff remains the same.

The first sign of a change was that the owners removed dairy milk from the milk options, only having plant-based oat m*lk and almond m*lk available, much to the disappointment of  many regulars. The non-dairy m*lks taste sweeter, and hence a number of regulars have moved to other coffee outlets nearby, including the newly opened Firefly across the road. Starbucks must be happy too, opening next door soon.

Gone are the delicious croissants, supplied by Jason Bakery, which helped to fatten the curve of Camps Bay residents. They are the best in Cape Town. The bagels, now sourced from Kleinsky’s, remain the same, but the toppings are plant-based only.

The owners of Maison J are former Vida e Caffé partners Dave Chait and Rui Esteves, having created a hugely successful national brand of coffee shops. They motivate the move to plant-based in it being sustainable, ethical, nutritious, and animal-free. Ultimately, the plant-based products benefit their customers too: ‘Our job is to guide people like you on an easy, smooth and delicious journey towards a more plant-based diet; helping you to be kinder to yourself, to others, and to our amazing planet’.

They market the range of okja Oat Milk, Just Now Cacao, and Liter o’ Latte. The oat m*lk is made from water, Italian oats, cold-pressed sunflower oil, and sea salt. Serving suggestions in addition to coffee and hot chocolate are adding it to one’s breakfast oats, in smoothies, and to dunk chocolate chip cookies into it. Italian oats give the m*lk ‘a richer, creamier mouthfeel, and a denser foam for your latte’, the website educates.

Time will tell how Vegan Camps Bay residents are, in being able to sustain okja. The relationship with Pick n Pay appears to have come to an end.

 

Okja, Camps Bay Promenade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay. Tel +351 931 750 038   www.okja.co Instagram: @olaokja

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein

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