164-year-old luxury cafe where a box of treats costs R5,000 in South Africa
Africa’s first Ladurée boutique opened its doors at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town last month, offering luxury treats for up to R5,099 for a box.
The new store brings the Parisian brand’s signature pastel-coloured macarons, pastries and desserts to local shoppers and diners. A single macaron costs R45, while a box of single Ladurée Marshmallow Bears costs R85.
These treats get much more expensive, however, when you start looking to buy more than one. A box of 12 “Napoleon” macarons costs R615. while the range-topping drawer box of 32 macarons and 18 Eugénie costs R5,099.
The Ladurée boutique also offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with the menu ranging from a Bénédictine Soft-Boiled Egg at R175 to Ladurée signature Caviar Blinis at R3,500.
According to Pâtisserie de France, the official South African licensee for Maison Ladurée Paris, the Cape Town branch is intended to offer more than just imported luxury branding.
The company said its flagship tea room blends Parisian elegance with South African warmth, with handcrafted macarons, pastries, high tea experiences and bespoke catering services forming part of the offering.
The company also said authenticity is central to the experience. Its pastries and desserts are made by South African chefs who were trained in France to maintain the standards associated with the Ladurée name.
Alongside staples such as macarons, the boutique serves signature desserts, including the Ispahan and vanilla flan, and also offers curated experiences for special occasions, including a caviar-themed luxury dessert experience.
While there is only one Ladurée store in South Africa, Pâtisserie de France noted that a national expansion plan is underway.
164 years of history
While the store is new to South Africa, the brand itself has a long history. Ladurée traces its roots back to 1862, when Louis Ernest Ladurée opened a bakery at 16 Rue Royale in Paris.
At the time, the Madeleine district was becoming one of the city’s key commercial and luxury hubs. The business changed direction in 1871 after a fire led to the bakery being converted into a pastry shop.
Its interior was redesigned by Jules Chéret, a noted French poster artist, whose decorative work helped establish the visual identity that would later become part of the brand’s image.
Ladurée’s tea-room concept was also an early innovation. Jeanne Souchard, wife of Louis Ernest Ladurée, is credited with combining the atmosphere of a Parisian café with a pastry shop.
This created one of the first tea rooms in the French capital at a time when social habits in Paris were changing.
Today, the brand has more than 130 boutiques in over 20 countries, which now includes Cape Town, South Africa.
Ladurée boutique images
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