The first ever Mado South Africa Turkish pastry and ice cream restaurant has opened in Florida Road in Durban.
Mado First opened in 1850 in Türkiye and has since opened 300 outlets in Türkiye’s and in over 20 different countries.
Abdool Qadir Noor Mahomed, owner of Mado South Africa said last week that it has been a three -year journey to open Mado South Africa.
“It has always been a dream of mine to do some sort of business with Türkiye. The diversity and authentic flavors of Turkey is fantastic. Maraş ice cream is one of the best in the world. As a family, we had experienced the brand for the first time 14 years ago in Istanbul and were amazed by the ice cream desserts and variety.”
Mahomed added that as an entrepreneur he decided to let his fellow South Africans enjoy a model experience, and that with one of the largest menus South Africa, 66 pages of desserts and cuisine, which includes 30 ice cream flavors, another 10 more to come soon
Mahomed said it was no easy task to fully import a brand and a menu of this stature.
“Then to find an address that matches its ambiance and originality, and finally to build a world-class fine dining store of this caliber, from the ground-up was extremely daunting. We look back, we sit proud of this achievement.”
Mahomed said international relationships were strengthened between South Africa and Turkey, because, for instance, for the quantities of dairy imports required to stock the restaurant, a number of government departments such as health and agriculture, had to be involved.
The Turkish Ambassador to South Africa Nilvana Darama Yıldırımgeç said seeing a prominent Turkish brand like Mado arrive in Durban makes her proud. “They are the true representatives of Turkish culture. They don't bring here only the taste of Turkey, but also the touch of Turkey, our food, our culture, our hospitality, and our tradition of bringing everybody around the table.”
Yıldırımgeç added that she expects this will be the beginning of a long and successful journey in a new part of the world for Mado.
“I understand that model has ambitions to grow both in South Africa and hopefully beyond. I very much hope to see more model branches in other cities in the years ahead.”
Lihle Phewa, from the eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development and Planning Cluster said that the decision to invest in the city is a strong vote of confidence in Durban’s future.
“We are delighted you have chosen Durban as the home of your latest investment. The event is about more than the opening of the world-class restaurant. It is a celebration of investment, economic growth, job creation, and the strengthening of Durban's position as a leading tourism and business destination on the African continent,” said Phewa.
Phewa added that Durban continues to demonstrate resilience and attractiveness as an investment destination through ongoing efforts to improve the investment climate, infrastructure, and ease of doing business.
“The opening of Mado South Africa restaurant aligns perfectly with this positive momentum. As a globally recognized brand, renowned for hospitality, authentic cuisine, and exceptional customer experiences.”
Phewa said that as a globally recognized brand, renowned for hospitality, authentic cuisine, and exceptional customer experiences, Mado will enrich the city's tourism offering and contribute to a vision of becoming a world-class destination, where residents and visitors can enjoy diverse cultural and culinary experiences.
Phewa said establishments like Mado South Africa create employment, support local supply chains, stimulate tourism expenditure, and encourage further investment in the city.
“Every successful business opening strengthens confidence in Durban and contributes to building a more inclusive and prosperous economy.”
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