Brief
Truth Coffee founder David Donde launches wholesale bakery Flour Market in Cape Town
David Donde, known for Truth Coffee, has opened Flour Market, a wholesale bakery focused on consistent, high‑quality bread for restaurants and cafés.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Cape Town entrepreneur David Donde, the founder of the experiential coffee brand Truth Coffee, announced the launch of Flour Market, a bakery that supplies wholesale bread and pastry to professional kitchens. The new venture moves away from a destination‑focused retail model to a business‑to‑business proposition, aiming to provide restaurants and cafés with reliable, consistently produced baked goods.
Flour Market’s operation centres on rigorous sourcing and production discipline. Flour is weighed and sourced batch by batch, with imported stocks tested against local alternatives. Butter and biowheat are purchased directly from vetted producers, allowing the bakery to control ingredient quality from farm to oven.
Donde explained the concept, saying, “We wanted the real ingredients inside slow bread and pastry to speak for themselves.” He added that the bakery’s focus on consistency means a restaurant can expect the same performance from a loaf today as it will next week, whether the product is used for breakfast, sandwiches or other menu items.
The production team is led by executive chef and head baker Laurence Smith, who joined the operation after working on the opening team of Rapt in 2024. Senior chef Marcus Fundi, responsible for fermentation and sourdough, also plays a key role in daily output and product development. Together, the chefs oversee both sweet and savoury lines, ensuring that the bakery can meet the varied needs of its B2B clients.
By shifting from a consumer‑direct experience to supplying other businesses, Donde aims to create a differentiated product in a commodity market. The bakery’s model relies on repeat orders, reliable delivery and predictable performance in partner kitchens, marking a significant change from the foot‑traffic‑driven model that powered Truth Coffee’s success.
Key facts
- David Donde, founder of Truth Coffee, launched Flour Market, a wholesale bakery in Cape Town. (bizcommunity.com)
- Flour Market supplies bread and pastry to restaurants and cafés rather than selling directly to consumers. (bizcommunity.com)
- Executive chef Laurence Smith, who joined via Rapt's opening team in 2024, leads product development. (bizcommunity.com)
- Senior chef Marcus Fundi focuses on fermentation and sourdough for daily production. (bizcommunity.com)
- Donde said the bakery sources flour batch by batch and tests imported stock against local alternatives. (bizcommunity.com)
Sources
- [1] bizcommunity.com — originally reported as “Truth Coffee founder David Donde turns to wholesale bread at Flour Market”
