Our story
Meet The Famiglia Behind The Dough
Welcome to Col’Cacchio, where our three-decade-long story unfolded over a wood-fired oven, the flavours of Italy and a whole lot of South African charm. Love at first bite, since 1992.
1992 · the first oven
Two hearts. One oven.
A famiglia ever since.
The first Col’Cacchio opened in Cape Town in 1992 with a wood-fired oven and a conviction that a meal should be worth crossing town for. Today that oven has grown into an international restaurant group across South Africa, Namibia and Mauritius.
Our Menu has always been inspired by the flavours of Italy and blended with South African charm: signature wood-fired pizzas, hand-rolled pastas and gourmet salads across the Col’Cacchio and GO menus, with a dedicated Halaal listing for our certified kitchens. Lovingly curated to bring our famiglia together.
Buon appetito.
See Our Menu
Three decades on
Some of the dough that built us.
Two brands, one famiglia
However you eat, we've got a kitchen for it.
Sit-down Trattoria. Delivery-first GO. Same wood-fired heritage, same founding couple.
What we do every day
The non-negotiables.
Three things have stayed the same since the first oven lit in 1992.
01 · the dough
Secret-recipe dough, hand-stretched.
Our dough recipe has lived only on our menus for over three decades: the same flour, the same hydration, the same overnight cold ferment, the same hand-stretch at the bench, in every restaurant and every GO kitchen. Wood-fired to order. No press, no shortcut, no exception.
02 · the produce
Handpicked, never compromised.
Handpicked tomatoes, fresh basil, farmers we know by name. Every ingredient is chosen for the same reason we opened in 1992: because it tastes the way Italian food should.
03 · the famiglia
It's about more than the meal.
Long tables. Big portions. Kids welcome. Birthdays celebrated, anniversaries observed, Tuesdays redeemed. We've always been about family, connection, and the moments worth sharing.
The famiglia behind the dough
Meet the people who run the kitchens.
Co-founder
Kinga Baranowska
Managing Director & Chief Product Officer
Co-founded Col’Cacchio with Michael in 1992. Still hands-on with menu development and brand voice today.
Group CEO
Etienne Pieterse
Chief Executive Officer
Leads the group strategy, from the Pizzeria heritage to the national GO rollout. “It's not just fast food; it's a curated experience.”
Group COO
Marli Pretorius
Chief Operations Officer
Runs day-to-day operations across all 29 stores and the international footprint. Heads of new-store openings (most recently Tribeca Mall, Mauritius).